Waterville mayor calls Columbus Day a ‘pro-immigrant’ holiday amid backlash over proclamation

Oct 04, 2019 659

BY: Christopher Burns

Waterville Mayor Nick Isgro found himself embroiled in a bitter confrontation with area residents over his proclamation recognizing Columbus Day, but was not without his defenders. The Waterville Morning Sentinel reports that the Republican mayor read his one-page proclamation when Tuesday night’s City Council meeting started, drawing a mixture of criticism and support from the audience.

Exchanges became heated at times, and Isgro at one point threatened to have the police chief eject people from the meeting if they spoke without being recognized, according to the newspaper. The proclamation, quoting President Benjamin Harrison, lauds Christopher Columbus as a “pioneer of progress and enlightenment,” whose arrival in the Americas in 1492 prompted the migration of millions of Europeans, who “brought their art, music, science, medicine, philosophy and religious principles to America.”

Read more

SOURCE: https://bangordailynews.com

You may be interested