Christine Quinn posing with charter school kids outside the forum Tuesday night.

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and former Comptroller Bill Thompson both pulled out of a mayoral forum hosted by charter school advocates at the last minute Tuesday--earning the ire of audience members who accused them of being too scared of crossing the powerful teachers' union a week before their endorsement vote.

Mr. de Blasio dropped out less than an hour before he was supposed to appear on stage, and Mr. Thompson pulled his RSVP Tuesday afternoon, according to an event organizer.

"We are disappointed that the more than 800 families who came from across the City tonight didn't get to hear a diversity of opinions because some candidates weren't able to talk about where they agree and disagree with school reform," Jeremiah Kittredge, the Executive Director of Families for Excellent Schools, the group that hosted the forum, said in a statement.

Parents in the audience booed when they heard the news.

"I think they showed a lack of courage. And it's also insulting to the people who organized this," said fellow candidate and former City Councilman Sal Albanese, who called the cancellation showed a "lack of class."

"Unless there's real extenuating circumstances ... I think they're afraid of facing charter school parents because they may alienate the United Federation of Teachers that is going to make an endorsement very soon,"  he concluded.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Thompson, who has attended the vast majority of this year's many forums, blamed his cancellation on a scheduling conflict. Mr. de Blasio, usually a diligent attendee (minus a Crain's New York Business forum), did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But both men have been heavily courting the UFT, which is set to endorse next week.

While the two are often darlings at traditional public school forums where their attacks on charter school founders and calls for a moratorium for co-locations win loud applause, Tuesday's forum was a very different world.

There, in a Salvation Army auditorium on West 14th Street, the crowd applauded loudly for the more moderate approaches of ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who was mobbed after she spoke by little girls eager for autographs and hoping to pose for photos with the woman who, if elected, would become the city's first female mayor.

On stage, Ms. Quinn seemed relaxed and friendly (as if she were chatting with friends over coffee, as one attendee described), mostly stuck to touting her education accomplishments, including a new pilot program that will lengthen the school day at some schools, and previously announced ideas like replacing textbooks with tablets. She also chided the current mayor, a close ally, for failing to make parents feel engaged

As Council speaker and candidate, she said she's heard from too many parent who "feel like their voice not only isn't heard, isn't wanted." She added, "I don't just want to hear it. I need to hear it," arguing that parents should have a direct line into the mayors office.

"You know, there's not a lot I miss about Rudy Giuiani. But he used to go out and have all these town halls in communities, which were a good thing, 'cause people got an opportunity to speak directly to the mayor," said Ms. Quinn who herself recently came under fire for skipping another education forum hosted by a group extremely hostile to the current administration.

Anthony Weiner on stage at the charter school forum.

The reception was also positive for Mr. Weiner, who appeared perfectly at home on the grand red-draped stage, standing and gesturing with his arms as he answered questions about how to deal with failing schools, co-locations (an option) and whether charter schools should have to pay rent (no).

Mr. Weiner, for his part, called on both charter advocates and their opponents to ratchet down the rhetoric, which has often placed charter schools and traditional public schools at odds.

"The fight and the choice between quality public schools and the charter movement is a false one that I think has been perpetuated too long ... It's also been perpetuated too long by the people in this room," said Mr. Weiner, who noted charters comprise only about five percent of the city's 1.1 million students. "I am gonna try to turn down the temperature on this conversation to get a place that it's less us against them."

But the son a school teacher did make one revelation: that he failed freshman math in high school. ("I was forced to walk with my tail behind my legs and ask my mother for help," he recalled.)

Still, he also declined to jump into the fray over the Bills' absences.

"None of us can make it to everything. All I can do is be accountable for my own schedule," he said.

Anthony Weiner and Sal Albanese at a Staten Island mayoral forum.

Anthony Weiner took a beating on his first official stop in Staten Island Monday night.

