As the state slides into a recession, the city’s response to pressing needs like affordable housing and public education is more important than ever. Next Tuesday’s election provides an opportunity to reshape the city council. There’s a rare open seat for one of the four citywide slots. And the Jamaica Plain/West Roxbury district seat is open as well. Below are six questions we put to the candidates. (Incumbent councilors Paul Scapicchio of the North End, Dan Conley of Roslindale, and Brian Honan of Allston-Brighton, as well as District Seven challenger Roy Owens and at-large challenger Phyllis Igoe, did not respond.) Their answers may help you decide whom to support. Read them. And make sure you vote. Polls will be open this Tuesday, November 6, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The questions

1) Do you favor the Community Preservation Act ballot initiative, which would implement a property-tax surcharge to spend on affordable housing, open space, and preservation?

2) Do you support Mayor Menino’s plan to replace news boxes in the Back Bay and, eventually, the rest of the city with uniform "condo" boxes?

3) Do you support the taking of private land anywhere in the city for a new baseball park for the Boston Red Sox?

4) Do you favor continuing with plans to build a new convention center on the waterfront?

5) How would you, as a Boston city councilor, try to engage young people in the local political process? Toward this end, what has your current campaign done?

6) What steps do you support and what suggestions do you have for bringing more vitality to the city council?

Stephen Murphy, at-large incumbent

1) I’m very concerned about it. Since September 11 especially, some of our industries are hurting. Most of the people that are going to be impacted by this are business owners. This could be enough to push them out of the city. We’re going to be doing damage to our tax base. We’re almost totally reliant on property taxes in Boston. I think a better solution to the housing crisis would be to get colleges and universities to build more dorms.

2) I’m not comfortable with that. I think it will hurt some of the news businesses that rely on those boxes to get their papers out. The fact of the matter is, if the papers are not readily available, they don’t get picked up. I don’t think the plan was well thought out.

3) I can’t honestly answer that yes or no right now because of the way the question is worded. I certainly opposed the taking of private land in the case of the Fenway. I don’t believe that you can take private land for public purposes over the objection of the property owners. I don’t want to be precluded from another eminent-domain scenario down the line that may be agreed to by the landowners, by the Red Sox, and by the host neighborhood.

4) I believe we have to. We’re well into it. We’ve taken the property. We’ve cleaned up the property. We’re getting ready to build. I don’t see how we can stop now in the process. It’s three years old. I am concerned, though, that there hasn’t been aggressive marketing of the convention center.

5) It’s an interesting question. I go to the schools on a regular basis. I go to the middle schools and the fifth grades and bring them in on field trips. Sometimes my committee pays for field trips to come in here. They see the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s model room upstairs and get a tour of the mayor’s office. Schools don’t do enough of that in Boston. I’ve been very aggressive.

6) I think the council is a lively body. I think we have a forum that can be used very effectively if it’s used industriously by the councilors. We never had flashing-school-light zones until I brought legislation forward. I’m working on getting pedestrian-countdown traffic signals installed. Mike Ross and I co-authored the sweatshop legislation that prohibits the city from purchasing uniforms or garments of any kind that have been made in a sweatshop violating age and wage regulations.

Mickey Roache, at-large incumbent

1) It is vital to our future that we maintain a mechanism for the continued funding of affordable housing, such as the city’s recently enhanced linkage program. It is also critical that we create and maintain sufficient open space and dedicate resources to historical preservation. In theory, the Community Preservation Act looks promising, but I do have a concern with ceding control of appropriations to an appointed committee. In addition, we must be cautious when considering the implementation of any tax increase, regardless of the intended use of the revenue. With the slowing economic climate we cannot discourage new growth, and must continue to strive for a balanced economic base. I will be supporting the measure and, if it passes, will work to ensure that the city council maintains an active role in the appropriation of funds.

2) Yes.

3) No.

4) Yes.

5) I think the most important aspect of enticing young people into the local political process is education. Young people need to understand the role that local government plays in their everyday lives and how much influence their participation can have on the process. From quality-of-life issues like public safety and trash pick-up to more universal concerns like education, municipal governments play a critical role, and the input of community leaders on that role is immeasurable.

My campaign has always looked hard to reach out to young, active residents of Boston’s neighborhoods. In addition, I have regularly spoken to students at local colleges and universities about the benefits of community service and the rewards that can be had from local involvement.

6) The city council is a vital part of the operation of local government. While the Boston City Charter dictates a strong-mayor form of government, the council is the legislative body in that equation, and has been very successful when working together as a group and with the administration on critical issues such as education and housing. The council also provides a bully pulpit from which to bring awareness to a wide range of issues and encourage action where appropriate. Short of changing the city charter, I think the most important part of maintaining the necessary vitality to be successful is having the right people on the council who are independent, but work cooperatively toward common goals.

Michael Flaherty, at-large incumbent

1) Yes.

2) I would like to see a "condo"-style news box replace the clutter of multiple news boxes in certain areas of the city. I would like to see this result from a cooperative agreement between publishers and city officials. I highly respect the First Amendment implications of banning news boxes and do not support such a ban should an agreement not be reached.

3) I would support the taking of private property as part of a new baseball-stadium plan only if the statutory and constitutional requirements of eminent domain were met. I do not rule out this possibility, but point out that there are very few areas of the city of Boston where the blight necessary to justify an eminent-domain taking exists.

4) Yes. I believe the convention center is a crucial economic engine for the entire waterfront area and is critical for future hotels and other ancillary development there.

