IN THE FINAL MEETING OF TERM, BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO KEEP COLUMBUS DAY

In the final meeting of its five-year term, the departing City Council of Baltimore rejected an effort to rebrand Columbus Day.

In the council’s final controversial act, members failed to muster enough votes to strip Christopher Columbus of his holiday. The bill to rename the day for indigenous peoples and ItalianAmericans needed eight votes to pass, but the final tally was 7-6 with two members abstaining. Italian-American heritage groups lobbied council members heavily to maintain the observance as Columbus Day, arguing that it was less about the Italian explorer and more about an opportunity to honor their heritage and the sacrifices made by their ancestors.

The Census Bureau has estimated 16,500 Baltimore city residents are of Italian-American descent. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, daughter of Baltimore’s first ItalianAmerican mayor, Thomas D’Alesandro Jr., grew up in Little Italy.

Councilman Brandon Scott of Northeast Baltimore said he introduced the bill at the request of city school students. Many associate Columbus -- who never reached the land now known as the United States -- with enslaving, brutalizing and killing the native people he encountered.

Scott said he attempted to reach a compromise by proposing to rename the day for both indigenous peoples and ItalianAmericans.

Councilman Spector said the council should not take the honor from Italian-Americans, calling it “not American. It’s not good for Baltimore. I would be embarrassed to take something away from people who earned it and deserve it.”