Mayor Martin J. Walsh and City Councilor Tito Jackson argued for their agendas during their second debate Tuesday night leading up to the Nov. 7 Election Day.

The debate was held at the WGBH radio station in Allston, Massachusetts, and featured hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan, who are correspondents for Boston Public Radio.

Walsh refused to confirm a debate solely with Jackson, his only main contender, until after the preliminary election in September. Prior to that, Walsh agreed only to hold a debate with all four candidates running in the preliminary election.

Their first debate on Oct. 11 centered on economics, policing and affordable housing. It occurred in Roxbury, which was hit hard by the affordable housing crisis. For many residents of Roxbury, salaries have not increased as rapidly as housing prices in Boston, leaving many longtime residents to face prices they can simply no longer afford and forcing them out of their homes and communities. While Walsh said he has addressed affordable housing in his first term as mayor, Jackson said there is more to be done.

As Jackson and Walsh settled into their second debate on Tuesday night, the first and most highly suggested question by viewers centered on affordable housing, a hot topic that carried over from the previous debate. According to a WGBH poll, 26 percent of Boston residents feel the cost of housing in Boston is the most important campaign issue, marking the largest consensus on among voters in the poll.

The moderators noted that many other major U.S. cities utilize a rent control system to keep housing affordable, but Walsh and Jackson had differing opinions on the system.

“I’m not sure rent control would work in the city of Boston,” Walsh said.

He said other cities, such as New York City, often have support for housing projects from the state, unlike Boston. Jackson sees promise in the practice, however, and said the city should consider it.

Jackson said he believes the voucher program — a system where families who cannot afford their rent receive financial help from the city — is necessary.

“We would take $5 million dollars and create flexible vouchers,” Jackson said.

Walsh, on the other hand, wants to move away from the voucher program and instead build long-term housing.

“If we took that $5 million dollars and put it into permanent housing we’d be able to build 6,000 units of housing where people could live forever,” Walsh said. “Not $5 million dollars for vouchers for one year.”

Jackson and Walsh have significantly different outlooks  of Boston. While Walsh believes that the city has succeeded under his administration, Jackson feels that many residents are still struggling.

“I’d love to hear from Mayor Walsh what he thinks is affordable in Boston,” Jackson said.

Policing was another main point of contention in the debate, specifically whether or not police officers should wear body cameras, an issue being discussed nationwide. While 78 percent of Bostonians polled by WGBH radio were in favor of all police officers wearing body cameras, Walsh isn’t certain that they would help combat fatal shootings.  

“If a young black person doesn’t feel safe walking down the street, that’s where the real problem is, not body cameras,” Walsh said. He also said his administration conducted a year-long study on the effectiveness of body cameras using Northeastern University researchers and the study’s results are pending.

Jackson feels differently: He wants to invest in body cameras and believes that they will help improve public safety.

“[Walsh] needs to step forward and actually take a leadership role on this,” Jackson said. “And that’s what we’ve seen out of this mayor — timid, tepid leadership, and that’s why we don’t have body cams.”

While Jackson and Walsh have differing plans for funding public education, both candidates want to invest in education and improve schools citywide.

“I will fully fund public schools as mayor,” Jackson said.

Finally, the moderators asked both candidates to end the debate on a positive note.

“We might not agree on everything, but the bottom line is we care about those kids,” Walsh said.

The general election will be held on Nov. 7.  Students can register to vote online at the city’s website.