Ten of the 15 candidates vying for two At-Large seats on the Council gathered at the Black Cat last night to distinguish themselves from the pack.

The City Paper debate — moderated by their Will Sommer, AFRO-American political columnist James Wright and DCist’s Sarah Hughes (that’s me) — was about as chaotic as you’d expect from a debate between ten people. You can check out audio from the debate below, as well as one moment from each candidate.

Michael D. Brown: Shadow Sen. Michael D. Brown was one of several candidates to switch his party affiliation from Democrat to Independent to run in the At-Large Council race. “It’s not a Democratic principle to have set-aside seats,” Brown said of the city’s two At-Large Council seats for non-Democrats. “Why not for old people? Or young people, or short people or people of color? I mean, it’s ridiculous.”

Brian Hart: The “yes or no” question about the Olympics proved to be controversial, with several candidates saying they could not answer without an explanation. But Hart was not afraid: “Yes, I think it could be a wonderful thing for this city.” He was booed.

The Rev. Graylan Hagler: Hagler, who helped lead the fight for the Large Retailer Accountability Act — which would have targeted Wal-Mart’s wages and was vetoed by Mayor Gray — said he would continue to push “aggressively” for a higher living wage. “We want D.C. jobs to go to D.C. residents,” he said.

Eugene Puryear: When asked about how to prevent D.C. General from filling up with homeless families again next winter, Puryear said part of the problem is the closing of other shelters. He would prevent the Community for Creative Non-Violence shelter from closing to “build corporate condos and office space.”

Kishan Putta: With his bike helmet on display, Putta seemed to make transportation one of his central issues. As an ANC commissioner, Putta has pushed for a dedicated 16th Street NW bus lane, and said he’s already accomplished getting Metro to implement longer buses on the route. “We have bike lanes,” he said. “Let’s try bus lanes.”

Elissa Silverman: The night’s first real LOUD NOISES moment came when Silverman was asked by Courtney Snowden about economic diversity and development east of the river. “I think we have to make it a priority,” Silverman said, adding that she thinks it’s crazy that places like Deanwood — where Snowden lives — don’t have a place to shop. Snowden and Jones went on the offensive. (See 40 minutes in.) Does this mean the other candidates see Silverman as the frontrunner? You be the judge.

Eric Jones: While he was not the only candidate to support bringing the Washington football team’s stadium back to D.C., he was the only one to use the name. “Well, I’m going to say what no one else will say: The Washington [football team is] not coming to D.C. because we screwed that deal up.” He did say that, with a private-public partnership, we would potentially support bringing the team back. He said the same thing about the Olympics.

Courtney Snowden: Snowden is a mother to a five-year-old son, and she said that makes her more invested in the future of the schools than the candidates without children. When asked about how to improve schools, namely those east of the river, she focused on blended learning models and extended learning, as well as “just making sure that they have all the resources they need outside of the classroom.” Snowden also said she thinks the increase in enrollment to DCPS is something to celebrate. “Has the education transformation that’s been happening been bumpless? No. Has it been easy? No. Has it been perfect? No,” she said. “But what it has been has been moving the Titanic. We’re starting to make progress.” She was booed for supporting DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson.

Khalid Pitts: Pitts was the other parent present last night. He said he supports the idea behind mayoral candidate Muriel Bowser’s Alice Deal For All, “but it takes leadership to make it happen.” Pitts said he would bring everyone to the table, from both public and charter schools. He also supports the proposed boundary changes. “We need to be real about the issues,” he said, adding that “we need to focus on creating strong public schools.”

Robert White: Having worked for Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton for five years as a legislative associate, White said “we have a lot of hard work to do.” He said he was the one person on the stage who worked “directly” on statehood and budget/legislative autonomy. (Brown and Snowden objected.) “What we have to do, as unfairly as it is, is show the federal government that we can get this right,” he said. “We have to have people who advocate with Congress.”

“Frankly, it’s going to take us many years,” he added.