Democratic mayoral primary candidates faced questions on housing, education, climate change and transit at a forum hosted by a student climate advocacy group at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on March 29.
The two-hour event was organized like a day of high school with different panels named after different classes, beginning with “English class.” Any New York City student or attendee could submit questions prior to the panel, which were read by students in the Socratic seminar-style panel. In attendance were candidates Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos and Whitney Tilson. Brad Lander arrived later, followed by Michael Blake and Zohran Mamdani.
The forum began with a stand-up comedy routine met with tentative laughs from audience members. One attendee heckled the comedian, saying “where are the politicians?”
“If there is any hope for a Fordham University student to be able to afford their rent, to be able to afford their metro card, to be able to afford their ConEd bill, they need to have a mayor who’s going to fight for them each and every day, and that’s what’s on the ballot on June 24,” Zohran Mamdani
Upon arrival, each candidate delivered a two-minute opening speech introducing themselves and their vision for New York City’s future.
A moderator from TREEage, the climate activist group which hosted the event, asked candidates about their budget plan for the coming fiscal year should they be elected, and how it compares to current mayor Eric Adams’s plan. Mamdani said he would prioritize affordable housing and the cost of living in his opening speech.
“We stand in the wealthiest city in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, and yet one in four New Yorkers are living in poverty,” Mamdani said.
He also directly addressed how cost of living concerns affect Fordham students.
“If there is any hope for a Fordham University student to be able to afford their rent, to be able to afford their metro card, to be able to afford their ConEd bill, they need to have a mayor who’s going to fight for them each and every day, and that’s what’s on the ballot on June 24,” Mamdani said.
Tilson shared his disagreement with opposing financial opinions throughout the forum and encouraged young people to stay in New York City despite affordability concerns in an interview with The Observer after the forum.
“We expected protesters. It’s a public event, people are mad and upset, it’s about politics, you know, I’m not surprised,” Elliot Ismail, FCLC ’28
“My main message would be to stay in New York. This is the most amazing city for young people. I know it’s unaffordable and I’m going to try and address that as mayor … In terms of the dynamism, the opportunities, pick your area, tech, finance, the arts, this city’s got it all,” Tilson said.
A group of eight protesters from the Stop The Money Pipeline coalition interrupted Lander’s plan for New York City’s budget, climbing on stage and displaying a sign with the words “Black Rock Brad.” Lander walked off stage amid the protestors’ chants of “off fossil fuels Brad” and “Black Rock Brad.” Several audience members joined the heckling, shaming Lander for leaving.
BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset management firms has recently faced criticism for leaving the Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative, an environmentalist investment group, and its investments in companies contributing to the deforestation of the Amazon and other major forests. Climate activists have urged New York City to divest from BlackRock and turn to more environmentally-friendly organizations instead.
The protestors were escorted out, and TREEage organizers convinced Lander to return.
Elliot Ismail, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’28, said the protest was inevitable as the event was free-entry, despite TREEage’s plans to intercept protestors.
“We expected protesters. It’s a public event, people are mad and upset, it’s about politics, you know, I’m not surprised,” Ismail said.
In “gym class,” Lander, Myrie, Ramos and Tilson answered rapid-fire yes or no questions. All four candidates answered yes to supporting funding for libraries (whose $58.3 million budget has narrowly avoided recent cuts).
The four also said they would support Local Law 97 of 2019, a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by implementing strict limits for buildings over 25,000 feet by 2030. Jessica Ramos said the support must be provided to homeowners to facilitate compliance, referencing the jobs and housing Senate bill she proposed.
“We need to help those co-ops and other small building owners be able to comply with the law so that they’re not just paying the penalty for not meeting the deadline,” Ramos said.
When asked which issue they considered most pressing under the Trump administration, Lander emphasized deportation, Ramos appointing civil and criminal court attorneys and Tilson the fiscal impact on transportation, Medicare and schools.
Lander also expressed his support and said he was one of the first co-sponsors for Local Law 97.
When asked which issue they considered most pressing under the Trump administration, Lander emphasized deportation, Ramos appointing civil and criminal court attorneys and Tilson the fiscal impact on transportation, Medicare and schools.
“I think he’s shredding our Constitution,” Myrie said. “I think if we do not have the foundations for that and push back, that we are going to see a city and a country that we do not recognize.”
Blake arrived near the end of this panel, followed shortly by Mamdani.
When asked which other candidate they believe should be mayor, Mamdani, Myrie and Ramos supported Blake due to his emphasis on lowering the cost of living.
“I’m running very simply because we have to help New Yorkers make and keep more money in their pockets,” Blake said. “We have an absolute clown in Donald Trump that is attacking us in every single way by going after Medicaid, by going after immigration.”
Myrie took the opportunity to express his disdain for mayor Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo, whose political careers have been derailed by indictment and sexual misconduct scandals, respectively.
“I think anyone on this stage would be a better mayor than Eric Adams or Andrew Cuomo,” Myrie said.
Each of the candidates filled out a detailed questionnaire prior to the event with more information on their visions for New York City’s future, which will be published on the TREEage website on April 11.
