ALBANY -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo expressed optimism Tuesday that Amazon will build a portion of its second headquarters in New York, saying he will "do whatever I need to do to make it a reality."
Amazon is reportedly poised to within days announce two new headquarters instead of one for its $5 billion expansion that is expected to include 50,000 new jobs.
The two locations are expected to be Long Island City in Queens and Arlington, Virginia, The New York Times reported Monday night.
Cuomo confirmed Tuesday that Long Island City is under consideration, but he didn't say if a deal was final with Amazon, vowing instead to do whatever New York could do to lure the tech giant to the city — where Amazon already has about 1,800 employees.
"I think it’ll be transformative for the entire state," Cuomo told reporters after he voted in Mount Kisco. "They are looking at Long Island City, which is in Queens, New York. But I think it will be an economic asset for the entire state."
Cuomo is seeking re-election Tuesday to a third term. The Democratic governor met privately with Amazon executives two weeks ago, and he has offered to go to Seattle to help close the deal.
"I’ve said to them personally I will do whatever I need to do to make it a reality," Cuomo continued. "I will personally get involved in facilitating their construction and their approval process."
Amazon declined comment Tuesday.
In January, Amazon narrowed its potential regions for the new headquarters to 20, including New York City and its suburbs among the finalists. The lower Hudson Valley was hopeful that some of its sites could be attractive to Amazon.
Proposals by Rochester and Buffalo, along with ones in Syracuse and Albany, were rejected.
But the upstate bids offered a glimpse at how much in public subsidies Amazon may get from New York.
In the joint Rochester/Buffalo bid, Amazon was offered more than $700 million in local tax breaks — and that didn't even include what the state itself could put in, the USA Today Network's Albany Bureau reported.
Cuomo didn't offer any details on what New York is proposing to lure Amazon to Queens, but he suggested it was sizable.
"I think we put together a great package to bring them here," Cuomo said. "I think they would be foolish to go anywhere else, he says with the arrogance of a New Yorker."
Some groups, though, were leery of a massive subsidy to bring in Amazon.
"Amazon, one of the wealthiest and largest companies in history, needs the city more than the city needs Amazon – plain and simple," said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.
"If Amazon wants to come here, they can afford to do so on their own."
