Mayor Peduto On Amazon HQ2 Sweepstakes: 'Come On Already, Just Do It'
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto probably expressed everyone's frustration with the Amazon HQ2 sweepstakes Monday: "Come on already, just do it."
It's gotten difficult to keep up with all the "informed" reports about just what Amazon is going to do.
The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend the marketing/shipping giant has narrowed it down to northern Virginia, Dallas and New York. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reported it will be northern Virginia.
Then late Monday, The Wall Street Journal dropped another story saying Amazon will split HQ2 between two locations with each getting half of the 50,000 employees.
"I've heard rumors before that it was Chicago. I've heard rumors before it was Boston," Peduto said.
County Executive Rich Fitzgerald shares the Mayor's skepticism.
"We've heard a lot of different stories over the last several months. We'll just have to see where it goes," he said.
Amazon has promised a decision by the end of the year. The Wall Street Journal says it could come this week. So has Amazon been in touch since its visit in April?
"Yes, for some additional information. I can't remember what that was. It was minimal," Peduto said.
"I'm not going to get into discussions we've had," Fitzgerald said.
One thing the Amazon chase has done, Peduto says, is teach the region's business and community interest to work together.
"It's given us the ability to be more attractive in presenting our case to other companies. So even if we don't get it, I still am happy we went through the exercise. There's been no communication to say if we're still in or that we're out," Peduto said.
So like the other 19 cities on Amazon's possible HQ2 sites, Pittsburgh waits.