Mr. Weiner was repeatedly hit by his rivals, including Green Party candidate Tony Gronowicz and former Councilman Sal Albanese, for an old racially-charged campaign flier, his congressional vote authorizing the Iraq War, and his allegedly "coarse" conduct during a candidates' forum hosted by the Pleasant Plains, Prince’s Bay and Richmond Valley Civic Association.

"I'm going to point out something that has nothing to do with your anatomy, I'm going to point out something that has to do with your record," an agitated Mr. Gronowicz said, knocking Mr. Weiner for mailers he sent out during his first City Council run that played on the tensions between the black and Jewish communities of Brooklyn at the time. "Back in 1991, he was a long-shot candidate in a Jewish district in Brooklyn and he ran a race-baiting campaign that the Times attacked because he won."

Mr. Gronowicz had become irritated when he spotted City Comptroller John Liu and Mr. Weiner bantering with each other while he was addressing the audience. After Mr. Liu had said--with a grin--that he did not vote in favor of a term limits extension as Mr. Gronowicz discussed the topic, Mr. Weiner quipped that "no Green Party" Council member had voted that way. The Green Party obviously has no members in the City Council.

"His recent behavior is also very coarse. I would not have said anything but he dared to interrupt me," Mr. Gronowicz said.

The conversation got so heated that public advocate candidate Letitia James had to interject.

"Mr. Weiner didn't interrupt you, he was just talking to the comptroller of the City of New York," Ms. James said. "It was not his intent."

Mr. Albanese, another candidate with an uphill battle to City Hall and no stranger to tweaking Mr. Weiner, would soon jump in with his own line of attack--twice mentioning a vote Mr. Weiner took in favor of the Iraq War.

"Anthony voted for the invasion of Iraq, which cost us a billion dollars," said Mr. Albanese. “We have this problem in urban centers across America, we can't fund our transit system. Let's take care of America, let's not get involved in unnecessary skirmishes."

Mr. Weiner parried the charge with another wise-crack.

"Notwithstanding the critique, I won't rule out as mayor invading Yonkers. I want you to know I keep that possibility at my disposal," he joked.

After the forum, Mr. Weiner, when pressed by Politicker, stuck to his laugh line.

"Apparently there's some concern about my record, that I'd be too quick to invade Yonkers or Jersey City," he said. "People have no reason to be concerned, unless they're aggressive, then I reserve the right."

He also repeated that he'd already apologized to Ms. Cohen for his conduct during the 1991 race.

"I said at the time, immediately that week, I jotted a note to Adele," he said.

Anthony Weiner speaking at a forum in Canarsie.

At a forum in Brooklyn earlier this evening, Anthony Weiner raised eyebrows when he suggested that a woman in the audience was flirting with him.

Mr. Weiner, who was forced to resign two years ago after sending lewd pictures and comments to at least six women online, was between questions at a Friends of the United Block Association of Brooklyn meeting in an upstairs room of the Temple Shaare Emeth, when he looked out across the audience to see if anyone had anything else to ask. He zeroed in on an elderly woman.

"Were you raising your hand or flirting with me?" Mr. Weiner asked the woman, who had her hand tentatively raised.

The off-the-cuff comment drew laughter--if slightly uncomfortable--from the largely positive crowd.

Otherwise--unlike last night--the scandal never came up at the forum, which focused on education issues, public safety and the city's recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

After the forum, Politicker asked Mr. Weiner, who had been happily answering questions, whether he really thought the woman was flirting with him.

“It was like a joke,” he said sternly.

Anthony Weiner at a mayoral forum in Harlem.

Anthony Weiner, who usually points to his congressional record or loud advocacy efforts, went a different route in Harlem yesterday and recalled his days battling then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani from the City Council.

"Do you remember when the stairwells were bursting into flames in public housing?” Mr. Weiner asked members of the Sojourner Truth Democratic Club's mayoral forum gathered in a back room of the La Hermosa Christian Church.

