Wednesday night, the two Agawam mayoral candidate on the ballot had a debate. Before the two candidates took the podium, things got heated. Once candidates took their seats, the gloves came off.

Derek Benton and Richard Cohen squared off for the first time, just days before the election. At first, Benton sidestepped numerous calls to debate.

"It doesn't make sense to debate the same person six times in 12 days. It's just not efficient," Benton said prior to the debate.

In each of the former debates, Cohen answered questions on his own. Wednesday night, he took the offensive before even taking the podium.

"They weren't the same questions over and over and over again, but even if they are, the viewers have the right to hear what we have to say and make an informed decision," Cohen said.

Once both candidates had a seat, Benton came clean about his past.

"Yes, when I was in the eleventh grade, some friends and I crashed a party thinking it was going to be funny, and yes, 2 years ago, I was certainly in the wrong place at the wrong time," Benton said.

After the admission, the gloves came off. When asked about the differences between the two, Benton started off by comparing their appearances.

Then, he really went in on the former mayor.

"Unlike, kind of, the lazy slug sitting on the other side, who would just sit in his office and sit there, and sit there, worried about what he would have for lunch," Benton said.

When the candidates asked each other questions, things went south. Benton found a way to attack Cohen's experience.

"You don't have any experience or track record, building or fostering longterm business relationships," Benton said, as he went on to point out the various business events Cohen missed.

The pitfall of the night came from Benton when he challenged Cohen on a lack of a Web site.

"Why don't you have a Web site?" he asked.

That misstep, left the former mayor with a huge opportunity to embarrass his younger opponent, as Cohen quickly rattled off his Web address.

The issues facing Agawam are like that of any other town -- the big budget cuts and how to deal with them. Cohen took Benton to task for asking local unions for support, when months from now, he will be negotiating their contracts.

"I think it's unethical and improper to ask for the support of unions as you will have to sit across them and negotiate on behalf of the taxpayer," Cohen said.

Benton was the aggressor in this debate. Cohen rarely jabbed back. Both had scripted answers for some of the questions, but Benton seemed thrown at times when presented with questions on the Six Flags parking issue and the Quinn bill.

Benton's past was a big question mark coming into the debate, but that looks to be behind him. After the admission, no one brought those issues up again.

However, the night was not complete without a special guest. Mayor Susan Dawson and boyfriend Mark Benoit were spotted entering the debate together.

When asked about the relationship, Mayor Dawson candidly opened up.

"I am proud of him. I love the man that I'm with. I'm delighted that I've had the opportunity to meet someone to get to know with him and fall in love," she said.

When asked about marriage, she responded, "I have no idea. We're just going along, and I'm delighted to have someone so special."