Jane Hague has been on the King County Council since 1994, but her opponent still doesn’t believe she has what it takes to lead.

Mercer Island resident Richard Mitchell questioned Hague’s leadership at a candidate forum hosted by the Bellevue Downtown Association on Tuesday, while the incumbent highlighted her history of reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats, in the county and Bellevue.

“We’ve built Meydenbauer Center, the Downtown Comprehensive Plan, we’ve brought housing to downtown so we’re more than just a job center; we’re a diverse neighborhood,” she said.

After introducing themselves, both candidates jumped into the major issues, with transportation consistently coming to the forefront.

Mitchell, a former counsel to Gov. Christine Gregoire, took the opportunity on several occasions to paint Hague as a flip-flopper who initially supported a $20 car-tab fee to avoid transit cuts, before reversing her position to get more out of the deal and finally voting in favor.

Hague called a demonstration of her leadership. Rather than jumping on board without raising questions about the lack of buses on State Route 520 and the existence of an outdated ride-free zone in downtown Seattle, she fought for what needed to be done before supporting the fee.

Both candidates spoke of a long-term funding issue in county government, specifically for transportation. Hague praised many of the reforms that have occurred in the last few years, while her opponent was not satisfied.

“We knew there was a problem, and we didn’t address it,” he said. “It is now time to solve the problem while we have a temporary funding solution.”

The candidates saw transportation as key to many issues facing the county, including keeping it a viable job center. To attract companies and businesses to Bellevue, and the region as a whole, a first-class transportation system must be in place to move workers.

Though much of the debate focused on transit, the candidates touched on the state of the county budget and the relationship with King County Executive Dow Constantine. Hague said the relationship has been strong since Constantine came in, while Mitchell went back to Hague’s actions on the $20 car-tab fee, saying she played politics, rather than collaborating.