“And you remember there was one scrawny, skinny, undernourished city councilman standing up to Rudy Giuliani saying something’s wrong here?" he asked. "I don’t know what kind of list he had--but I was on it. And as it turned out, the paint they were putting on those walls was a flammable paint. And a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of someone in the administration [had] gotten that contract? And I fought ‘em tooth and nail?”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t look like much, but I can handle myself,” he said to enthusiastic “whoos!” and applause from the crowd. “I told them, I don’t want to hear excuses, I don’t wanna hear press conferences. I want you to remove that paint, every drop of it."

He was referring to oil-based paint that was linked to more than 20 NYCHA hallway fires by the fire department in the early 1990s, but continued being used, regardless, according to reports at the time. Mr. Weiner said the administration dragged its feet

“You know what they did? They said, 'No, I’m Rudy Giuliani. I don’t make mistakes,'" he claimed. "I kept standing up and kept standing up. And then one Christmas Eve there was another fire. And I held up a letter form the fire department that said, 'If you don’t remove that paint from that very building, you were gonna have trouble.'”

"They called me Ebenezer Weiner, the Prince that stole Christmas and all these names, but the bottom line is, I hung in there, I fought for you, and I think that with me and you working together, and with God looking down upon us, we saved lives," he told the group, vowing to continue fighting if he's elected to office once again. “I’m not sayin' that if you vote for me for mayor, milk and honey’s gonna flow through the streets of Harlem. But I am gonna say that every single day I’m gonna lay down my head thinkin’ 'bout how the next day I’m gonna get up to fight for you.”

He continued to rail against the city's housing authority, saying the NYCHA chairmanship has long been a “patronage job.” And he slammed the current administration for failing to consider the idea of allowing private companies to make energy-efficiency upgrades paid for with energy savings. He later told Politicker he called NYCHA leaders about two months ago, telling them he'd found a company in New Jersey willing to make the upgrades--and install safety cameras--all for free, but they weren't interested.

“This is not rocket science,” he told the group. “That was one of the many things that made me think, if you can't get them to do the job, try to do the job yourself. And that’s one of the reasons I decided to run for mayor."

Mr. Weiner was also asked a series of rapid-fire questions. He said would settle the Central Park Five case, as well as compensate the victims, is open to allowing charter schools to share traditional public school space, and would not end stop-and-frisk, which he argued is a valuable crime-fighting tool.

Instead, he proposed using a CompStat-like system to track cops who are making unwarranted searches, and then removing cops, supervisors, inspector--even the police commissioner--if bad apples are allowed to stay on.

“I want to police to go out there and arrest the bad guys and rarest the drug dealers, and if they see something acting suspicious, I want them to be able to stop them," he said.

Notably, Mr. Weiner did not mention nor apologize for the sexting scandal that forced him to resign from Congress two years ago, as he had during a previous forum.

But he did apologize to the group for arriving late--offering perhaps the most creative excuse in mayoral forum history: “It involved a 17-month-old, peanut butter and a cat,” he said, later explaining that his son had somehow managed to put peanut butter on the cat's back.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to be mayor. I did not manage that situation very well at all," he joked. "My wife yelled at me, she just doesn’t like the cat ... And vinegar doesn’t work."

Anthony Weiner speaks at his first forum appearance Thursday night. (Photo: Jill Colvin)

After a frenzied meet-and-greet with commuters in Harlem, ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner made his first appearance--that we know about--at a mayoral forum last night in the Riverdale section of The Bronx, where he tried to make a case to voters about why they should consider electing him again.

"For me, it's good to be anywhere," Mr. Weiner told members of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club--one of the few clubs he said endorsed him back in 2005--a day after formally jumping into the race with a video posted on his campaign website.

But, as with the earlier event, Mr. Weiner brought with him a media entourage that had some club members fuming. As he entered the room, a crush of photographers and cameramen rushed to surround him, creating such a disruption that the moderator tried to intervene.