5) In my second term, should I have the honor of being re-elected, I would seek to work with officials from schools in the city in order to introduce young people to the workings of Boston City Hall. School groups are frequent visitors to the State House, but are rare sightings in City Hall. I have also made great efforts to include younger people in my campaign, reaching out to politically active young adults and asking them to recruit others into the political process.

6) I believe the Boston City Council has more vitality and creativity today than it did two years ago. The coming addition of one, and possibly two, new young members bodes well for additional energy and efficacy in the next council term. I support the idea put forward by candidate Rob Consalvo for conducting more council business outside the building at locations and times accessible to the public.

Maura Hennigan, at-large challenger

Felix Arroyo, at-large challenger

1) Yes. I urge Boston voters to support the CPA. This act will assist in facilitating more affordable housing, preserve and maintain historic buildings and churches, and build new parks and playgrounds for the city of Boston.

2) Yes. However, the newspapers should be guaranteed the ability to reach Boston residents.

3) No. Eminent domain should not be used unless there is a situation of extreme circumstances such as safety or survival affecting the residents of the area and they are made part of the decision-making process.

4) Due to the change in our economy and for security reasons, the approved plan must be reassessed.

5) Young people between the ages of 20 and 36 run my campaign. Many of the events were geared toward young people, including a hip-hop show organized by my son Ernesto. The theme of the show was social justice and political involvement. As a member of the Boston School Committee, I advocated for a civics course to be required. We should provide our youth with the tools, the access, and the inclusion necessary for them to participate in a free society, and as a member of the city council I will continue that advocacy. I am proud to say that of my five children, three are of voting age (20 through 26) and have voted regularly since they were 18, and my two others can’t wait.

6) The city council is more and more the center of crucial decisions for our daily life. I am a community civic activist and intend to keep being so once I am elected. Open, accessible, public discussions with widespread public participation are the key to a fully democratic process. I believe that once we approve a budget we should begin to establish the priorities of another budget with public discussions on important issues such as safe and affordable housing, quality education, a safe and livable city, a clean and healthy environment, help for neighborhood businesses, and economic vitality.

Rob Consalvo, at-large candidate

1) I am undecided about the current proposal because people all across the city tell me they are concerned about paying more taxes in these uncertain economic times. Elderly homeowners and renters are particularly worried. Small-business owners, who are the lifeblood of neighborhood business districts, tell me that this tax would be a significant burden. Also, the proposal does not account for others facing difficult circumstances, such as costly illnesses, high tuitions, or disabilities; nor does it help renters to whom landlords might pass on increased taxes. The capacity to use the money in a timely fashion and the regressive nature of property taxes also need to be addressed.

2) Yes. The news boxes perform an important service, but the current approach is unsightly and contributes to littering in the city.

3) Yes, if the park is shown to have significant public benefits.

4) Yes. Boston must prepare for the future, and once the current slowdown ends there is no reason to think that the convention industry will be any less important to the city than it has been.

5) I have already proposed a 10-point plan to increase access to city government and make it easier for people to know what’s going on every week, by taking advantage of new technology (e.g., Internet, e-mail, electronic newsletters) and by bringing city-council meetings out into the neighborhoods. Because young people are interested in technology, I have used my Web site as a tool to keep them informed about my candidacy and to recruit their help. I am proud that the core of my campaign staff and volunteers is young people — recent college graduates and recently married couples who have moved into the city.

6) My already announced 10-point plan for increasing access to the city government and the city council should not only increase interest in the workings of the council, but by bringing more openness to the workings of government it should also increase accountability of councilors to the public. Further, my election will represent another fresh face with new ideas to join with Councilors Ross and Flaherty and other proactive councilors to move a progressive agenda forward.

James Kelly, District Two incumbent

1) No.

2) Yes.

3) A qualified yes.

4) Yes.

5) I have a number of young people who work on my campaign. I also employ students from area colleges and local high schools to work at the city council. A number of students have interned at my office.

6) I would support and encourage legislation to amend the city charter to allow greater involvement of the city council in the operations of city government.

Richard Evans, District Two challenger

1) Yes! I am in favor of the CPA. I recently signed a support petition from my neighbor Donna Brown, as I feel the number-one issue facing Boston is the lack of affordable housing.

2) No! I do not feel that the mayor’s plan to make uniform "condo" boxes for all newspaper boxes is reflective of the different neighborhoods around the city. Each neighborhood should have direct input as to which type of news boxes are placed on their streets.

3) No! I do not support the taking of private land for the possible placement of a new ballpark for the Boston Red Sox.

4) Yes! I support the continuation of plans to build the new convention center near the waterfront in South Boston. Key to the success of this convention center is the solidification of the flagship/headquarters hotel to be built by Starwoods Resorts. The headquarters hotel must move forward in order for the new convention center to be a success. I believe our city will remain an attractive place for conventioneers to hold their conventions. Boston’s business/tourist-industry leaders will persevere in these uncertain times and come up with creative packages to attract people to the greatest "walkable" city in America.

5) Good question! I would reach out to the youth of our neighborhoods and ask them what would make them likely to become engaged in the political process. Toward this end, I have reached out to many of the local youth of my neighborhood to "make a difference" in their community by stating what it is they would like to see done at the district-city-council level. Comments coming from the youth, for example, include [statements that] they would like to receive more respect as individuals, with valued ideas, on how city life could be better for young people of Boston.

6) Suggestions for adding more vitality to the city council include bringing constituent services to the respective neighborhoods by reintroducing the concept of "Little City Halls." If basic services could be provided through the local neighborhoods, constituents would feel more of a connection to the political process. If people feel they are being attended to as far as their basic city services without having to literally stand in a long line at City Hall, then we could be adding vitality to the role of the city council.