Seattle’s next mayor will help the city navigate an unprecedented period of growth and change. How that ship is steered is up to voters — and they have 21 candidates, with 21 different perspectives, to choose from.

It’s a race with big implications for Seattle’s tech community, which is fueling the city’s growth and will be impacted by a broad range of issues in this election, from transportation and housing to a new sports arena to taxes and business regulation. Withthe tech community’s vested interest in the race, GeekWire has partnered with KING 5, KUOW, and Seattle CityClub for tonight’s Seattle mayoral debate.

The debate features Jenny Durkan, Jessyn Farrell, Bob Hasegawa, Mike McGinn, Cary Moon, and Nikkita Oliver, selected based criteria that included polling results, fundraising, and endorsements. KING 5’s Natalie Brand and KUOW’s Ross Reynolds will moderate the debate, which runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The top six Seattle mayoral candidates take the stage at tonight’s debate. (GeekWire Photo / Monica Nickelsburg).

KING 5’s Chris Daniels and I will host “Debate Extra,” an informal after-show, interviewing candidates on issues that weren’t fleshed out during the debate and asking questions posed by audience members on social media.

Candidates’ opening statements are online here.

We’ve also asked each of the 21 candidates running for mayor six questions drafted with help from key members of the technology community. We’ll be publishing their answers, along with video from tonight’s debate, on GeekWire tomorrow.

Here’s some of the Tweet stream from tonight’s debate:

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