Annissa Essaibi George, 30 points behind in the latest Boston mayoral poll, came out swinging in Tuesday night's debate.
It was the campaign's most fast-paced and substantive discussion, ranging over education, transportation, police reform and housing.
The hour-long encounter, produced by NBC10 Boston, was — at times — tense, with Essaibi George and Michelle Wu trading questions and accusations on a sparse television set that enhanced a sense of intimacy.
Essaibi George's opening inquiry came with an allegation that Wu peddles "inconsistent" messages on exam school admission policy depending on which neighborhood she campaigns in, which Wu firmly denied.
Later in the debate, Essaibi George said the Boston School Committee "missed the mark" with the exam school admissions criteria changes it unanimously approved earlier in the year.
"We spent a year and a half focused on three schools that touch only a few thousand students," Essaibi George said pointing to the problem of declining systemwide enrollment. Essaibi George has indicated support for creating a voucher program that matches low-income students to exam preparations.
Asked by her opponent about her position on exam school criteria, Wu expressed support for changes to the admission process, but later also acknowledged that some in the BPS community are frustrated about how the changes came about.
"This is an area we need to celebrate, to invest, but to continue to make sure that it's accessible and fair for everyone," Wu said.
One of the debate's most intense exchanges came as Essaibi George accused Wu of failing to commit to take up recommendations from the Boston Police Reform Task Force.
Wu wouldn't have it, saying: "I'm disappointed to see a pattern of false statements being made here." She pointed to her early support of the task force's recommendations. "I've led the way on the council, in partnership with colleagues in pushing for a different response to mental health crisis calls," she added.
Essaibi George fired back, pointing to her own mental health advocacy.
"It is my work as a member of the Boston City Council that has led to having 19 clinicians that are working every day to respond to mental health crises across our city," she said. "That is not your work, please don't take credit for it."
Wu asked Essaibi George about fixing transportation in Boston and accused Essaibi George's allies of using "scare tactics" to discourage voters from embracing the possibility of a free public transportation system.
Making the T free would be "nearly impossible without partnership at the state level" — and even one of Wu's prominent State House endorsers, House Ways And Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, has said the proposal is not feasible, Essaibi George pointed out.
"And if the state's not willing to do this work, you're expecting the people of the city of Boston to carry the $2.3 billion price tag it costs per year to operate the T," she said, referencing the transportation system's latest annual budget.
Wu hit back, pointing to the free Mattapan-Roxbury 28 bus pilot program.
"I'm not running for mayor to say what we can't do, I'm not going to underestimate the city of Boston," Wu said, striking one of her frequent aspirational moments of the night.
On housing, Essaibi George was asked about her position against rent control, despite polls indicating a majority of likely Boston voters support it.
"It has been tried, it has failed," Essaibi George said, adding that families and small landlords invested in real estate would lose the "legacy wealth" they have built over the years.
Asked how rent control would work differently should it become legal under her administration, Wu pointed to her multiple endorsements from public officials who support reviving rent control as a method for addressing Boston's housing crisis.
Early voting in Boston begins Saturday, Oct. 23, and runs through Friday, Oct. 29, before Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The city’s various early voting locations are available for viewing here.
