Watch: Seattle mayoral candidates Cary Moon and Jenny Durkan face off in debate

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On Nov. 7, Seattle will elect a new mayor to guide the city through a period of unprecedented growth, driven largely by the booming technology industry.

Tonight, candidates Cary Moon — an urban planner — and Jenny Durkan — a former U.S. Attorney — are going head-to-head in one of the last debates before election day. The winner will be charged with addressing the city’s housing affordability crisis and transportation and traffic woes — two of the most visible manifestations of Seattle’s population boom. She will also be expected to bridge the growing chasm between the city’s business community and government.

Taking place at Starbucks’ corporate headquarters, the debate will be moderated by KING 5 political reporter Natalie Brand and KUOW’s Ross Reynolds.

Seattle mayoral candidates Jenny Durkan and Cary Moon share views during a debate Tuesday night. (GeekWire photo)

Watch the live stream above (to be posted at 6:25 p.m.) and stick around until the end for a special post-debate show hosted by KING 5’s Chris Daniels and me. We’ll interview both candidates, take questions from social media, and connect them with audience members. Let us know if you have any questions you’d like asked. There are important issues percolating as the election nears.

Cary Moon, Seattle mayoral candidate, at Tuesday night’s debate. (GeekWire photo)

The Seattle City Council’s new income tax on high earners is an example of one issue driving a wedge between some members of the tech community and the city’s famously progressive lawmakers. The Council is also considering regulations to curb Airbnb and a head tax on each employee at the city’s biggest companies.

The leaders behind the new taxes say big business needs to pay its fair share to address the homelessness crisis in Seattle, which has been exacerbated by the rapidly rising cost of housing, driven by an influx of well-paid newcomers.

Many of those issues came to a head last month, when Seattle’s largest private employer announced plans to open a second headquarters in another city. Amazon — and the tech industry it represents — is a lightning rod in Seattle.

GeekWire is tracking these issues closely and tonight we are co-hosting the debate with KING 5, KUOW, and Seattle City Club.

If you want to join in the discussion, tweet with the hashtag #SeaMayor, comment on KING 5’s Facebook Live stream or share comments here on GeekWire. And some of the Tweets here:

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