Columbus monument group sues Syracuse, says Walsh doesn’t have authority to remove statue
Updated 8:40 AM;
Today 8:09 AM
Former county executive Nick Pirro stands in front of the Columbus statue in downtown Syracuse. Pirro is part of a group opposed to Mayor Ben Walsh s plan to remove the statue.
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Syracuse, N.Y. The Columbus Monument Corporation sued the city of Syracuse over the weekend in its latest effort to block the planned removal of the Columbus statue downtown.
The group filed a petition in state Supreme Court on Sunday, claiming Mayor Ben Walsh does not have the legal authority to remove the statue.
A second Republican emerges in race for Syracuse mayor
Updated Mar 02, 2021;
Syracuse, N.Y. A second Republican has emerged in the race for Syracuse mayor.
Thomas Babilon, a Syracuse attorney, will seek the GOP’s spot on November’s ballot. He announced his candidacy Monday.
Babilon’s announcement came late in the political season, just before the start of petition-passing.
In an interview Tuesday he said he had ruled out a run in January, as Republicans met to pick a candidate, but changed his mind after friends and supporters urged him to get in the race.
The Syracuse Republican Committee endorsed Janet Burman to run for mayor in January. Burman, however, has not signaled that she will certainly run. She was hesitant in January, saying some in her party didn’t want a Republican on the ballot. She said she needed to allay those concerns before ramping up a campaign.
Syracuse’s Columbus statue group escalates political war against Ben Walsh
Updated Feb 11, 2021;
Posted Feb 10, 2021
The annual Columbus Day wreath laying ceremony in Syracuse N.Y. Oct 12, 2020. Mark Nicotra and Nick Pirro hand off a weath to be placed at the foot of the Christopher Columbus statue. The city has announced that the statue will be removed. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com
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Syracuse, N.Y. A group of politically powerful Columbus statue supporters have ramped up their fight against Mayor Ben Walsh, who last year announced he will remove the Christopher Columbus statue from downtown Syracuse.
The Columbus Monument Corporation sent letters to leaders of every permanent political party in Syracuse in recent weeks. Those letters outlined the group’s disgust with Walsh’s decision and came with a message:
Republicans pick candidate to run for mayor: ‘Syracuse is sinking into a pit of garbage’
Updated Jan 22, 2021;
Posted Jan 22, 2021
Janet Burman talks at the Palace Theater as John Lemondes looks on. Berman received the Syracuse Republican Committee s designation to run for mayor in 2021.By Michelle Breidenbach
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Syracuse, N.Y. The city’s Republican Party will put forward a candidate to run for mayor in 2021.
The Republicans picked Janet Burman as their candidate during a committee meeting Thursday night. If she ends up on the ballot, Burman would challenge Mayor Ben Walsh, who is seeking reelection as an independent, as well as whichever candidate the Democrats choose.