The final televised debate in a very tight St. Petersburg mayoral race Tuesday night featured fighting words even when only nuances separated the candidates’ positions.

Incumbent Bill Foster, abandoning the softer approach from early campaign, went on the attack early and repeatedly put challenger Rick Kriseman on the defensive in the one-hour forum presented by Bay News 9 and the Tampa Bay Times.

But it was Kriseman who delivered the sharpest barb during “A Conversation of Candidates,” telling the mayor that if hypocrisy were an Olympic event, “you would have just won a gold medal.”

The comment came during a segment of the forum during which the candidates got to ask each other questions. Kriseman asked Foster about proposing a budget with $200,000 in car allowances for city administrators and managers while cutting Meals on Wheels funding for seniors.

Foster charged that Kriseman “got that from Fact Check Florida,” an electioneering communications organization, “and we found out today your fingerprints are all over some of the hate mail that’s going throughout the city.”

“I find it ironic,” Kriseman retorted, “that you are criticizing me for something that is happening in your camp to the tune of $100,000.”

Taking off the gloves

Foster, carrying himself with an air of an incumbent more accomplished than the right race suggests, pointed to a recent poll showing that 72 percent of voters believe the city is headed in the right direction.

He cited Kriseman’s lack of mayoral experience, ripped him for partisan politics in a non-partisan race and charged that he was not an effective leader who did nothing for St. Petersburg when he was a member of the Florida House of Representative s from 2006 to 2012.

The challenger, meanwhile, criticized Foster for lack of leadership on major city issues, overseeing an increase in crime and decrease in small businesses and changing his positions at election time on allowing the Rays to pursue new stadium options elsewhere and the Pier.

Most of this wasn't new, but at least from Foster's side, it was more pointed.

“I want you all to listen very carefully to both candidates tonight because I think by the end of the night you’ll be able to draw some very real distinctions and conclusions between the two candidates,” the mayor said in his opening statement.

“One of the candidates will talk about experience, achievements and a vision for the city of St. Petersburg. The other candidate will listen, learn and leave.”

Kriseman that he loves St. Petersburg, but really loves “the potential for what we can be. Because we can be better than we are.”

Responding to the charge he was ineffective in the Legislature, he named legislation he helped pass and said his vision in Tallahassee “was for St. Petersburg, but up there you represent 18 million people (in Florida.” He said he had to take a broader view of the issues.

Rays, Pier, Midtown and more

The wide-ranging Q&A, moderated by Bay News 9 anchor Al Ruechel and Times political editor Adam Smith, covered obligatory issues such as the Rays, the Pier, Midtown redevelopment and policing.

But it also through in some twists, such as asking the candidates what book they last read during one of two “lightning rounds.”

“I’d have to say ‘Lies and (the Lying) Liars that tell them,” Krisesman cracked.

“I didn’t write that,” Foster responded.

Foster also had a clever line during another lightning round, when the candidates were asked who they preferred between current Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Charlie Crist.

Kriseman said Crist and Foster said Scott, drawing a round of boos from the Palladium audience.

Without missing a beat, Foster grinned and said, “Hey, the guy (Crist) didn't endorse me.”

Both candidates ruled out running for the soon-to-be-vacated Congressional seat held by C.W. Bill Young since 1971.

"Oh, I'm not running. I'll be the mayor," Foster said to a round of laughter.

Foster and Kriseman answered questions from both the moderators and from viewer videos. Each had a minute to respond, and the moderators, with a lot of ground to cover, kept things moving.

Different, but similar

Despite the contentious tone, the candidates did not differ substantially on some major issues.

Both said they want to protect the taxpayers’ interest concerning  the Rays’ contract to play at Tropicana Field through 2027, but that it would be better to let the team explore stadium options in Tampa than to lose Major League Baseball in the region.

The two had somewhat similar ideas on how to proceed with replacing or restoring the Pier, although Foster was more specific.

“We’re going to go on the streets with a real scientific survey with a sampling of 1,000 people that will ask the community exactly what functions they want in a new St. Petersburg Pier. “The mistake we made before was it was all about form and then we tried to talk about function.

“We’re going to flip that around and talk about function and them form.”

Kriseman said that if The Lens, a design that was rejected by voters, was something Foster had a concern with, “I would have loved to have heard that from the beginning so we wouldn’t have found ourselves in this here.”

The debate will be shown again at 11:30 a.m. Sunday after Political Connections and will be available on Bay News 9 on-demand Channel 342.