Statue of Liberty Saved From Auction Block
The auctioning of the Statue of Liberty by city officials who claim the federal government owes them nearly $1 million was stopped at the last minute Friday, and the mayor said such a sale would be “a disgrace.”
“How could you sell the greatest symbol of freedom in the world? It’s like selling your grandmother. Could you do that?” asked Anthony Cucci, mayor of Jersey City, which overlooks New York Harbor and is a few hundred yards from Liberty Island.
The statue was placed on a list of delinquent properties after city officials said the federal government had not paid a $972,000 water bill for the island.
City Tax Collector Timothy Rauch said that state Atty. Gen. Irwin Kimmelman advised him to remove the statue from the sale list until the state issues a legal opinion on whether a lien can be placed against federal property.
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