It was hosted by the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization in collaboration with the Black Ministerial Alliance TenPoint Coalition.
Organizers sought to extract commitments from the candidates to fund renovations to Madison Park, protect Boston’s immigrants in the face of Trump administration threats, and narrow the gap in homeownership between white families and families of color. The candidates spoke one by one, facing identical questions that exposed relatively few shades of difference.
DaRosa, Kraft, and Wu all pledged to support long-sought renovations for Madison Park, despite the challenges of securing the funding; expressed support for immigrant families amid unprecedented challenges; and addressed the city’s housing crisis, which has left deep racial disparities.
DaRosa, who is a graduate of the city’s only vocational school, said “Madison is the gem, and will be the gem.”
He said his devotion to the school long precedes his political campaign; he has spent years recruiting students to his alma mater.
“For me, it’s not just the funding,” he said. “It’s about giving our young people the inspiration to go to Madison — to get rid of the stigma that Madison is the worst school in Boston, cause it’s not.”
The format gave candidates few opportunities to swipe at each other, something of a rarity in a race that started off ugly and has only grown more so. For months, Kraft and Wu in particular have traded jabs over everything from their personal financial backgrounds to their policies.
On Tuesday, though, both stayed focused on the narrow set of issues posed by organizers. The forum gave Kraft the opportunity to tout his housing plan, which has been the best priority of his campaign.
“We have a housing crisis in the city. First and foremost, we need more homes,” Kraft said. He said he would jumpstart production on thousands of units that are still in the pipeline, and then use the resulting tax revenue to increase eligibility for first-time home buyers.
For Wu, the event was a chance to highlight the work she is already doing , and lay out promises for a potentional second term.
Asked about how she will respond to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, she said “We are fighting for to make sure that Boston continues to be a home for everyone.”
“For me, this is not theoretical,” she said, describing her background as the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants who later became US citizens. “Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law at the city, state and federal level. We are going to continue to do so and not cooperate with mass deportations.”
Robert Cappucci, who will also appear on the ballot next week, did not attend Tuesday’s forum. He told the Globe this week he is out of town due to a family emergency.
The preliminary election will narrow the field from four candidates to two. Based on public polls, Kraft and Wu are expected to proceed to the general election in November. With mail-in ballots already being returned, and early voting underway, this week marks the final sprint to Election Day.
Wu and Kraft will have at least one more opportunity to spar this week, at another candidate forum Wednesday evening. DaRosa and Cappucci are not included in that event.
Shea Thompson, 24, said Tuesday’s forum helped him narrow down his choices for mayor, though he is still deciding whether he will back Wu or DaRosa.
Wu impressed him with her record, said Thompson, who is a student at Boston University School of Theology, adding of DaRosa that “because of his own personal background, he understands what needs to be fixed.”
Emma Platoff can be reached at emma.platoff@globe.com. Follow her @emmaplatoff.
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