Calling this a debate is a bit of a misnomer, as you can hear from this exchange between businessman and candidate Robert Kilo and Mayor Frank Jackson.
KILO: Mayor Jackson, thank you for your service in Vietnam, thank you for your service to this city, and thank you for being mayor the last four years.
JACKSON: Thank you.
KILO: You're welcome. This is good. This is camaraderie!
Even when the candidates were a bit more combative, the five candidates disagreed on little. They all said education is paramount to fixing Cleveland's ills. Social Worker Kimberly Brown had few specific policy proposals but claimed that electing her would be “moving forward.”
Former Councilman Bill Patmon criticized the mayor for his handling of Eaton Corporation's planned move from Downtown Cleveland to Beachwood.
Laverne Jones Gore called for new leadership at the mayor-controlled Cleveland Metropolitan School District. And, Kilo said he would be the city's servant and promoted volunteerism. The conversation didn’t get much more specific than that.
Mayor Jackson, defending his first term, touted the city's finances under his watch, which he says are in much better shape than other metropolitan areas.
JACKSON: Cleveland's budget is balanced and our operations are more efficient. Cleveland is providing more and better service for less money. We've avoided layoffs and we're not raising taxes.
Jackson says his first four years are the foundation that he wants to build on in a next term. With few direct attacks on his record, no opponent offering a clear vision of change and none having anything approaching a campaign war chest, Jackson’s odds of success are pretty daunting for his competition.