Salt Lake City mayoral candidates Ralph Becker and Dave Buhler broached all three Wednesday, debating the relative role of a downtown skywalk, a petition to scuttle Real Salt Lake's Sandy soccer stadium and the breach between Mormons and non-Mormons in Utah's capital.
They also weighed in on Mayor Rocky Anderson and whether it is appropriate for Salt Lake City's next mayor to be a globe-trotting activist.
"I wouldn't," said Buhler, a city councilman and former state senator.
Buhler, a Republican, argued the mayor instead must focus on being chief executive - to manage all city departments while working with other city captains and state lawmakers.
Becker, a Democrat, pledged to work with residents, steer clear of anti-war rallies - Anderson has participated in several at home and in Washington, D.C. - and resist hopscotching across the globe. But the professional city planner and House minority leader maintained the mayor should give voice to issues such as air quality.
"It takes leaders in the community to stand up and speak out to really raise the awareness," Becker said.
The hourlong dialogue at the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics - the last in a series of three featuring the major mayoral contenders - crystallized other differences between these two candidates.
For instance, Buhler insisted the proposed sky bridge for the LDS Church's City Creek Center is vital to lure both shoppers and major retailers to the $1 billion-plus downtown development.
"It occurs to me that only in Salt Lake City is a bridge divisive," Buhler said.
But Becker argued skywalks take activity off the street.
"I'm not convinced" it is needed, he said. "We don't need another insulated development. We need to open up our downtown."
The candidates also disagreed on the importance of City Hall experience - Buhler has it; Becker doesn't - and whether the capital ought to subsidize fiber-optics projects to propel high-speed Internet connections.
Buhler said no tax dollars should be tapped, while Becker suggested the city should step up with funding if the private sector fails to do so.
Both candidates took issue with how the Sandy soccer stadium won public funding. The Legislature, led by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., agreed to funnel $35 million in Salt Lake County hotel taxes toward the $110 million project after Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon rejected a previous funding plan.
Buhler argued the stadium should be at the Utah State Fairpark and - in a jab at Anderson and his stormy relationship with the Legislature - suggested it would have stayed in Salt Lake City if the capital had different leadership.
Becker said he was "thoroughly frustrated" with the way the stadium issue unfolded on Capitol Hill - although he ended up voting for the funding package. Becker defended his signing a long-shot petition calling for a public vote on the Sandy stadium, noting that residents were confused by the issue.
Both mayoral hopefuls agreed civil dialogue is key to mending fences between a city isolated under Anderson and the Legislature. And both encouraged more conversations between Mormons and non-Mormons throughout Utah's increasingly progressive capital.
"There are so many more things that unite us than divide us," Buhler said.
Becker concurred, calling on residents to avoid name-calling and instead engage the other side.
"If you see it [criticism], you don't condone," he said, "you step on it."
Eight candidates are hoping to replace Anderson, who opted against seeking a third term The field will be whittled to two in a Sept. 11 primary. One high-profile contender, former Utah Democratic Chairwoman Meg Holbrook, dropped out earlier this week, opting instead to focus on her new appointment to a state transportation panel.
