During a campaign rally at Paradise Island in Tottenville, on Saturday, Mayoral Candidate Curtis Sliwa shared that he is looking to bring a statue of Christopher Columbus to Staten Island. The republican candidate, the founder of the Guardian Angels, spoke to a crowd of over 70 attendees, highlighting his surprise that the borough so often referred to as “Staten Italy” does not have a statue honoring the Italian navigator largely credited with paving the way for European exploration in the Americas.
Sliwa, who is of Italian and Polish descent, noted how other boroughs across New York City are home to various statues and parades celebrating Christopher Columbus. Yet Staten Island, “the most Italian of all the boroughs,” does not have such a monument.
