Quinn: No Wal-Mart in NYC

According to the Daily News, at a Crain’s breakfast yesterday City Council Christine Quinn reemphasized her strong opposition to Wal-Mart entering New York City. One of the Speaker’s major concerns is Wal-Mart’s reliance on public safety net programs:

"It is well documented across the country that Wal-Mart frequently uses the public insurance programs of the cities they are in as their own health insurance programs," Quinn charged. "We can't put that additional strain on our Health and Hospitals Corp., which is working as hard as it can to take care of uninsured New Yorkers."

Wal-Mart is going to have a very tough time building in the city if the speaker maintains her steadfast opposition. However, there is still the possibility that the retailer will find suitable space already properly zoned which is a cause for concern and something that the Alliance will be working on with our allies.