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Emanuel, Garcia Spar Over City Finances In Final Debate Before Election

(CBS) -- There was some spirited verbal sparring between Mayor Rahm Emanuel and challenger Commissioner Chuy Garcia in the third and final televised debate ahead of next week's runoff election, reports WBBM Political Editor Craig Dellimore.

The debate on WTTW sometimes resembled a rhetorical brawl with the candidates talking over each other and Mayor Emanuel got in another dig at Chuy Garcia's plan to have a commission draft his final budget plan after the election.

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"As you're walking around all over the place like typical career politicians promising everything to everybody like Hanukkah Harry and the day after the election the taxpayers get the bill what ends up is like my old grandmother used to say, 'such a deal' and that is what your commission is going to be for everybody," Emanuel said.

But Garcia told host Phil Ponce the point is that Emanuel has kept the city's true fiscal picture hidden.

"There has not been an independent audit, there haven't been any performance audits of any of the departments in the city of Chicago," Garcia said.

The mayor talked about using revenue from a Chicago casino to help pay pension bills, and when pressed afterward seemed to imply that negotiations were further along that we'd thought.

"There's been numerous discussions," Emanuel said. "This would not be the first legislative session that a mayor of the city of Chicago was having discussions with legislative leaders and the governor about a casino, which is what I had.

They also clashed over who is more beholden to their backers and even O'Hare noise.

The most dramatic moment came when Emanuel objected to Garcia being pressed about his son's criminal record.

As much a political street fighter as he is, the Mayor has demanded his family be shielded from reporters, and clearly felt Garcia deserved the same courtesy. But outside of that, there were no holds barred and are unlikely to be from now through next Tuesday.

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