Methuen Mayor Stephen N. Zanni. (Cindy Driver photograph for WHAV News.)
Hear the newsmakers themselves during Local News over 97.9 WHAV FM, every half hour, weekdays.
Methuen has rejected a call to join a coalition of local communities working to bring to the area Amazon’s second national headquarters. Instead, the city is considering offering its own plan to the retail online giant.
Mayor Stephen N. Zanni told WHAV he disagrees with Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini’s premise the state should coalesce around a single project. He explained Massachusetts has a better chance of bringing Amazon here if it presents a variety of choices.
“It’s the wrong message to have one option from state of Massachusetts,” Zanni said. “I think there should be other options. Here in Methuen we have a couple of sites to put into the mix.” Zanni declined to immediately name Methuen sites where Amazon may build. Zanni said he heard from Fiorentini Wednesday afternoon about joining a coalition led by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission. Fiorentini acknowledged the invitation in an interview with WHAV Wednesday.
“I reached out to the mayor of Methuen. Methuen will play a really critical role in this and I asked if they’ll join,” Fiorentini said.
The Methuen mayor said invitations should have gone out sooner and included other cities such as Methuen and Newburyport.
“We have until October to file. I think we’re going to apply ourselves,” Zanni told WHAV. He said his city has a good relationship with Gov. Charlie Baker and Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash.
The Planning Commission notified Ozzy Properties, owner of the former Western Electric plant in North Andover, that the sprawling property could be the centerpiece of a proposal to lure Amazon to the Valley.
I am surprised the old Lucent site is interested considering they have so much going on over there already. Did they submit a proposal do we know ?
This is just too funny!!! Jimmy Taxman is the point man to coordinate Amazon locating in the area? The local business community and pols are pinning their hopes on attracting 50,000 jobs to the area on a guy who wears suits two sizes two big and constantly has spaghetti sauce stains on his ties and suit? The funniest thing is Zanni’s feelings are hurt when the best thing that could happen to Methuen is being left out of being included with Failurentini, and he doesn’t even know it.