Around New England

Mayor: Amazon’s Loss Will Be Revere’s Gain

November 16, 2018

Suffolk Downs, a former racetrack on the Revere-East Boston line, was one possible landing place for Amazon’s second headquarters, but lost out earlier this week to Arlington, Virginia and the Queens borough of New York City.

But Revere’s mayor says city officials aren’t fazed — even if he mentions Amazon 11 times in a 459-word column in the Lynn Item.

“To be sure, Revere’s image was enhanced by its waltz with Amazon. Companies worldwide now have seen the value and amenities that vaulted Revere onto Amazon’s short list. They are now hearing about all that Revere has to offer, with access to public transportation, robust housing stock, an excellent school system, and our most prized natural resource, Revere Beach,” Revere Mayor Brian M. Arrigo writes.

The Amazon interlude brought Revere into a “rarefied real estate atmosphere,” the mayor says, even if it didn’t last.

Revere may have been jilted, but the city is not hurt.

“We have become more discerning as we eye our partners. Too many times over too many years Revere was jilted by fickle suitors. No more,” the mayor writes. “Revere is a city on the move, assured that our future will at long last correspond to our immense possibilities.”