They have some consensus on what the biggest issues facing Northeast Florida are, but generally different ideas on how to change them.

Both candidates for the newly drawn State Senate District Four seat spoke and fielded questions at today’s First Coast Tiger Bay Club meeting.It was the first time both have spoken together publicly, although it was shy of an actual targeted debate.

Republican candidate Aaron Bean was the first to lay out his platform, beginning with jobs and the economy.

“We still have great challenges before us and we have to have big bold idea to confront those challenges,” he says.

He says Jacksonville’s ports are a great leverage point for economic growth, and one that we need to push moving forward.But for a long term vision, he says the jobs plan actually begins with education.

“Kids are dropping out- they don’t see the connection between education and their future and jobs, which ties in to our overall economy.If you’ve got a thriving workforce, people that are ready to take control of companies, then companies are more likely to move here,” he says.

He spoke on his “Back to the Future” education program which would create a new vocational diploma option for high school students.He says we need to recognize that not all students are destined for college, but we should still place incentive on having students complete a high school education and then moving forward to trade school or other options.

Another focus point for him is a regional approach to governing.Because Jacksonville is losing a senator with the new districting options, he wants to launch a “First Coast” delegation instead of a “Duval” delegation.That would bring together the lawmakers from throughout Northeast Florida to bring a bigger clout to the discussion on regional issues, like the St. Johns River.He related the plan by saying we shouldn’t just care for one portion of the river, but for all of it, something the regional delegation could do.

Democratic candidate Nancy Soderberg began by speaking on her experience on the national and international stage and reminding the crowd she has not run for public office before.

“We cannot allow our democracy to become a self-fulfilling prophecy, a negative spiral where only the angry and the mean spirited play- the stakes are too high,” she says on why she jumped in to the race.

She focused on the “conversation” which needs to have a broader focus- on education, the economy, healthcare and the environment.She says the conversation now is partisan and extreme which means nothing actually gets done.

Soderberg then listed a string of problems for the middle class.She says her vision and work on international issues proves she can tackle these issues as well, and have successful results.

She agreed we need improvement on the ports, but wanted federal support to help that.Both also saw small business as a backbone for the economy that must be supported.

Healthcare proved to be one of the issues where the most dichotomous views were seen.Soderberg opposed outright any plan to privatize Medicare or Medicaid or make Medicare in to a voucher system.

“I think we should be taking care of the greatest generation that we have. They’ve earned it and we need to make sure that we’re there for them,” she says.

Soderberg admits the Affordable Care Act has some flaws, but says overall it is an answer that can work in Northeast Florida.Bean wants to support that “greatest generation” but says there are better ways to do it, by increasing efficiency and accountability.He is flatly opposed to the Affordable Care Act, saying it is a job killer.

“Nobody wants to hire anyone right now if they’re going to be responsible for them cradle-to-grave for all their services,” he says.

Soderberg dealt a jab to Bean over his unresponsiveness on offers to debate the issues.Bean says he is excited to have more forums and debates, however at this time there is only one other forum scheduled with the two candidates.

The Tiger Bay Club members and event attendees today want to see a debate as well.While they were happy to see some issues play out today, most I spoke with were looking for more details and clear distinction between the two that they didn’t get with the time allotted.