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Greenberg, Dieruf trade political jabs, talk public safety during Louisville Forum debate

It was a heated discussion between mayoral candidates, addressing the community's top concerns while taking direct shots at each other's policies and history.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A new super PAC commercial negatively compares outgoing Mayor Greg Fischer to Democratic mayoral candidate Craig Greenberg.

It says the Louisville businessman would copy Fischer’s failed leadership.

Greenberg responded to those accusations on Wednesday during a candidate forum held at Vincenzo’s downtown.

“What I’d want everyone to keep in mind is Mitch McConnell – his super PAC has started spending thousands of dollars with false attack ads against me,” he said.

He and Republican challenger Bill Dieruf squared off for an hour-long debate, hosted by the Louisville Forum, to discuss top issues affecting the community.

Public safety took centerstage.

“It’s the person committing the crime that we have to go after,” Dieruf said. “He wants to go after the guns, I want to arrest the cartel leaders and the gang leaders and get them off the street.”

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Greenberg countered, “Right now, under Kentucky law, when guns are confiscated by LMPD, they are turned over to Frankfort who in turn auction them off. And contrary to what Bill says, those guns do find their way back onto the streets.”

Guests also brought up the hot button issue of abortion, asking both men how they would approach policing it within the city.

Greenberg said he'd make sure Louisville Police would not arrest providers and women seeking out the procedure.

Dieruf said that’s not the mayor’s role to decide.

“A mayor should never, ever tell his police to stand down,” he said. That’s scary, that means he’s going to tell one person to arrest this guy, but not arrest this person.”

Two years after the Breonna Taylor police shooting rocked the city, both Greenberg and Dieruf shared their approach on how they would rebuild trust between the community and police.

RELATED: Race for Louisville Mayor: Dieruf says accusations in Greenberg's TV ad are 'disingenuous and divisive'

“We have police officers who are great police officers, but they need to have the authority to go out and meet the people in the community,” Dieruf said. “In order to do that, we can’t have police officers who have 5 and 6 runs behind them.”

Greenberg said, “They’re not looking for a police department that was installed by Mitch McConnell’s handpicked mayor, we need new people. We need folks from west Louisville, from east Louisville, from south Louisville – we need members of the clergy. We need neighborhood leaders."

Both Greenberg and Dieruf did not agree on much, except that the city needs a lot of change.

Neither candidate wanted to say whether they'd retain Erika Shields as Chief of Police, both saying they'll wait until after the election to announce their intentions.

Contact reporter Isaiah Kim-Martinez at IKimMartin@whas11.com or on Facebook or Twitter 

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