As Hartford, New Haven, and other major cities in Connecticut have permitted and even overseen the removal of statues of Christopher Columbus, Waterbury has steadfastly stood by honoring the Italian explorer credited with discovering America.

Recently, the 5th largest city in the Nutmeg State has decided to hold a citywide referendum on whether to keep or take down the statue of Columbus that has greeted visitors to City Hall on Grand Street since 1984. “This will hopefully settle the issue once and for all,” Waterbury’s Democrat Mayor Neil O’Leary told Newsmax last Friday, “We have stood alone in keeping Columbus’s statue and now the people will have their say.”