Email shows top aide to AFT boss Randi Weingarten raising concerns about Mamdani’s lack of experience

A top aide to powerful national teachers’ union president Randi Weingarten claimed Zohran Mamdani lacks the experience to lead New York City — and cited the unpopularity of far-left Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson as a cautionary tale, according to a bombshell email.

Leo Casey, an assistant to Weingarten at the American Federation of Teachers, sent the revealing missive to a Democratic Socialists of America group in May, according to emails leaked by school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis, who first reported the exchange.

“A lot of our discussion here is on blocking [ex-Gov. Andrew] Cuomo and winning the election, which is important,” Casey said in an email on a DSA list serve on May 20, just a month before the June 24 Democratic primary won by Mamdani.

“But the ability to govern also needs to be an important consideration,” Casey added. “And winning an election does not necessarily translate into the ability to govern.”

Casey then discussed the disastrous tenure of union-backed progressive Windy City mayor Johnson, who has an 80% disapproval rating from his constituents.

“It is important to face squarely what happened … It has not gone well,” he wrote. “Because Johnson was our candidate, there is no public discussion on the left of what went wrong.

“But something has clearly gone wrong and it can’t just be attributed to our enemies.”

The United Federation of Teachers in New York City, the largest local in Weingarten’s AFT, stayed neutral during the city’s Democratic primary.

But the union backed Mamdani shortly after he trounced Cuomo, City Comptroller Brad Lander and others in the election, snagging the Dem nomination.

Casey — who previously served as a top official in the UFT for 20 years, overseeing the high school division — said he voted for Lander, citing Mamdani, a three-term Queens state assemblyman’s thin resume.

“Mamdani has no experience in city government,” Casey said. “Lander has two terms as a city councilperson and a term as city comptroller.”

Casey confirmed the authenticity of his anti-Mamdani statement in a response to DeAngelis.

“I was explaining my primary vote & why I ranked Brad Lander above Mamdani. I was clear that I would strongly support Mamdani if he won the primary,” Casey told DeAngelis.

“The thread has nothing to do with my union or Randi, both of whom support Mamdani.”

Casey and Weingarten’s ties go back to their days teaching at Brooklyn’s Clara Barton HS, a longtime union activist said.

“Leo’s statement speaks for itself,” Weingarten said in a statement. “Sadly, it’s not a surprise Corey would try to drag me into something. He’s obsessed with attacking unions & smearing me. It’s not hard to figure out my views about Mamdani — I am a fan. “

Mamdani’s limited education agenda released thus far has been music to the union’s ears.

For example, Mamdani said during the primary he would oppose the expansion of charter schools and weakening mayoral control of schools, both in sync with the UFT.

Cuomo championed charter schools as governor and supported stricter measures to hold teachers accountable for student performance, proposals opposed by the union.