"We want to give equal attention to everyone in the room," she urged the group. After he sat down, club members moved in, trying to build what they described as a "human wall" to block cameras from getting a shot and to pay attention to the other candidates, who largely ignored Mr. Weiner's presence aside from a couple of jokes about the number of reporters suddenly taking interest in Bronx politics.

When it was his turn to speak, Mr. Weiner delivered much the same message as he had in his campaign video. He repeating his concerns about the growing stresses on the middle class, and criticized his fellow Democrats for spending too much time talking about how they differed from their opponents instead of focusing on ideas. He also addressed that other issue: the lewd tweeting scandal that forced him to resign from congress two years ago.

"I'm sorry," he told the audience. "You put a great deal of hope and confidence in me and I did some very embarrassing things. And I regret them. And I've worked very hard over the past couple of years to make it up to my wife, to help raise my son as best I can, but I want to look forward."

Mr. Weiner, like the other candidates, took questions from the audience. The newly-minted candidate was asked about his legislative record, the viability of the single-player healthcare system he wants to implement, and state of the city's subways. (He proposed expanded ferry service as an alternative--including new service out to the airports--and argued ferries would have been much cheaper and faster than building the Second Avenue Subway.) Overall, the reception was warm--with some laughs and applause.

But later, audience members told Politicker that, while they were largely impressed by Mr. Weiner's performance, they couldn't stop thinking about the elephant in the room.

"I was very impressed with him, but I kept thinking about his behavior," said Hilda, a senior who lives in the neighborhood, referring to the pictures she saw splashed across the papers. "His behavior is very hard to understand," she said. "I think you have to have a lot of gall to put yourself before people like this" after that.

Eleanor Oliff, a member of the club's executive board, said the appearance had done nothing to sway her in his direction.

"I don't think Weiner has a chance," she said, expressing her preference for another mayoral hopeful, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

"He seemed energetic, but he still need to talk about specifics," said another member, echoing the sentiment. "I think the indiscretion is still on my mind."

Mayoral candidates clash at an animal rights forum yesterday.

The candidates for mayor of New York City made their pitch to animal lovers yesterday, and needless to say, they repeatedly professed their love for various species that don't have a vote.

Republican John Catsimatidis--who likes to call himself "the cat man"--once begged the fire department to rescue his daughter's cockatiel, for example. Bill Thompson claimed that he had not one, but two rescued cats. And Sal Albanese insisted his mother-in-law lived a few years longer because of a chihuahua named Joey.

But, beyond highlighting animal rights issues, the Manhattan forum also served as yet another arena for rivals of the absent front-runner, Council Speaker Christine Quinn, to attack her and attempt to whittle away at her lead in the polls.

"Yes, the third term was wrong and undemocratic and we have the third term because of Christine Quinn. I don't think she's listening on this issue," Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said at one point, again blasting Ms. Quinn for extending term limits in 2008. "I think people have tried to say there are real alternatives available and she simply is not willing to entertain them."

The forum, which was hosted by the animal rights and anti-Quinn group New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets (NYCLASS) and moderated by former Republican mayoral candidate Tom Allon, also pitted candidates against each other and one candidate against the frenzied, animal-adoring audience. Notably, despite describing the elaborate rescue of his daughter's cockatiel and his wife's failed attempt to give their dying cat mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Mr. Catsimatidis clashed with the crowd when he reiterated his support of horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. Animal rights advocates argue the horses face harsh conditions in the city and want them replaced with antique cars.

"I believe the horses provide a king of ambiance--" Mr. Catsimatidis began before he was interrupted by boos. "Let me finish, please," he begged as the booing and hissing died down.

"And the city should provide farm space in Central Park to keep all the horses together and make sure they're safe, they're not on the streets, make sure they're given proper care and make sure they're not too old to work ... If those horses are ready to retire, you know what I would do? Build a small stable and have them as part of the zoo--" he continued, causing the crowd to again roar with disapproval, drowning out the candidates.

