Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and mayoral candidate Ray Allen debated Madison business issues last night at the Madison Area Technical College.

The two candidates have differed on topics involving business and the local economy, including whether or not Madison has an anti-business bias and if the smoking ban was the right step for the city.

As owner of the Madison Times and all the retail shops at the Madison Regional Airport, Allen, according to his spokesperson Semmi Pasha, is better able to address issues facing city businesses than the mayor.

"Ray answered those questions from personal experience, as opposed to some theoretical aspect of a job," Pasha said. "Madison deserves a mayor that's going to work with the business community to build partnerships that allow everybody in Madison to benefit from our economic growth and development."

During this campaign, Allen has often discussed ways to erase what he sees as Madison's anti-business reputation, though Cieslewicz said the city has become more welcoming to businesses and entrepreneurs during his administration.

"I think that we've made progress in the last four years of trying to reverse the perception that we have an anti-business climate," Cieslewicz said. "I don't think that we did, but I realize that there has been that perception from time to time."

The debate was hosted and sponsored by several business associations, including the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Chamber of Commerce and the African American/Black Business Association.

Jennifer Alexander, president of the GMCC, said her organization wanted to be involved in this event in order to specifically address business-related issues during this election.

"This is the only debate that's focused on business issues and on a healthy business climate," Alexander said. "Other debates will cover a broad spectrum of issues. … This will be about regional economic development. It will be about how to encourage good jobs; how to encourage young entrepreneurs."

The next mayoral debate will be the Dane County United Debate, which will take place Thursday. Capitol Neighborhoods will also host a debate next Thursday. Locations for both these events have yet to be announced.