At a cozy gathering of Chamber of Commerce members Monday morning, the Salt Lake City entrepreneur and mayoral candidate presented himself as a brother of the business community - one who would streamline building permits, loosen liquor laws and scrutinize any bond proposal that would bump taxes for the city's commercial core.

"I know what it's like on their side of the table," said Christensen, who operates the aircraft-parts manufacturer Christensen Industries, after a Monday morning debate involving the main contenders for the city's top post.

But Christensen's comments weren't unique. Variations echoed from the "big four" in the race to replace Mayor Rocky Anderson.

Unlike the rest, Christensen was able to tout his 500 employees, his multimillion-dollar businesses and his personal terror of a ballot plump with bond requests. He then connected the dots between business and politics, saying the mayor's post "is the job of a CEO."

Christensen, a former city councilman, could use the boost after trailing in a Salt Lake Tribune poll earlier this month with just 8 percent of the vote. Salt Lake County Councilwoman Jenny Wilson led with 25 percent, followed by City Councilman Dave Buhler at 23 percent and state Rep. Ralph Becker at 16 percent.

Capital voters will narrow the nine-candidate field to two in a Sept. 11 primary. The final pair will square off in the Nov. 6 general election.

The most visible friction Monday came from Christensen, who jabbed Buhler and the City Council several times for "inaction" - specifically for not easing the capital's liquor restrictions and allowing a $13 million overrun in The Leonardo at Library Square project.

Buhler blamed Anderson - who backs Christensen - on both counts. The mayor hasn't introduced any changes to the city's liquor laws, he said, and oversight of The Leonardo project falls on the administration.

Instead, Buhler used the forum to separate himself from the globe-trotting Anderson, who he says has focused too much on national and international issues.

"I will not be a protester," Buhler said. "I will be a doer."

Buhler pledged Monday not to raise property taxes without a public vote, unless an "unforeseeable emergency" requires it. The city cannot afford a tax-heavy commercial core, he said.

"We need to make sure we have a good tax climate," he said, "as good as possible."

Buhler, who has served on the City Council for eight years, said he opposes a $13 million bond to cover unexpected costs at The Leonardo. He also assured business owners that he would treat the $192 million - bound for the fall ballot for a police headquarters and other public-safety amenities - as a "ceiling, rather than a floor."

Wilson's vision for downtown had everything to do with culture Monday. She pounded the idea of a "creative economy," listing a film center and Broadway-style theater as potential hallmarks of her administration.

The Salt Lake County councilwoman also spoke of luring more technology-oriented firms to the heart of the city.

"We need a place where ideas are profound and rent is cheap," she said. "I will work with developers to find resources to do just that."

Wilson said her economic plans include bolstering small businesses on West Temple and expanding development on the west side.

Becker, co-founder of an environmental planning and policy development firm, pointed repeatedly to his plans to make Utah's capital a "great American city."

He called for green corridors, enhanced TRAX routes and an enlarged residential population downtown.

"We've got to have a 24/7 population," he said.

Becker was the only candidate to oppose city-assisted development of The Gateway, which hosted Monday's debate, and was among the strongest proponents of loosening liquor laws to make the city more "welcoming" to visitors.

jstettler@sltrib.com