New York City Mayor Eric Adams may be almost 5,000 miles away in Albania, but he was at the center of the mayor’s race on Wednesday due to his recent campaign to landmark statues of Christopher Columbus in Manhattan and Queens.
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Adams is asking the Landmarks Preservation Commission to hold a public hearing on a request filed by the former head of the Columbus Citizens Foundation to make the two statues public landmarks, which would mean they can’t be torn down.
The controversy stems from former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure, when there were charges by activists claiming that Columbus should not be viewed as an heroic explorer but as someone whose expeditions led to the killing and enslavement of indigenous Americans.
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Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, who was speaking for the mayor while he is overseas, said the statues mean a lot to the Italian-American community.
“These are symbols of something important to them, and we should respect that part of the Italian community’s cultural heritage,” Mastro said.
Mastro also admitted it was an attempt by Adams to thwart any efforts by Queens Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, should he win the election, to try to accomplish what de Blasio was unable to do — have the statues torn down.
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