Organizers for the Manhattan Columbus Day Parade have extended an invitation to Mayor Zohran Mamdani to march on Fifth Avenue next month. This move comes as a surprise to many, considering the mayor has maintained a rocky relationship with the Italian American community since taking office.
As reported by the NY Post, the Columbus Citizens Foundation, which acts as the nonprofit group behind the annual event, is hoping to turn a new leaf. Christopher Loiacono, the president of the foundation, noted that the group wants to move past previous tensions to foster a more productive relationship with City Hall.
Loiacono stated, “We feel cooperating is always the better path, and we hope to create a good relationship with his office,” and added, “We hope he will be more open to [working] with the Italian community.” The invitation was sent out last week, and while the mayor has not yet responded, the group remains hopeful that he will participate.
Not everyone is happy with the invitation
However, not everyone in the community is happy about the outreach. Mike Crispi, the president of the Italian American Civil Rights League, has reportedly been vocal about his frustration regarding the offer. He described the invitation as a “weak gesture” and expressed that the mayor has a lot of work to do if he wants to bridge the divide.
Crispi argued, “I think that he should be coming to Italian Americans hat in hand, groveling for an apology for all the insulting and hateful rhetoric that he’s put on our people over the last couple of years.” Tensions have been high for some time, particularly after the administration released a map of immigrant enclaves that excluded Little Italy. Although the mayor claimed the list was not “exhaustive” and promised future updates, many residents felt slighted by the omission.
The history between the mayor and the community also reportedly includes a 2020 social media post that resurfaced during his mayoral campaign. In the post, the mayor was seen flipping the middle finger to a Christopher Columbus statue in Astoria, Queens, with the caption, “Take it down.”
Councilwoman Joann Ariola from Queens suggested that the mayor should skip the event entirely. She pointed to his past comments regarding the explorer and his exclusion of Little Italy from the city map as reasons why his presence might be unwelcome. She questioned his motives, stating, “Why would he want to be there? To get pictures and pretend he’s a paisan now? He should sit this one out.”
Crispi went further, suggesting that the mayor lacks the courage to face the crowd in person. He noted, “He knows he’ll be booed off the block very quickly,” and added, “This is the mayor who likes to be a social media guy and do his little curated videos, but in real life, he’s loathed by the real people who built the city and who have been in the city for a long time.”
Despite the backlash, the mayor has also been invited to a separate Columbus Day parade in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, scheduled to take place soon. Carlo Scissura, the vice chairman of the Federation of Italian American Organizations of Brooklyn, confirmed the invite.
He mentioned that they invite all elected officials as a matter of standard practice. Councilman Frank Morano of Staten Island expressed hope that the mayor would take the opportunity to mend fences. He said, “I hope [Mamdani] attends and uses this occasion to rise to the moment, show some respect for our heritage and demonstrate that he values our community,” and noted, “He should understand why this holiday matters to us.”
Published: Sep 19, 2026 07:30 pm