The Gracie Mansion hopefuls also found time to bash one another. When Mr. Allon asked the candidates why they thought Ms. Quinn backed horse-drawn carriages in Central Park, Mr. Liu took aim at Mr. de Blasio.

"I do want to just ask my friend Bill here a quick question, that bill that I conceded to voting for, how did you vote on that?" Mr. Liu asked, referring to a legislation that strengthened regulations of horse-drawn carriages but did not outright ban them. The bill, which they each supported, was first introduced when both men served in the City Council.

"John, the notion of having better conditions does not conflict with the notion that some of us came to--the conclusion that the whole thing was bankrupt and had to be ended," Mr. de Blasio shot back, receiving enthusiastic applause.

"So you voted no on that bill?" Mr. Liu asked.

"John, I admire your debate technique," came the reply. "But I've been fighting to end horse carriages the last two years and I haven't seen you out there with us, so that's the bottom line here."

While Mr. de Blasio was repeatedly cheered, Ms. Quinn remained in the proverbial doghouse. Before the forum began, a lead NYCLASS organizer asked the crowd to dial Ms. Quinn's office to demand that she support legislation banning horse-drawn carriages in the city. Audience members dutifully whipped out their cell phones when the number was flashed onstage.

"Alright, I guess we jammed the phone line," the organizer, Allie Feldman said as she smiled.

The candidates on stage.

Cops resemble "slave catchers." Sal Albanese never smoked a joint. The Bloomberg Administration has locked the men of God out of City Hall.

These were all arguments presented at yesterday's peculiar mayoral forum, moderated by clergymen in the Bronx.

"How do you make the city safe with the thugs who are running around from the police department undercover who are from the outer boroughs and Long Island?" Randy Credico, a comedian and long-shot mayoral candidate, boomed. "They have thousands of undercover cops that are whacked out on steroids, going around like slave catchers, this is true, like slave catchers did back in the 1860's and 1850's in the wake of the fugitive slave law."

The Monroe College event drew a mix of leading Democrats and motley second-stringers, allowing discussions to veer from boilerplate campaign rhetoric to pot-smoking habits, exactly how much church should be separated from state and a slavery analogy that immediately shocked the auditorium. The bizarre star of the forum may have been Mr. Credico, a self-described "political comedian" who, along with Rev. Erick Salgado, ex-Democrat Adolfo Carrión and Mr. Albanese joined front-running candidates like Bill Thompson, Comptroller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio on the stage. Not in attendance was the leader in all polls thus far, Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

Ms. Quinn, speculated a member of Monroe College's staff, may not have wanted to attend because of the forum's nature: the City Action Coalition, a coalition of conservative religious groups, was hosting the event and posing atypical questions. In addition to the usual inquiries about the police department's controversial stop-and-frisk and the city's struggling educational system, candidates were also asked about their stance on sex education in public schools, Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempt to prohibit religious groups from holding services in public schools and whether "religious pregnancy crisis centers" should be able to operate without signage stating that they do not perform abortions.

The leading Democrats did not pass up the opportunity to bash Mr. Bloomberg, but they appeared caught off guard by the other questions from the panel of clergyman. Several, including Mr. Liu, did not voice an opinion on the role of sex education in public schools. And they quickly--before jumping to pile on Mr. Bloomberg--said they believed in "full disclosure" for health clinics.

"Too often government has held the faith community at arm's length to the detriment of all," Mr. de Blasio said. "I would like to see real faith representation at City Hall, a regular meeting between the mayor and top aides and faith leaders--you need proof? Just look at what happened after Hurricane Sandy where the faith community got there so often well before the government got there."

Faced with a more socially conservative audience than they were accustomed to, the Democrats sought to downplay the role of government and extol the potency of religious organizations. For example, Mr. Thompson blasted the city's attempt last year to keep religious services out of public schools.

"I believe we should continue to allow houses of worship to rent space from the City of New York. It is not a question of separation of powers," Mr. Thompson said, proposing a "mayor's office of faith-based development" in his theoretical administration. "Why would we change that now based on the whims of one individual?"

