Syracuse’s Columbus statue will outlast Ben Walsh, who promised 5 years ago to remove it

Syracuse, N.Y. — Despite Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh’s relocation plan announced five years ago, the controversial Christopher Columbus monument will remain where it is well after the mayor leaves office at the end of this year.

Years of community debate, litigation and advisory group deliberations have not produced a tangible outcome for the statue that Walsh decided in 2020 should come down. The only certainty is that it won’t get moved on Walsh’s watch.