A Brooklyn Democrat facing a tough re-election bid is in danger of being booted off the City Council’s Italian Caucus — and potentially losing cred with his large Italian constituency — unless he pledges his unwavering support to Christopher Columbus.
Lefty Councilman Justin Brannan was absent Tuesday when the rest of the predominantly conservative caucus voted to rewrite its bylaws.
The changes mandated all members not only have some Italian ancestry but also oppose all efforts to rename the federal holiday honoring the explorer and remove monuments celebrating him.
The vote was called mere weeks after Brannan told City & State he’s “open” to renaming” the holiday “Italian American Heritage Day.”
Brannan — who was set to be a grand marshal in this year’s Brooklyn Columbus Day Parade — said he’ll have to review the changes before deciding if he’ll cave into the caucus’ demands.
However, he insisted the revisions were “politically motivated” to help his Republican opponent, Councilman Ari Kagan, in the Nov. 7 general election.
Both are vying to represent a newly drawn southern Brooklyn district with plenty of Columbus-loving Italian voters.
Councilman David Carr, a Staten Island Republican who chairs the caucus, said the bylaws weren’t rewritten to embarrass or throw shade on Brannan or anyone else.
He said members are “fighting all efforts to erase Columbus from history,” which locally include calls to remove a famed monument honoring the explorer from Columbus Circle in Manhattan and the Department of Education’s 2021 controversial decision to scrap Columbus Day on the city school calendar and call it “Italian Heritage Day / Indigenous People’s Day.”
“The Italian Caucus is not the Zagat’s Guide to Italian Food in New York City,’ said Carr. “We stand for our beliefs and preserving Italian-Americans’ place in our history is issue No. 1 for us.”
Besides Brannan and Carr, the Italian Caucus includes three Republicans and Queens Councilman Robert Holden, a Democrat who typically backs conservative causes.
Councilman James Gennaro (D-Queens) was initially a member when the caucus was formed in February to provide a voice for the city’s Italian-American community, but he’s since stepped down.