How Garcia, Emanuel say they'll tackle Chicago's key issues

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel and challenger Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia are in a hard-fought battle to be Chicago's next mayor.

There are three issues that are shaping the final push in the race for mayor: the city's finances, Chicago Public Schools, and how to stop gun violence.

Here's a look at how Chicago's candidates for mayor say they'll take on the key issues facing the city. First, city finances and how to tackle Chicago's ongoing fiscal crisis.

"The way I look at it, it's in better shape than it was four years ago but not where it needs to be," Emanuel said.

Emanuel says he cut the city's structural deficit in half, passed four balanced budgets, and hasn't increased property taxes.

"You want a growing economy, that's the No. 1 issue, that's creating jobs, for residents, because when you have a vibrant economy all the challenges that you have on the fiscal side are easier to handle, if you don't have that things are that much harder," Emanuel said.

"The challenges are daunting that the next mayor will face," Garcia said.

Garcia says the city is in "financial freefall" because of Mayor Emanuel's policies. He promises to appoint a commission after he's elected to write a budget plan.

"I haven't been mayor, I didn't promise four years ago to put the city's fiscal house in order, this is his records, this is the evaluation that the bond rating agencies are chiming in on Chicago and saying you've been a bad steward of your finances over the past four years, you don't have a long-term plan," Garcia said.

Also front and center are education issues. Garcia, supported by the Chicago Teachers Union, is using Emanuel's unpopular decision to close public schools as a campaign wedge. He also opposes the mayor on whether the city should have an elected school board.

"The finances of the schools have only worsened under the stewardship of Mayor Emanuel and his appointed school board, we need to reset that, we need to start all over but we need to get to the bottom of that by having the audits that are needed to establish the truth of what has been going on," Garcia said.

Emanuel says students who attended the closed schools are now getting a better education, and all CPS students are getting more classroom time.

"We put more than $1.3 billion in capital investment in air conditioning, computers, science labs, in 400 schools across the city of Chicago and on the 49 schools, the kids are now going to better performing schools on a Safe Passage route where we've invested in air conditioning, iPads, computers and science labs," Emanuel said.

And the candidates differ on crime. The mayor says the crime rate is down citywide and he continues his fight for stronger state gun control laws.

"We took officers from behind the desks and put them on the street, kids into summer job activities, a record model of gun control legislation, but the next battle is to now make sure that Springfield passes fundamental reforms where our criminal justice system is more focused on gun violence than narcotics," Emanuel said.

Garcia says he'll hire 1,000 new police officers.

"We're going to engage Chicago Police Department in community policing, working with the neighborhood's residents to building trust and mutual respect, and to gain their cooperation in preventing and reducing crime. We haven't focused on community policing, it will be a top priority under my administration," Garcia said.

Another sticking point: Garcia says the past four years have seen neighborhoods neglected for a focus on downtown businesses, while Mayor Emanuel says without a "thriving central business district," Chicago wouldn't have the resources to invest in neighborhood projects.