The mayoral candidates at the CityClub and Seattle Times debate tonight at Rainier Square had honed their stump speeches to perfection.

With only a few weeks until the Aug. 18 primary, the candidates' sound bites are practiced and they hardly seemed nervous facing the small crowd of mostly political insiders.

City Councilmember Jan Drago released a 12-page "blueprint" this afternoon -- her agenda if she is elected.

After 16 years on the council, Drago is encyclopedic in her wonkish knowledge of city issues, but her blueprint softens her image a bit.

She referred to it in several of her answers during the debate, in particular when she spoke about her vision. Drago said she envisions a city "where everyone can thrive and meet their own potential." She talked about prenatal care, free preschool, and better education.

Six of the eight candidates on the ballot were invited to the debate, a decision by organizers that led to a small protest on the sidewalk ouside Rainier Square. Organizers said they left out Elizabeth Campbell and Kwame Garrett because they hadn't raised much money.

Corporate headhunter and professional matchmaker Norman Sigler was the least-known candidate at the debate. Asked about crime, he said as mayor he would talk to criminals, try to work out why they're breaking the law.

Then he said: "Everything's a gang. Microsoft's a gang. They're ganging up against Google."

When the crowd laughed, he insisted: "they are," and went on to say that he would encourage kids to "use their brains" to get into more successful gangs.

Other highlights: speaking about schools, Mayor Greg Nickels praised Seattle Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, who took the job two years ago, for acknowledging problems with the schools. Nickels said while some schools are good, other are "cruddy."

During the yes-or-no lightning round, moderator and KUOW host Ross Reynolds asked whether the candidates would fire Seattle Department of Transportation Director Grace Crunican, who is under heavy criticism for how she has managed her department.

Nickels -- the only man in the room with the power to make the decision -- said no. Drago and James Donaldson held up the "waffle" card, indicating they weren't sure. Joe Mallahan and Norman Sigler said they would fire her. Environmentalist candidate Mike McGinn protested the question by refusing to answer.

After the debate, he said it bothered him to answer that question in public.
"She's working hard," he said. "That's a personnel issue that's between her and her boss."

(Last week, McGinn told me he "couldn't see keeping Grace Crunican" if he were elected mayor. But he expressed the same discomfort with the question, citing Crunican as "a public servant.")

T-Mobile executive Mallahan spent less time criticizing Nickels than he has in other debates. He was riding high from the "outstanding" rating he got from the Municipal League this afternoon.

Mallahan, who put $200,000 into his campaign, seems to know he's the wild card.
"I'm a threat to the status quo," he announced during his closing statement.