New Haven Mayor Toni Harp is not discouraged by the state backing Hartford and Stamford’s bid for Amazon’s new headquarters that will house as many as 50,000 employees.
"We’d be a great place for Amazon," she told NBC Connecticut on Tuesday. "But we’re among at least 200 other cities in America that think that."
New Haven and Bridgeport are moving forward with submitting a joint proposal for Amazon’s second North American headquarters.
"We want to partner with anybody that wants to bring jobs and development to this part of Connecticut," Harp said.
The New Haven-Bridgeport region is better suited for the online giant because of location and transportation infrastructure like I-95, ports and the rail line, Harp said.
"We think that we are poised between Boston and New York," Harp said.
Over the phone, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim told NBC Connecticut "this region offers elements that will be critical for Amazon."
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Another reason Harp said Amazon should consider this region is the number of colleges and universities, including Yale.
"Mayor Gamin and I went to speak with (Dept. of Economic and Community Development) Commissioner Smith and they’re going to use our world class university to try to get Amazon to come to these other places," Harp said."well, where better to come than where that university is."
Kate Gregory lives in North Haven, where Amazon is already building its third facility in the state, as it was first reported in June.
"You mentioned losing GE and Aetna," Gregory said. "It would be great to have a big company come into Connecticut and bring jobs that we lost."
Even if Amazon decides Hartford or Stamford would be a better destination, Harp said it would be a win for the state.
"Our entire state would be really benefit if any of our cities got this new headquarters," she said.
The submissions for the new Amazon headquarters are due next week on Oct. 19. NBC Connecticut will keep you posted if any cities in the state emerge as a serious contender.
