Hub Mayoral Candidates Square Off in Open Forum

Last night's Boston mayoral candidate's forum may have been an "educational experience" for the women of Simmons College, but for the eight candidates it was first and foremost a media event.

In the second gathering of all the current challenges for the job of Mayor Kevin H. White during this campaign, the candidates concentrated on pushing their campaign themes and took the opportunity to stretch a little oratorical muscle.

The eight candidates present were former Boston City Councilor Lawrence S Dicara '71, former School Committee President David I Finnegan, Boston City Councilor Raymond L. Flynn, Suffolk Country Sheriff Dennis J. Kearney '72, former MBTA manager Robert R Kiley, former State Rep. Melvin H King, Boston City Councilor Raymond L. Flynn, Suffolk County Sheriff Dennis J. Kearney '72, former MBTA manager Robert R Kiley, former State Rep. Melvin H. King, Boston City Councilor Frederick Langone, and Socialist Workers' Party candidate Eloise Langer.

Opening statements by the candidates concentrated on the problems of housing, crime, education, redeveloping the neighborhood, and the problems of minorities-one thing noticeably absent from the discussion was the mayor himself, who has recently come under sharp attack for alleged corruption in his administration.

However, a later production by Flynn that "Kevin White is not going to win" drew the biggest applause of the night from the overflow crowd of about 200 students, faculty, and press.

The only hissing came when Langone-who was cheered several times early on in the forum-prefaced a remark about rape and women's rights by saying, "Let me say something to you girls."

Soon after the remark, visiting Brown senior Betsy J. Apple stood up in the audience and said to Langone. "The female members of this audience are women not girls."