The company's plans were set back further by a large-scale bribery scandal in Mexico reported by The New York Times in 2012. Under the new, labor-allied leadership at City Hall, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, the company is likely only to find increased local political opposition. Proponents of the Arkansas-based company argue that New York City consumers are hungry for one of its discount stores nearby, and note that many shoppers patronize Walmarts in the suburbs, taking their sales-tax dollars with them. City shoppers spent $215 million at Walmart stores near the city in 2012, according to the company. Walmart has a Long Island store in Valley Stream that is a few blocks from the Queens border.