With the 2025 NYC Mayor’s race gaining momentum, a historic coalition of more than 35 multicultural chambers of commerce convened earlier this month at the Brooklyn College Graduate Center for Worker Education at 25 Broadway, to host a spirited mayoral forum on small business, public safety, housing, and economic inclusion.
But while five candidates answered the call to speak directly with New Yorkers about the city’s future, the absence of several high-profile figures did not go unnoticed—and sparked pointed criticism from organizers, community and small business leaders.
The forum was the first of its kind, bringing together an extraordinary array of business leaders and chamber presidents from across the city’s cultural spectrum. Leaders from Hispanic, Black, Korean, Indian, Turkish, African, Jewish, Brazilian, and Dominican communities filled the room in a rare show of unity.
Spearheaded by Frank Garcia, chairman of the National Association of State Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, and Bishop Ebony Kirkland, founder of the World-Wide Chambers of Commerce, the event was designed to give small business owners a chance to directly question those vying to lead the city.
PIX11’s Monica Morales, Emmy-winning journalist and host of Monica Makes It Happen, served as moderator and reminded the crowd of the stakes.
“This is about real talk,” Morales said. “Money matters—especially for our Black and Brown communities.”
In attendance were five mayoral candidates: Curtis Sliwa, Guardian Angels founder and 2021 Republican nominee; Reverend Michael Blake, former Bronx Assemblyman and Obama White House alum; Whitney Tilson, entrepreneur and investor; independent candidate Jim Walden, attorney and former federal prosecutor; and Jonas Shaende, economist and former CUNY professor.
Sliwa energized the room with firsthand accounts of his longtime support for merchants and small businesses dating back to the 1970s in the Bronx. He described how he once led clean-up and crime-prevention initiatives as a McDonald’s night manager and Chamber of Commerce member.
“Running a bodega is the most dangerous job in America,” Sliwa told the crowd. “And I’m the guy who will slash the red tape and eliminate the regulations strangling our small businesses—instead of taxing and fining them out of the city.”
Blake focused on access to capital, prompt contract payments, and reducing red tape that prevents small businesses from thriving.
“I’m running because I want you to make more money,” he said, pledging support for minority- and women-owned businesses and supply chain diversity.
Walden drew on his legal experience and personal story of launching a small firm from scratch. He proposed creating a micro stock exchange for small businesses to access capital without going into debt.
Whitney Tilson, a lifelong entrepreneur and hedge fund manager, said he was the only candidate in the race with business experience at every level.
“New York is the wealthiest city in the world,” he said, “but our government acts like it’s broke,” promising to run the city with fiscal discipline, oppose tax hikes, and bring efficiency to housing development.
Shaende, an economist and former professor, promised a data-driven approach to reducing small business taxes and streamlining procurement and licensing systems which are outdate and “need to bring the process into the 21st century.”
Despite the event’s broad reach and open invitations, several prominent candidates did not attend. Among the no-shows were Mayor Eric Adams, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, State Senator Jessica Ramos, City Comptroller Brad Lander, former Comptroller Scott Stringer, and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams.
“Where’s Cuomo? Where’s Adams?” Garcia asked during the forum. “You want to party with us at Copacabana, but you won’t show up for small business owners? We’re not going to forget this.”
Garcia said and will back candidates who engage with grassroots communities—and oppose those who ignore us.
