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Former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen to Amazon: “You can’t just show up”

She says company deserves some blame

Alicia Glen (Credit: Getty Images and Wikipedia)
Alicia Glen (Credit: Getty Images and Wikipedia)

Former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen thinks Amazon deserves “some significant blame” for its headquarters in Long Island City not panning out.

“They picked a neighborhood that is undergoing a tremendous amount of transformation,” she told CityLab in an interview. “You can’t just show up. It takes more than that. I don’t think they acted as honorably as they should have, quite frankly.”

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Glen said the company should’ve known that it needed to “engage with community stakeholders in a transparent and authentic way. In March, Glen stepped down after five years as the deputy mayor of housing and economic development. She announced her departure before Amazon pulled the plug on its Queens headquarters amid opposition from city and state elected officials as well as labor groups. City officials are now on the hunt for a replacement for the corporation.

In the interview, Glen addressed questions about the city’s response to NYCHA’s deterioration, upzoning, failures in mass transit, inequality and the inclusionary housing program.

In April, Glen was tapped to lead the redevelopment Governors Island. She also told CityLab that she isn’t ruling out a run for mayor at some point. [CityLab] — Kathryn Brenzel

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