Two candidates for Salt Lake City mayor Wednesday painted opposing pictures of the top job, with one saying she would focus on issues at the neighborhood level while the other sees more importance in the big picture.

At the second of three meet-the-candidates forums sponsored by KUER FM90 at the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics, two of the nine declared candidates — former Democratic Party chairwoman Meghan Holbrook and current City Councilwoman Nancy Saxton — laid out their vision of how they would run the capital city.

"Neighborhoods are what really are the backbone and the strength of the city," Saxton said. "It's like your teeth: If you ignore them, they will go away. If you ignore the neighborhoods, people will move to the 'burbs and you're left with a wasteland."

She said it's an emphasis on the mundane issues — such as speeding, sidewalks, abandoned buildings and noisy neighbors — that makes a strong mayor.

But Holbrook said the best way to address the issues facing the city is to focus on the citywide picture — as well working regionally and statewide.

"Salt Lake City can't do it alone, and we've been trying to do it alone," she said. She emphasized her desire to be a "coalition-builder," to work with lawmakers, leaders of neighboring cities' governments, business leaders and others to advance the city's position.

"Salt Lake City is No. 1 an international city" — headquarters for a global religion, a former Olympic host, ethnically diverse and a center for arts, education and culture, Holbrook said. "We haven't acted like it. We've acted like an island."

Responding to a question about current Mayor Rocky Anderson's activism on international political issues, including the war in Iraq and global climate change, both candidates withheld criticism but said they would probably act differently.

"I don't think Salt Lake City should continue to have a foreign policy," Holbrook said, noting that she is personally opposed to the war in Iraq.

Saxton said it is important for people to make their opinions known, but elected officials should make sure their activism doesn't jeopardize their focus on the city's business.

If faced with the decision of whether to attend a protest in Washington, D.C., or to stay in Salt Lake and work on city issues, she said, "I am about the business of Salt Lake City, and Salt Lake City needs a mayor."