Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Howard Zemsky

Howard Zemsky

  • Pointing to Amazon Announcement, Long Island City Co-op Renews Calls for Similar Tax Relief

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    CityLights, second building from right (photo: King of Hearts/Wikimedia Commons)


    Amazon’s announcement that it will locate one of its two new “headquarters” in Long Island City, Queens triggered immediate backlash among some elected officials and residents of the community who fear the effects it will have on local housing prices and already strained infrastructure, among other consequences. But the residents of CityLights, the largest affordable co-op in Queens, are particularly incensed by

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  • State-Backed, Scandal-Plagued Entities Seek New Chapter

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    Howard Zemsky, of ESD, in Buffalo (photo via the Governor's office)


    Alain Kaloyeros, the former head of SUNY Polytechnic Institute heading to trial this month for alleged corruption, was known for his luxury sports cars, self-aggrandizing boasts, and awkward social media posts.

    The new face of the state’s tech development projects, Doug Grose, strikes a different image: subdued, old-school business executive.

    Coming after Kaloyeros’ fall from grace and amid twin corruption trials, Grose’s appointment seems aimed at assuring taxpayers that state

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  • First Annual State Economic Development Report Falls Short, Watchdogs Say

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    Howard Zemsky (photo: Govenor's Office)


    Starting this year, the state’s central economic development agency is required to produce an annual comprehensive report of all of the state-funded programs it oversees. The requirement of Empire State Development (ESD) was part of the state budget agreement reached last April amid intensifying criticism of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s approach to economic development.

    With the report due on December 31 of each year, ESD must compile the past fiscal year's “aggregate totals” for each economic

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