Five days before Salt Lake City voters hoof it to the polls to thin the mayoral herd, the final debate featured sharp questions and barbed answers.

Corralled at the Main Library on Thursday, the candidates quickly got jumpy. It started when Dave Buhler scolded Mayor Rocky Anderson for flying to Washington while ignoring regional transportation meetings in Farmington.

"Dave, you sound like you're running against Rocky," Keith Christensen charged.

"Of course I'm not," Buhler responded. "He's endorsed Keith, which I always thought was ironic."

The outgoing activist mayor, Buhler noted, long has railed against the use of fossil fuels while "Keith has made a fortune selling fossil fuels."

Christensen dished right back.

"Dave's entitled to his opinions, but not his facts," the co-owner of the Top Stop convenience-store chain said. "I wonder if Dave's ever bought a gallon of gasoline."

The exchange set the tone for other personal revelations.

When an audience member asked what kind of cars the contenders drive, groans rumbled when Jenny Wilson listed two SUVs: a Jeep Cherokee and a Land Rover. The reception was mixed for Christensen - he listed a Toyota 4Runner, a Harley and a bicycle - and muted for Buhler's Pontiac Grand Prix.

Light applause met Ralph Becker's announced transport: a Jeep Liberty converted to run on biodiesel.

All four major candidates tout green platforms, and they vow to continue Anderson's legacy on climate-change awareness.

The debate got personal again when it came to kids.

When an e-mailer asked whether the politicians sent their children to public or private school, Wilson stood alone. Her son is in private school, she explained (a second is too young), though she is considering a public charter school called "Open Classroom" next year.

By contrast, Buhler's five kids attended public schools and his wife served as a PTA president. Christensen and Becker also sent their children to public schools.

Wilson's quick defense: She opposes vouchers, saying "it is the wrong way to go."

The other three hopefuls also oppose vouchers. Becker, a state lawmaker, calls the movement "a terrible idea" that should be stamped out.

Three candidates dodged a direct question about whether the LDS Church's $1 billion-plus City Creek Center should keep stores open Sundays and let restaurants serve alcohol.

Buhler, a city councilman, called for a public process on the question; Wilson said she will treat the "500-pound gorilla" as "a developer, not a religion;" and Becker said, if the church limits drinking on its property, the city should "offset that" to make downtown hospitable.

Christensen, a former city councilman, took a different tack: The LDS Church should "loosen up" on liquor restrictions south of Temple Square, adding it is "appropriate" to serve booze and stay open on Sundays.

But on more general liquor-law reform, Buhler was the odd man out.

Becker was most direct. "Yes," he would work to change the city's two-bar-per-block ordinance, which "really hurts our vibrancy downtown." Christensen agreed the ordinance is "archaic," saying taverns and restaurants need to be clustered to be effective. He also said the "private-club fiction" needs to be addressed. "I would do what I could."

Wilson, a Salt Lake County councilwoman who has advocated looser laws on the stump, was less definitive Thursday. But she pledged to work with the state and county to get beer and wine flowing at places like Abravanel Hall and Capitol Theatre.

Buhler simply said the city needs "reasonable" liquor laws. And he pointed to his bill as a then-state senator that allowed patrons to use credit cards and checks at liquor stores.

Asked how they could ensure community interests trump special interests, the hopefuls offered generalities.

Wilson called for "the three C's," working with the City Council, community councils and soliciting public comment. Christensen, who said he was "very disappointed" by zoning changes in Sugar House, said each distinct area must be protected with master plans. Becker agreed, but added the city too often has deviated from planning blueprints. And Buhler said the council must listen to constituents, but argued he and his council colleagues have done more for historic preservation the past two years than others have during the past decade.

The big four promised to end Anderson's era of divisiveness - all want to steer the capital back into the Legislature's good graces - as well as safeguard small businesses.

Still, with the race to earn the two general-election slots considered close - about 25 percent of residents were undecided in the latest poll - candidates were asked how they stand out.

Becker extolled his vision and "breadth and depth" of experience, while Buhler said he has a "track record of effectiveness" during his last eight years on the council.

Wilson noted she is the only working mother, and that her father, former Mayor Ted Wilson, is "a great source of inspiration." Christensen argued managing the city is a big deal and that he alone has administrative experience. "That's what I've done in the private sector my whole life."

Despite the sometimes-feisty tone, Thursday's debate ended on a gracious note. Becker and Wilson praised the fine field, while the latter, who also is the front-runner, promised not to go negative over the final campaign weekend.

djensen@sltrib.com