ALBANY — From tackling city finances and infrastructure failures to supporting the arts and the city’s role in the local school district, Democratic candidates for Albany mayor Thursday night weighed in on the issues most pressing to Albany residents.

Councilman Frank Commisso Jr., Council President Carolyn McLaughlin and Mayor Kathy Sheehan shared their stances during a Democratic mayoral debate hosted by WAMC/Northeast Public Radio and WNYT NewsChannel 13.

One of the more complex issues discussed was the role city government can play when it comes to the city school district.

Commisso said he’d examine the possibility of merging the school budget with the city’s own fiscal plan. “It may be well past time we explore that,” he said, noting that there has been constant change in the school board members, its president and superintendents. “We’ve had no consistent leadership. City council is ultimately more accountable than school board officials.”

Sheehan said the city and school district must work together, and pointed to the city’s youth employment program.

“We lost a fair number of kids from summer youth employment because they got a job where they got paid more and were given more hours,” she said. “We have to work together and get out of silos, and we have succeeded in many initiatives.”

McLaughlin also said the city must take an active role with the school, collaborating on programs.

“I’ve been an advocate and a person who listens to what is going on in the school district,” she said. “We have to be at the table; we can’t be on the sidelines.”

The Democratic primary for mayor is Sept. 12, and with heavy party enrollment in the city a victory in that contest usually ensures success in the general election.

Two Green Party candidates, Daniel Plaat and Bryan Jimenez, also are vying for the seat and face their own primary. Joseph Sullivan is running on the Conservative line.

Sheehan, a former city treasurer, is vying for a second four-year term as mayor. Commisso has been a council member since 2008, and currently works in the Albany County comptroller’s office.

McLaughlin, a retired state employee, has served the longest in elected office, beginning her career in 1997 as the Second Ward councilwoman, serving for three terms, before being elected in 2009 as council president. She also served as chairwoman of the Albany County Democratic Committee starting in 2014; she was ousted by Albany Councilman Jack Flynn last September.

Candidates also were asked whether they would support cuts to public safety, a recommendation suggested in a state-funded report by The PFM Group earlier this year. All dismissed the idea – at least in the immediate future.

Sheehan pointed out that the report contained recommendations that the city isn’t mandated to implement.

“We police differently in this city,” she said, adding the officer count is adequate as is. “We want neighborhood engagement, we want our officers on bikes, we want them walking the beat.”

McLaughlin was most adamant about maintaining public safety – both fire and police – at their current levels.

“I don’t believe we should cut public safety services in our city,” she said. “This is what works for us.”

Commisso said he would examine possibilities for trimming the workforce through retirements, but with recent heightened crime, cuts to public safety would be detrimental to the community.

“I could not justify an immediate cut to those services,” he said.

After the debate, Commisso said more could have been discussed about the code enforcement in the city, pointing to the recent Madison Avenue fire – where there were previous code violations for some of the properties on file – as an example of its inadequacy.

“It’s really become a unit that is no longer able to adequately fulfill its mission,” he said. “Those were swept under the rug. Luckily there was no harm done to anyone or their pets” in the fire.

McLaughlin was surprised that the pending closure of the Rapp Road landfill wasn’t brought up during the debate.

“We might think that that’s far off, but no, it’s around the corner,” she said. “We’ve been talking trash for over 20 years, and now it’s upon us and people need to understand the effect that it’s going to have on them.”

Sheehan said with the current climate across the country and even the world, she had hoped to talk about how local leaders can address it.

“We have a lot of anxiety out there,” she said. “We need to talk about coming together – that there’s no place for hate, no place for violence.”

The first debate came on the heels of last week's Siena Research Institute-Spectrum News poll that showed Sheehan ahead of her challengers, with 50 percent of likely Democratic voters in support of the incumbent mayor. Trailing her among party voters were Commisso with 20 percent and McLaughlin at 13 percent.

The poll found Sheehan had a favorability rating of 68-25 percent. McLaughlin's favorability stood at 45-18 percent and Commisso's stood at 37-22 percent.

The three Democrats will meet again at a 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, debate hosted by the Times Union at the Hearst Media Center in Colonie. That event will be webcast on timesunion.com.