City Council District 5 and District 8 candidates faced off in a debate Thursday night at the Memorial Union. Among the debated issues were transportation, binge-drinking, diversity within the city, and affordable housing.

The candidates included District 5 candidates Jason Stephany and Robbie Webber and District 8 candidates Jeff Erlanger and Austin King.

The candidates disagreed on campaign contributions. Robbie Webber emphasized that her opponent, Jason Stephany, has accepted contributions from land developers and landlords.

“I’m shocked by the amount of money my opponent got from landlords and developers. I’m not sure he can make a good advocate for housing with all of that money,” Webber said.

Stephany responded by emphasizing that money would not play a role in his campaign because some of his contributors have views that oppose his own.

“Money for me does not dictate public policy,” Stephany said.

King also slammed Erlanger for raising more than $10,000 throughout the campaign, but Erlanger responded that his money legitimately came from friends and family.

A recurring theme throughout the debate was the necessary willingness to listen to constituents and work out compromises among various city groups.

“I fight the right fight, but I will also negotiate. You can’t go to City Council and say, ‘It’s my way or the highway,'” Erlanger said.

King was less open to negotiation.

“I represent values District 8 represents,” King said.

Robbie Webber’s closing statement hinted at her creative problem solving.

“I make no apologies for being an advocate. People are very surprised about the solutions I come up with,” Webber said.

Webber’s opponent, Stephany, firmly supported compromises among city groups.

“I will sit down and listen to groups and see what they have to say, and find the best solutions for everyone,” Stephany said.

Because Districts 5 and 8 are heavily student-populated districts, binge-drinking was also a hot topic. All of the candidates agreed that the current ALRC voluntary drink-special ban was not an effective way to curb binge-drinking.

All of the candidates except Stephany wanted to increase the amount of cabaret licenses granted to bars, and all wanted to promote alcohol-free events. Webber suggested staggering bar times to alleviate problems with downtown drinking.

Affordable housing for Madison citizens and UW students was a pertinent issue for each candidate, and they agreed that the supply of housing needed to increase. Erlanger said he also wanted to break the landlord monopoly over housing.