The Italians are claiming New York City’s mayor-elect as their own.
The town of Benevento in Southern Italy — where de Blasio’s maternal grandfather was born — voted unanimously over the weekend to name the mayor-elect an “honorary citizen.”
The town council of Benevento, about 30 miles northeast of Naples, adopted a resolution calling de Blasio “a man of sound moral values, always close to the needs of the poorest of the poor, who vigorously pursues battles of civilization, equality and dignity,” according to the news outlet Il Quaderno.
De Blasio’s grandfather Giovanni de Blasio was from Sant’Agata, a municipality within Benevento. He emigrated to New York City in 1905. The mayor-elect’s maternal grandmother, Anna Briganti, arrived in 1909. Their daughter, Maria, de Blasio’s mother, was born in New York.
“It’s such a special place for us,” de Blasio said in a statement. “I’ve walked the streets with Dante and Chiara, and reconnected with family there. I’m honored they’ve embraced us like this.”
The news outlet Il Mattino reported de Blasio is set to visit Sant’Agata next spring with his family to pick up the award. But a de Blasio spokesman said that report was inaccurate and the family has no plans to travel to Italy this spring, or any time soon.
The resolution states that the mayor-elect is “is inextricably tied to his roots with pride, claiming his origins in Sant’Agata.”
