The University hosted Middletown’s first official mayoral debate between Republican incumbent Sebastian Giuliano and Democratic challenger Dan Drew on Tuesday.

Students and Middletown residents headed to Memorial Chapel where the candidates answered questions on the City’s shrinking budget, Food Not Bombs, transportation, and the University’s relationship with Middletown. Independent candidate Ruth Ann Johnson was unable to participate in the event.

The debate was moderated by Lily Mandlin ’10, who spent the first hour asking the candidates pre-selected questions submitted by the University community and various Middletown groups.

Throughout the debate, Drew criticized Giuliano’s tax increases and Middletown Police Department’s job cuts, emphasizing the need for new leadership. Giuliano accused the Democratic council of stretching the city’s limited financial resources and blocking his efforts to improve conditions.

The candidates took opposing sides on the Middletown Health Department’s decision to shut down Food Not Bombs.

“I’m glad the state acted,” Giuliano said. “[It] took actions that were pursuant with the public health code.”

He added that the state legislature created the problem through their rigid wording of the public health code. Drew disagreed, calling the city’s actions excessive.

“[The state used] undue force for groups that were looking to feed the hungry, feed the needy in a time when people needed it the most,” he said.

When asked about the future of town-gown relations, Drew promised to keep lines of communication open by meeting regularly with President Roth and University students. Giuliano countered that such communication already exists.

“What is really important is to get students involved,” Giuliano said, suggesting that students could fill some vacancies on the City Board.

The candidates spent much of the debate discussing Middletown’s budget, which has been hit hard by the economic crisis and has become burdened by increasing demands.

“[We need] to take a look at the budget line by line and determine what our priorities are,” Drew said. “We have to be careful not to cut things that make Middletown what it is.”

When Mandlin asked about community dissatisfaction with public transportation, both candidates agreed that this area needs improvement.

“The next thing on the table is to get rid of the car, because we are an urban district,” Giuliano said.

Giuliano discussed plans for a rail system. Drew said he hopes to improve the bus system and to implement a small trolley-like transportation system.

On several occasions, Drew accused Giuliano of reneging on his promise not to raise taxes.

“This man pledged to be a tax-cutter coming into office,” Drew said. “He is anything but. There should never be an inverse relationship between the services you receive and the tax increases.”

Giuliano said that the budgetary review is a line-by-line process. He stressed that the city council is primarily responsible for the city budget and spending, and that since the Democrats have held an 8-4 majority, there has been a major gap between revenue and spending. Giuliano also said that Drew’s policies would send Middletown further down a path of increased taxes.

The candidates’ opinions differed the most in their views on the decision to cut six police officers from the Middletown Police Department. When questioned on how to combat crime in the city and at the University, Drew expressed the need for increased police presence, and repeatedly criticized the mayor’s decision. Giuliano stressed that while he is dedicated to public safety, he is pessimistic that the police academy can be filled to capacity.

In their closing statements, the candidates continued to point out faults in their opponent’s platforms.

“If we look back at the mayor’s record, we see promises broken,” Drew said. “We need a leader who is looking towards the future.”

Giuliano, in turn, criticized the Democratic Party.

“One thing that will ensure a better future is not to do the same thing that created the situations of the present,” Giuliano countered. “I think [Drew’s] party is heading down the same road. Someone told me the path of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We need to stop mortgaging our future and start paying it off.”