The Columbus Monument Corporation (CMC) says it's planning legal action against the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA), which is hosting a design competition for a reimagined Columbus Circle, which includes the statue of Christopher Columbus.
CMC says the legal action seeks to compel the OHA to comply with numerous requests for information made under the Freedom of Information Law, or FOIL. CMC contends the design competition has been "secretive and deceptive," per its Nov. 9 announcement.
FOIL outlines public's right to gain access to government records, according to New York's Committee on Open Government.
"It has been and continues to be our contention and our position that the OHA is subject to FOIL because they're acting as an agent of - and under the direction of the City of Syracuse - while operating as a public agency," Nick Pirro, a corporation board member, said at a media briefing the CMC held Nov. 9 in Columbus Circle.
In the ongoing debate, Syracuse's Italian community sees the statue as a symbol of Italian heritage, while opponents see the Christopher Columbus statue as a symbol of colonial oppression against Native Americans. The CMC includes many prominent members of Syracuse's Italian community.
The OHA's Full Circle Design Competition presentations and opening reception is set for Tuesday night from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church at 220 E. Fayette St. in Syracuse. The OHA will host a reception at its nearby location on Montgomery Street following the presentations, which showcase the work of the finalists, which a committee chose back in September.
The OHA describes the Full Circle Design Competition as a "public history initiative exploring new approaches to interpreting Syracuse's Columbus Circle and the adjacent lot known as the Powelson Site (Heritage Park)," per its announcement about the Nov. 10 event.
Pirro, along with CMC board members Anthony Ilacqua and Dominick Ciciarelli, are direct descendants of members of the Columbus Monument Association, which led the effort to raise funding that led to the dedication of the memorial 92 years ago.
"Our first question is why is it even necessary for this community to reimagine Columbus Circle when there are so many other locations in the community that can be considered? Because the goal is to remove this statue and nothing else," said Pirro, who is also a former Onondaga County executive.
In the CMC news release, Ilacqua said, "Why couldn't OHA seek designs that preserved the statue and monument as the centerpiece of the Circle? Again, the answer is their goal is to remove the statue, and and they would not receive the grant funding if retaining the statue was a requirement. The truth is evidenced in OHA's own financial statements that state the $1.8 million Mellon grant is to support relocation of the monument."
In the Corporation's planned Article 78 proceeding, the CMC seeks to compel the OHA to comply with FOIL requests for information related to the planning of the design competition. OHA has so far refused to provide any of the requested information, claiming it is a private nonprofit education association. The legal action will argue that the "OHA is acting as an agency of the City of Syracuse and at the specific and at the specific direction of the city administration, and as such they are as much subject to FOIL as the City itself," per the CMC announcement.
The Article 78 action will seek to shine some light on a process that has been "highly secretive," CMC said in its announcement. It wants answers to questions that include: Who selected the curatorial committee? Who are the nine members and what are their qualifications? How were the designers selected that were invited to participate? How were the three finalists chosen? What guidance were the designers given? Who will decide which of the three final designs will be recommended? How will that decision be made? and Why was there no meaningful public involvement in any aspect of this design process?
Joe Heath, general counsel for the Onondaga Nation, said the process has not been secretive. Heath said former Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh held a group of community discussions that involved the Columbus Monument Corporation.
"They were part of that discussion years ago. No one agreed with their position and so they sued and they lost badly when it got to an impartial appellate court," Heath said.
And Heath also added, "There have been more committees over the past couple of years. They were invited to participate, so that their views could be heard as the design bids were going out. They refused to do that."
Heath also told WRVO Public Media that it's not clear to him if OHA is subject to FOIL, but he says what is clear is that Columbus Monument Corporation will do anything to get its own way.
Both supporters and opponents of the statue of Christopher Columbus in Syracuse's Columbus Circle held separate ceremonies on Oct. 12 at the downtown location to acknowledge both Columbus Day and what others refer to as Indigenous Peoples' Day.
