Mayoral contenders schmoozed with business leaders Wednesday as some attendees found front-runner Zohran Mamdani charismatic even if he lacked substance while others thought ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo was low energy and caught up in the past.

GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa meanwhile raised some eyebrows when he compared women to Bambi while he addressed crime in the Big Apple during the Crain’s New York Business Mayoral Forum inside the New York Athletic Club.

The two-hour gathering left business and civic leaders with mixed reviews on the three people who could be the city’s next mayor as the hopefuls tackled questions on housing, economic development and public safety. 3

Mamdani, a democratic socialist whose lefty policies have stoked concerns in the business community, received a “polit

See Full Page