INTERVIEW – MONTGOMERY COUNTY EXECUTIVE IKE LEGGETT

TOPIC: Latest on the MoCo’s Amazon HQ2 Bid:

>> Amazon could soon announce more finalists for its new headquarters, the second major one in the country, according to the New York Times. The New York Times reported that there is “widespread speculation” Amazon could release another short list and cut the field again, beyond the 20 current finalists.

> NY TIMES: Cities’ Offers for Amazon Base Are Secrets Even to Many City Leaders. Across the country, the search for HQ2, as the project has been nicknamed, is shrouded in secrecy. Even civic leaders can’t find out what sort of tax credits and other inducements have been promised to Amazon. And there is a growing legal push to find out, because taxpayers could get saddled with a huge bill and have little chance to stop it. When officials in Montgomery County, Md., did respond to a request for information on their bid, they delivered, among other items, a 10-page document of incentives — with every line of text redacted.