The two candidates for mayor expressed their opinions at a forum Friday about the problem of students going out of town to go to the bars and throwing house parties.

Mayoral candidates Clancy Pfeiffer and incumbent Dan Cougill were present at the Best Western Worthington Inn for the Chamber of Commerce’s Fourth Friday Luncheon and debate for the April 3 election. The candidates were given questions from the audience and were allowed two minutes each to respond.

Cougill said he does not see a large issue with house parties and students going out of town to drink.

“I am not convinced there is a horribly big problem,” Cougill said.

Since the bar entry age was raised to 21, Cougill said complaints about house parties have dropped 71 percent, and the number of students being treated in the hospital dropped 30 percent.

On the other hand, Pfeiffer did find students’ drinking to be a problem and suggested that an all-night restaurant might be another source of entertainment for students.

A city cannot legislate morals and completely erase the drinking problem, Pfeiffer said.

“It is a problem. It was a problem 20 years ago and will be 20 years from now,” Pfeiffer said.

Pfeiffer said for the most part, he thinks that bars try to keep underage people out, but if they do not, he would not be afraid to fine them to enforce the bar entry age of 21.

He also said students need to be held more accountable for going into bars underage.

“There needs to be a little more penalty on young people,” Pfeiffer said.

Cougill said he would continue to have the police department do occasional spot checks at the bars to make sure they are complying.

The candidates also addressed some residents’ concerns about bringing new businesses into town.

The strip mall that is being built by the Wal-Mart Supercenter gives new businesses a place to go, when three years ago there were not open commercial spots that a small business could go into, Cougill said. He also would like to continue working with Coles Together to market Charleston to different businesses and restaurants.

Pfeiffer said the city needs to expand more east and west and build more around the square.

“I do not want to give up on the square,” Pfeiffer said.

Both candidates said they are not being endorsed by any organizations and are not seeking any endorsements.

In his closing remarks, Cougill said citizens should stick with him because he involves citizens in the planning of the city. He then accused Pfeiffer of being a member of the “good-old-boy network” who makes the city’s decisions in coffee houses out of the public eye.

“Do you want to continue going forward … or do you want to go back to the `good-old-boy network?'” Cougill asked.

Pfeiffer said in his final statement that he is a serious candidate and is interested in working for Charleston.

“I have a serious side, and my serious side when it comes to Charleston is very serious,” Pfeiffer said.