The Arizona Commerce Authority is refusing to disclose details of a proposal to lure Amazon to build its second headquarters in the state.
Amazon set an Oct. 19 deadline for submitting detailed proposals, but an Arizona Daily Star public-records request for Arizonaβs submission was declined.
βWhile the ACA has submitted a proposal to Amazon on behalf of the state, the project is still active and so we will not be releasing the proposal document as doing so could harm the stateβs competitiveness in the process,β Susan E. Marie, the ACAβs senior vice president for marketing and communications said via email.
She said because the proposal contains βspecific development strategies, locations, and other key information, we have no records responsive to your request.β
Attorney Phil Higdon, who works on public-records cases for the firm Perkins Coie, said the submitted proposal is a public document and that the only βongoing or activeβ exemption is for a law enforcement matter.
Corporate proposals almost always include tax breaks, subsidies and other financial incentives that would be financed by taxpayers, classifying the document of βextreme public interest,β he said.
βHow is it detrimental to their competitive position if what Amazon has already seen becomes public?β Higdon said. βUnfortunately, this is the kind of stall the stateβs agencies have used lately because it has gone unchallenged.β
Last month Amazon announced its plans to build a second corporate headquarters with up to 50,000 new employees over 15 years and more than $5 billion in capital investment. A decision is expected in 2018.
Sun Corridor Inc., the Tucson regionβs main economic development agency, tried to get Amazonβs attention by offering a 21-foot saguaro to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in Seattle. The gift was declined and regifted to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Because the ACA wonβt turn over the proposal, it is unknown if Tucson was included as a potential site.
