Goodbye “iron triangle,” hello Wal-Mart?

The big-box chain has been working to establish its first New York City branch in Brooklyn’s Gateway II for over a year, and now the Daily News reports that Wal-Mart might also be looking to set up shop at Willets Point, the industrial neighborhood across from Citi Field in Queens.

The Daily News cited two unnamed elected officials who claimed that the company is lobbying behind the scenes for a spot in Willets West, an enclosed retail and entertainment complex planned for the blighted section of town as part of a larger scale urban renewal project.

“They were looking at Willets Point as a possibility for a new site in New York,” said one elected official. The other confirmed that the Wal-Mart had been courting support.

Wal-Mart itself has kept silent about any prospective plans, and a spokesperson for the Willet West’s co-developers, Related Companies and Sterling Equities, told the Daily News that they do not “anticipate” housing any large-scale stores in the complex. The New York City Economic Development Corporation also tweeted at Fox News that the report is “absolutely without merit.”

Most politicians are opposed to the idea of bringing the enormous chain — and its highly scrutinized labor practices — to the city, said the Daily News.

But Wal-Mart spokesperson Steve Restivo argued that Wal-Mart “can be part of the solution for folks who want a job or need more affordable grocery options close to where they live or work.” He refused to comment on the prospective Queens branch, and told the Daily News, “We don’t have any announced projects in the city, but continue to evaluate opportunities all across the five boroughs.”

“We know they know of price of buying government favors in Mexico, and I think all of us are deeply concerned that they may know the price of buying government favors in the United States, and possibly New York,” Lancman said. “I think that the Justice Department should examine very, very closely those who have accepted contributions from Wal-Mart.”

As it turns out, some of the state’s top Democrats, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have accepted money from the Arkansas retail giant, in turmoil over charges that it bribed Mexican officials and then covered its actions up.

A quick look at state Board of Elections filings shows that Cuomo has taken $1,000, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver $1,500 and the State Democratic Party $15,000 from Wal-Mart. A slew of others have also taken Wal-Mart donations, including Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. In other words, the three most powerful people in state government have taken money from the company.

In  a follow-up statement provided to City & State, Lancman said he was simply calling for a broader investigation into Wal-Mart’s actions in New York — and not calling into question the motives of those individuals who accepted the company’s donations.

To read the full article at City & State click here.

Consumers continue to be denied the opportunity to shop at Wal-Mart. This is a result of narrow-minded New York City Council members who refuse to allow Wal-Mart an opportunity to open stores within the five boroughs.

In 2008, millions of Americans cashed more than half a billion dollars worth of stimulus checks at Wal-Mart. The chain offers generic drugs for $4 and three months of medicine for $10, shared more than $2 billion in profits with employees as bonuses and reduced prices on more than 16,000 types of back-to-school clothing and supplies, including inexpensive computers for kids. Even with anti-Wal-Mart hysteria, the company still committed to transferring several hundred employees to support expanding the New York City business offices.

Isn’t it time to let consumers make the decision on what to buy and where to shop, rather than Council Speaker Christine Quinn and her colleagues?

Larry Penner
Great Neck, Long Island

Letters have been edited for clarity, style and brevity.