Candidates to be Syracuse's next mayor made their pitches from their podiums, just four weeks before voters hit the polls.

Democratic candidate Juanita Perez Williams said she's not a political person.

"I am an outsider," she said. "I'm a mother. I'm a grandmother."

Reform and Independence candidate Ben Walsh addressed the politics that go into the city's top job.

"We need to rise above the partisan politics that, for far too long, have kept our community from moving forward," Walsh said.

Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins outlined his top priority if elected: "Progressive tax reform, so we have the money to run the city," he said.

Republican candidate Laura Lavine talked about what she's seen in 40 years of public education in the city.

"Sadly, I've seen our city in a state of decline," Lavine said.

In order to improve issues like city poverty, they all shared different visions. 

"We need to be just as intentional about how we de-concentrate poverty, as the poverties that were in place long ago that created that scenario were," Walsh said. "That means developing more mixed-income housing.

When it comes to crime, some advocated for more officers.

"Some people say 'Laura, overtime is cheaper,' " Lavine said. "Cheaper isn't always better. Look where it has gotten us."

Others advocated for community policing to reduce teenage gun violence.

"I think we can get more effective reduction of that problem by having youth outreach workers working with these youth," Hawkins said.

"More police officers are not the answer to stopping the crime that's occurring," Perez Williams said. "We need more police officers to deter it from happening."

Election day is November 7.