PITTSFIELD, Mass. - As election day draws near and Pittsfield hosts its final mayoral debate, candidates Peter Marchetti and John Krol said the concerns they’ve been hearing from voters are not new to the city.

“People just want change," Krol said. "The status quo is not working. And so, that is exactly what we're hearing each and every day.”

“I think we've heard a lot about taxes, I think we've heard about water and sewer rates, we've heard about our bike lanes," Marchetti said. "So, we've heard about a lot of the things that we hear about on a regular basis.”

Both candidates are dealing with allegations and accusations made during their campaigns.

For Marchetti, this week a federal lawsuit filed on Sept. 11 came to light where a former Pittsfield Cooperative Bank executive alleges male executives at the bank, including Marchetti, were discriminatory and created a hostile work environment for her.

Marchetti disputes many of the allegations but was unable to comment any further at this time.

“I think I have a proven track record of leadership, experience and dedication for the city of Pittsfield," Marchetti said. "And, you know, I think that I will match my record to my opponent’s every day of the week. And you know, I think that my actions speak louder than my words.”

In mid-September, The Berkshire Eagle reported accusations of John Krol embezzling money from a nonprofit animal organization he used to help lead.

“That was an absolute hit piece that came out the day after the preliminary election," Krol said. "It was something that was addressed four years ago, and I have shown all the documents from the bank that show that that my intent was clear and I've cleared my name, and my opponent continues to bring that up as an issue.”

As far as the issues Pittsfield faces, both mayoral candidates are confident they can provide solutions.

“I have shown a true plan for the kind of change that's going to bring fiscal transparency," Krol said. "That's going to address the skyrocketing taxes with an internal auditor and an external auditor that's never worked with the city before and a director of finance that's not a part of the political establishment.”

“We're going to hit the ground running on January 2nd once we're sworn in, we're going to start putting together some of the things that we've talked about," Marchetti said. "We've been pretty aggressive about talking about mental health and substance use disorder task force to help the folks that really need it and to start focusing on some of the issues that we see in our downtown.”

Heading into election day, Krol and Marchetti said their leadership is what will serve Pittsfield’s future needs best.

“We can be truly the hub of the culturally rich Berkshires that Pittsfield has never taken the mantle for, it's time to do that," Krol said. "A new mayor with new energy and an entrepreneurial spirit is exactly what I'm going to bring to the city of Pittsfield.”

“I think this has been a pretty lengthy campaign," Marchetti said. "I think both of us have hit some bumps in the road. I'm looking forward to November 7th and the results coming in on November 7th. And I ask the voters to vote for me, Pete Marchetti.”