What do you love and hate about Toronto?

That’s what the four remaining mayoral front-runners were asked at a debate held at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on Thursday night.

Candidates were quizzed about their views on the environment, community and planning.

The event was moderated by John Honderich, former Toronto Star publisher and chair of Torstar's board of directors. The Star was one of the sponsors of the debate.

Here are some of the highlights:

First this-just-dawned-on-me moment:

I wonder how many purple ties George Smitherman owns? Because come to think of it, over the course of this 10-month campaign I can't recall a time he wasn't accessorized in his campaign colour. (Reporter's note: Smitherman later said he owns about 12 — he bought two more earlier in the day.)

Understatement of the night:

“Having sat across from you at a lot of these things . . . I'm starting to hear a lot of the same things.” — John Stall, one of three panellists, in setting up his first question

The actual question: How would you protect the City of Toronto from other levels of government, given that the powers of the mayor are limited?:

“I reject so much that the role is powerless . . . The City of Toronto Act certainly gave the mayor more power, we know that (but) it is what you make of the office. The office has the powers of persuasion.” — Smitherman

Would you commit to continued funding of Toronto's 13 priority neighbourhoods?

“I haven't seen the benefits from these initiatives. As you know, I coach football in a priority neighbourhood and I haven't seen the benefits. I wouldn't commit to anything . . . If we aren't seeing results.” – Rob Ford, adding he will have to review the initiatives and if they were working, he would fund them, but that he isn't sure there's light at the end of the tunnel.

“I'd continue it and expand it” — Joe Pantalone

Smitherman doesn't say yes or no, rather, he says he wants to address need across the city, not just in the 13 priority areas.

“Don't stop there . . . don't give young people the message that because they're not on the list, they don't matter.” — Smitherman

Rocco Rossi slams Ford for not knowing if the program is working, given he has taken 200,000 calls in his 10 years on council. “Your learning curve is flat . . . The programs are working and need to be expanded.” — Rossi

Best oh snap moment:

When asked what he would do to beautify the city, Ford said he would fix up the roads, clean up the streets, then plant trees and flowers. (Ford has famously criticized that city hall spends about $80,000 on plant watering and that he would stop that wasteful spending.) So when Ford said he'd plant flowers to beautify the city, Stall asked: “I have to ask, who is going to water the flowers?”

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Even Ford laughed at that one.

Biggest news of the debate (and the first bit of new information we've heard in months):

This was the first time the candidates were nailed down on the priority neighbourhood issue. To recap: Rossi and Pantalone would continue the program. Smitherman would continue with the program and its broader goals, but perhaps rethink the boundaries. Ford says he would fund it if they thought it was working, but he hasn't seen proof it is.