The debate swerved again when Mr. Albanese, when explaining why he would legalize marijuana and tax it, paused to emphasize that he's "never smoked pot." Mr. Credico wasn't so discreet.

"I would cut back on the money for the prosecution of pot. I'm an ex-pot smoker and I'm a part-time pot smoker, but the mayor can't raise taxes on it; it is the governor that has to do that," Mr. Credico said. "Maybe you have been smoking pot, Sal."

"Shames on Brooklyn College Support of Jew-Hatred"

The Israel-Palestine conflict once again reached New York's political scene today as elected officials and other activists gathered to denounce Brooklyn College's political science department for their controversial decision to sponsor a February forum calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel.  To say the press conference was heated would be an understatement as it was chocked full of charged rhetoric including multiple references to anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and al-Qaeda.

"Let me tell you, it brings back a lot of memories," Assemblyman Dov Hikind, the emcee of today's denunciation, began. "I studied here towards my B.A. and got my Master's at Brooklyn College, a lot of very fond memories. I stand here very, very disappointed, ... students and the organization [are] holding a lecture next week with two viciously, viciously, anti-Israel [speakers]. And when I say 'viciously,' I mean they call for the destruction of the state of Israel. They think Hamas and Hezbollah are good organizations. I would assume they feel the same way about al-Qaeda. These are individuals who are extreme radicals."

Mr. Hikind and his fellow elected officials were not calling for the forum itself to be canceled, however. Their issue was the school, which is part of the publicly-funded City University of New York system, sponsoring the event. Though college representatives have denied the school's sponsorship indicates an endorsement of the forum's views, that argument was not accepted by the various officials at today's rally.

Councilman David Greenfield, labeling the forum as part of a "hate-filled, antisemitic, pro-terrorist movement," even brought out his dictionary to counter the college's defense of the forum.

"This is the United States of America, if you want to be a racist, if you want to be an anti-Semite and even if you want to speak out in favor of terrorism, we respect that you have the right to do that. Of course, you're wrong, but you have the right to do that and should have the right to do that on a college campus," Mr. Greenfield explained. "The problem is--and this is what's oh-so-very-offensive to me--is when the administration turns around and says, 'Well, we're not endorsing these views, we're simply sponsoring the event.' I mean, it's a little bit shocking, honestly. ... The word 'sponsorship' according to the dictionary means 'one who who vouches or is responsible for another thing.' So it really is intellectually dishonest."

Others at the event invoked Nazi Germany and the Klan as they attacked Brooklyn College for its sponsorship of the forum.

"As a child of Holocaust survivors, I will not remain silent," Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz declared.

"If David Duke were here, I'm sure President Gould would be outside protesting as well. This is not just an academic exercise on the part of the political science trying to teach some political science," Assemblyman Alan Maisel added. "The destruction of Israel has real consequences. That would mean that the millions of people living in Israel would not have a state. It means that it would be open house on all of the people who live there. We are talking about the potential of a second Holocaust."

Today's event also drew a leading mayoral candidate, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, who described the upcoming event at the college as a "forum of hate."

"We all stand here in support of free speech. We believe in being able to express your opinion. We believe in students being able to express their opinions. We believe in different points of view," Mr. Thompson announced. "It's what makes this country so great. You can express your opinion. So let me express an opinion against that. This organization is one that expresses hate, that expresses opposition to Israel. I have the right to stand here, and oppose that organization. ... You have the right to express an opinion just like we do. But you do not have have a right, and should not put, the name of Brooklyn College, the name of the political science department, on that forum of hate."

Speaking on behalf of the school about today's press conference, Brooklyn College spokesman Jeremy Thompson dismissed the controversy over the forum as simply different groups expressing opposing views.

"As far as the press conference being held, my only comment is, just like we stand behind our students and faculty who have a right to present views and discuss topics they see as important, so do the assemblymen," Mr. Thompson told Politicker when reached for comment. "They are well within their right to voice their views, just as everyone in our college community is."

