Pawtucket Mayor James E. Doyle, left, debates a point with mayoral challenger Donald R. Grebian, last night.

The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

PAWTUCKET — The financial future of the city was on the line last night as Democrat Mayor James E. Doyle and his opponent, the independent City Councilor Donald R. Grebien, each made their case for being a proponent of change in uncertain times during a spirited debate on a local TV talk show.

Doyle, who is seeking an unprecedented sixth term, said that with an economic recession on the horizon, the next two years were “crucial” to the city, and said it needed a leader with a “proven track record of responsible change.”

He called his opponent, a one-time ally on the council, a “renegade” who had “went sour on this city.” Grebien, an at-large councilor and longtime Democrat, is running as an independent this year in order to face Doyle in the general election.

Grebien said he had lost faith in the “promises” of the administration, from a proposed luxury hotel, greater downtown investment, and a state-of-the-art water treatment plant. He sought to outline the economic initiatives that would be part of his vision for the city.

“The last few years, the city has been stagnant,” he said. “The people want us to bring in economic development, not just talk about it. We need someone who has the energy to do it.”

Seated side-by-side, Doyle, 70, and Grebien, 40, appeared on The Glen Medeiros Show, an hour-long public-access program on state and local politics that is taped at the Rhode Island PBS Foundation studio on Narragansett Park Drive.

The debate will be rebroadcast on Cox Channel 13 at 9 a.m. on Sept. 19; 7 p.m. on Sept. 20; and 2 p.m. on Sept. 23.

The first of at least three debates between the two candidates, last night’s event consisted of one-minute opening statements by each candidate, followed by questions from Medeiros and his co-host, former Central Falls Mayor Thomas A. Lazieh, one question posed by each candidate to the other, and one-minute closing statements.

The candidates traded points on key issues from city finances, downtown development, the public water supply, and the school budget.

Doyle, whose campaign has been touting the slogan, “Bringing Positive Change to Pawtucket,” pointed to the fiscal policy and economic-development initiatives that led to the revitalization of long-vacant mill buildings.

“We took a city that was on the brink of bankruptcy and transformed it into one that is looked at with pride throughout the state and country,” he said.

Grebien proposed following the lead of some other communities in creating a Municipal Economic Development, or MED, zone, — a special economic development zone with tax incentives that could entice new business to the city.

While at times heated and argumentative, the debate, overall, was cordial.

But at one point, Doyle criticized a 10-percent cut in city spending that Grebien proposed this year, painting a gloomy picture of drastic cuts to senior services as a result of the over $20-million reduction.

Grebien likened the mayor’s arguments to the “scare tactics” of “old-school, machine politics,” and said that a threat to senior services “could not be farther from the truth.”

Doyle hammered back on the point, challenging Grebien to spell out what, if not senior services, he would cut from the budget to get to his goal. He said that anything near the level of what Grebien advocated would result in “Pawtucket Armageddon.”

“It’s dangerous and ill conceived,” he said. “All the accomplishments in the last 11 years will go by the boards.”

Both candidates said afterward that they were pleased with the tenor of the discussion, but stressed the differences with their opponent.

“It was a great opportunity for people to see and hear the differences between us, even if we didn’t get into the details of many of the issues,” said Grebien. “It’s hard. The hour goes by fast.”

The next mayoral debate will take place during a candidates’ forum on Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre that will be hosted by the Pawtucket Alliance for Downtown Success.

The two will go at it again on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. in City Hall in a debate hosted by the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce and the Pawtucket Rotary Club.

–– With staff reports

pmarcelo@projo.com