Too long? Click here for the report on Cleveland.com. One excerpt:
Reed and Jackson
presented very different views of where Cleveland stands today.
Jackson said he
sees a bright future for the city. He credited his administration for working
hard the last 12 years to steer the city through a predatory lending crisis,
the foreclosure crisis and the recession, and positioning Cleveland to advance.
"We've
worked hard every day to position ourselves where we could have a bright
future," Jackson said.
He acknowledged
that some parts of the city have fared better than others. His fourth term, he
said, would focus on ensuring that all residents benefit from a better quality
of life and greater prosperity.
Reed described a
different Cleveland - one in which he argued Jackson has failed as a leader and
people are suffering as a result.
While
acknowledging some neighborhoods have prospered, others have been left behind,
he said.
Crime rates,
poverty rates and jobless rates continue to be among the worst in the nation, he
said.
"When you
elect me mayor of Cleveland you'll have a safer city," Reed said.
A contentious exchange.
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