Despite all of the angry rhetoric, Mr. Hikind wrapped up the event by suggesting the officials in attendance could have been much harsher in their condemnation of Brooklyn College.

"You've heard the calmest presentation today [from] people who care deeply about Israel. They're not calling here to cancel the event. That's not what they're saying! Boy! How calm and reasonable is that?" the assemblyman exclaimed as he made his final points. "It should not be sponsored by the university itself because that means my dollars are paying for that event and I'm not interested in paying for hate. ... They're giving the seal of approval, they're making it kosher. It's not a kosher event."

Additional reporting by Ross Barkan.

Bill Thompson speaking.

Kathy Wylde, the head of the pro-business Partnership for New York City had a question for New York's four Democratic mayoral hopefuls at the candidate forum she hosted today.

"Will the next mayor be as understanding, as visionary, as sympathetic to issues of the economy and business as Mayor Bloomberg, one of our own, has been?" Ms. Wylde said many of the city's businesses leaders are inquiring, before elaborating, "So there is consternation about the post-Bloomberg era with regards to who is the next mayor."

In case it wasn't clear, this particular mayoral discussion, hosted by Crain's New York Business, may have tilted a little bit towards the pro-business side of things. But at least one Democrat on stage, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, pushed back against the idea the business community has reason to be anxious about City Hall without Bloomberg.

"The way that she phrased that discussion topic is based on seeing the need for a certain continuity," Mr. de Blasio said. "I would like to respectfully dispute the premise of it. I think that there some things happening in city and our economy that are very, very encouraging...But at the same time, we're not on the right track for the future, in my view. I don't think the city government is doing all it could possibly do to truly prepare for us for what is an increasingly competitive international economic environment."

Mr. de Blasio, along with fellow contender Comptroller John Liu, argued that growing income disparities and other issues are the things that have them concerned about the city's economic future.

"We've had some mixed results. For example, private job growth is up this year. The number of private sector jobs is astounding, now almost 100,000 jobs this year alone," Mr. Liu said in one of his many answers stuffed with specific numbers, "But unfortunately, the employment rate for the City of New York is still 9.3% and not decreasing. So there is something that's not jiving right there."

For his part, former Comptroller Bill Thompson, the only officially announced candidate in the race so far, spoke more vaguely, declaring, "Our economic trajectory is a good one, but it needs to be better."

Council Speaker Christine Quinn, however, struck a different tone, offering direct praise for Mayor Michael Bloomberg not often heard among her Democratic rivals.

"I am very optimistic about the future of the economic state of the City of New York," she told Ms. Wylde. "This recession was hard on New York City, like anywhere. But I think we are weathering the storm better than any city in America. Why? Because under the leadership of the City Council, myself, my colleagues and Mayor Bloomberg. We demonstrated that we understand that there's nothing you can do to manage your way out of a bad economic situation if you didn't manage the good times well."

Along with the serious business, the discussion had its humorous moments as well. For example, Ms. Quinn, listing the lessons needed to be learned from New York's "river city" status and the damage from Hurricane Sandy, jokingly picked a fight with another city. "We have to harden our exterior as a city. I hope no one here is from Stamford Connecticut; I hate to have to herald Stamford Connecticut as a New Yorker, but they learned in the 60's about this," she said, pausing to speak on the audience's silence. "You can't get a joke or something about taking a dig at Stamford? It's a tough crowd."

A moderator suggested she pick on New Jersey instead. "Half my family's from Jersey," Ms. Quinn quickly replied. "I can't go there."

(She would later also beef with two international cities, Copenhagen and London, by stating New York would outpace them in storm-protection infrastructure.)

Of course, even as these mayoral campaign events keep occurring, three of the candidates have yet to formally declare they're candidates for Gracie Mansion next year. They were all given the opportunity to announce today but declined.

"Does that mean everybody else has to leave the stage right now?" Mr. Thompson joked.