The Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council will host a mayoral debate tonight (Thursday, April 14) between Peter McLaughlin and R.T. Rybak, candidates for the DFL Party's endorsement for Mayor of Minneapolis.

The event begins at 7 p.m. at the United Labor Centre, 312 Central Ave., Minneapolis (corner of Central Ave. and University Ave.) The debate is free and open to the public.

Questions will be directed to the candidates by moderator Nick Coleman, Star Tribune columnist and AM 950 talk radio host.

The theme of the debate will be "Good Jobs and Economic Policy." The debate is the only scheduled debate before the May 14 endorsing convention of the Minneapolis DFL Party.

Rybak, the incumbent mayor, and McLaughlin, currently a Hennepin County Commissioner, also have sought the endorsement of the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council, AFL-CIO.

"We do not expect to make an endorsement in the Mayor's race before the DFL city convention," said Bill McCarthy, Central Labor Union Council president. "Instead, we've been asking the candidates to support the issues outlined in our 'Local Agenda for Good Jobs and Strong Communities.'"

The Central Labor Union Council is made up of 125 affiliated unions and represents about 75,000 union workers in the Minneapolis area.

For more information about the debate, contact the Central Labor Union Council (CLUC) at 612-379-4206. The CLUC's "Local Agenda" may be downloaded at www.minneapolisunions.org