The common council on Wednesday failed to override Mayor Erin Stewart’s veto of the council’s decision last month to remove a statue of Christopher Columbus.
The 8-6 vote means the statue of the Italian brave explorer or rapacious slave trader, depending on the the various views of city leaders and residents, stays, at least for now. Ten votes were required to override Stewart’s veto.
In a statement condemning “cancel culture” last month, the mayor warned that taking down the monument would set a bad precedent.
“Where does it end?” she wrote. “Are we going to examine the battlefield tactics of generals Kosciuszko or Pulaski to ensure they adhered to the social mores of today?