A prime aide to highly effective nationwide lecturers’ union president Randi Weingarten claimed Zohran Mamdani lacks the expertise to guide New York Metropolis — and cited the unpopularity of far-left Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as a cautionary story, in keeping with a bombshell e-mail.
Leo Casey, an assistant to Weingarten on the American Federation of Lecturers, despatched the revealing missive to a Democratic Socialists of America group in Might, in keeping with emails leaked by college alternative advocate Corey DeAngelis, who first reported the change.
“A number of our dialogue right here is on blocking [ex-Gov. Andrew] Cuomo and successful the election, which is essential,” Casey stated in an e-mail on a DSA checklist serve on Might 20, only a month earlier than the June 24 Democratic major received by Mamdani.
“However the potential to manipulate additionally must be an essential consideration,” Casey added. “And successful an election doesn’t essentially translate into the power to manipulate.”
Casey then mentioned the disastrous tenure of union-backed progressive Windy Metropolis mayor Johnson, who has an 80% disapproval ranking from his constituents.
“You will need to face squarely what occurred … It has not gone effectively,” he wrote. “As a result of Johnson was our candidate, there isn’t a public dialogue on the left of what went improper.
“However one thing has clearly gone improper and it could actually’t simply be attributed to our enemies.”
The United Federation of Lecturers in New York Metropolis, the most important native in Weingarten’s AFT, stayed impartial through the metropolis’s Democratic major.
However the union backed Mamdani shortly after he trounced Cuomo, Metropolis Comptroller Brad Lander and others within the election, snagging the Dem nomination.
Casey — who beforehand served as a prime official within the UFT for 20 years, overseeing the highschool division — stated he voted for Lander, citing Mamdani, a three-term Queens state assemblyman’s skinny resume.
“Mamdani has no expertise in metropolis authorities,” Casey stated. “Lander has two phrases as a metropolis councilperson and a time period as metropolis comptroller.”
Casey confirmed the authenticity of his anti-Mamdani assertion in a response to DeAngelis.
“I used to be explaining my major vote & why I ranked Brad Lander above Mamdani. I used to be clear that I might strongly assist Mamdani if he received the first,” Casey advised DeAngelis.
“The thread has nothing to do with my union or Randi, each of whom assist Mamdani.”
Casey and Weingarten’s ties return to their days educating at Brooklyn’s Clara Barton HS, a longtime union activist stated.
“Leo’s assertion speaks for itself,” Weingarten stated in an announcement. “Sadly, it’s not a shock Corey would attempt to drag me into one thing. He’s obsessive about attacking unions & smearing me. It’s not laborious to determine my views about Mamdani — I’m a fan. “
Mamdani’s restricted schooling agenda launched to date has been music to the union’s ears.
For instance, Mamdani stated through the major he would oppose the growth of constitution colleges and weakening mayoral management of colleges, each in sync with the UFT.
Cuomo championed constitution colleges as governor and supported stricter measures to carry lecturers accountable for scholar efficiency, proposals opposed by the union.
