Brooklyn College is facing sharp criticism for allowing its taxpayer-funded campus to host a Saturday night town hall headlined by senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that prominently featured New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani .
The event, billed as a “Fight Oligarchy” Town Hall and held at the Leonard & Claire Tow Centre for the Performing Arts, drew scrutiny for what critics say amounts to a partisan rally on public grounds.
Critics blast college over event
“This is a political event,” Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a former CUNY trustee who served during the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations told The Post. “Sanders is coming to New York to help Mamdani. There is no counterpoint,” he added, noting that other mayoral candidates — including incumbent Eric Adams, ex-governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa — were not invited to participate.
Jerry Cammarata, a Staten Island Republican operative and former member of the city’s Board of Education, said hosting the town hall at a public college was inappropriate. “Hold a candidate debate — not defeat the integrity of public education!” he said to The Post. “There should be an outcry from the Board of Trustees, condemning the event and demanding cancellation.”
Sanders, Mamdani share the stage
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist and ally of representaive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, joined Sanders earlier in the day at the Labor Day Parade along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue before the two appeared together in Brooklyn.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa accused Sanders of using the event to pass his “socialist torch” to Mamdani. “He is attempting to bring it full circle … to his protégé Zohran on the campus that fed his socialist beliefs,” Sliwa said to The Post, referring to Sanders’ brief time as a student at Brooklyn College in 1959.
College defends venue rental
Brooklyn College defended its decision to allow the event, noting that the performing arts centre is available to all candidates for rental. “Any candidate is welcome to rent this facility,” the college said in a statement.
The event, billed as a “Fight Oligarchy” Town Hall and held at the Leonard & Claire Tow Centre for the Performing Arts, drew scrutiny for what critics say amounts to a partisan rally on public grounds.
Critics blast college over event
“This is a political event,” Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, a former CUNY trustee who served during the Giuliani and Bloomberg administrations told The Post. “Sanders is coming to New York to help Mamdani. There is no counterpoint,” he added, noting that other mayoral candidates — including incumbent Eric Adams, ex-governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa — were not invited to participate.
Good evening Brooklyn College. pic.twitter.com/H4f8UCQswW
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) September 6, 2025
Jerry Cammarata, a Staten Island Republican operative and former member of the city’s Board of Education, said hosting the town hall at a public college was inappropriate. “Hold a candidate debate — not defeat the integrity of public education!” he said to The Post. “There should be an outcry from the Board of Trustees, condemning the event and demanding cancellation.”
Sanders, Mamdani share the stage
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist and ally of representaive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, joined Sanders earlier in the day at the Labor Day Parade along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue before the two appeared together in Brooklyn.
Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa accused Sanders of using the event to pass his “socialist torch” to Mamdani. “He is attempting to bring it full circle … to his protégé Zohran on the campus that fed his socialist beliefs,” Sliwa said to The Post, referring to Sanders’ brief time as a student at Brooklyn College in 1959.
College defends venue rental
Brooklyn College defended its decision to allow the event, noting that the performing arts centre is available to all candidates for rental. “Any candidate is welcome to rent this facility,” the college said in a statement.
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