PUEBLO – City officials in Colorado have scheduled a special meeting Monday to consider letting voters decide whether a statue of Christopher Columbus should stay up or be removed.
Pueblo City Council is set to discuss sending a ballot question to voters in November asking about the future of the statue in the Mesa Junction, a historic district downtown, The Pueblo Chieftain reported.
“Those of us that think it should go to the ballot, we feel it’s a community issue and we feel that there’s either going to be an overwhelming response for leave it where it is or an overwhelming response for take it down,” Councilwoman Lori Winner said. “I don’t think it’s going to be very even either way.”
Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar disagreed with the idea, arguing that it should not be something residents should have to vote on.
The debate comes after residents have held protests where the statue sits across from the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library. Some have called for the statue’s removal, while others insist it stays.
