Last Call in the Race for Mayor If you're a New Yorker who is only now focusing seriously on the mayoral primary election, just five days away, you might feel bad about missing the Democrats" final televised debate on Tuesday night. Don't. You wouldn't have learned much, unless what you wanted to know about the candidates involves trivia and how well they bicker. In 90 minutes (that felt longer), we learned who doesn't compost, who cleans up after his housekeeper, how much money everybody makes and how they feel about supposed character flaws, like grandstanding (John Liu), shouting (Christine Quinn), indecision (Bill de Blasio) or lack of belly fire (William Thompson Jr.). The format was awkward, the crosstalk irritating and the questioning often hostile and fatuous. Anthony Weiner did viewers a favor by openly mocking the dumber questions and defending some of his rivals from shallow criticism. He did well for himself, though, at this point, he is more commentator than contender. If you really want to be informed in making a decision on Tuesday, you'll have to look elsewhere. Tune out the harsh attack ads, like those that paint Mr. de Blasio as a coddler of slumlords (he isn't) or hammer on Ms. Quinn over Michael Bloomberg's third term (it's a dead issue). Better to look ahead to the questions and problems that will remain after Mr. Bloomberg is gone: on the budget, the economy, jobs, housing and public safety. The Times's news pages have compiled a catalog of the candidates" views at nytimes.com, where you can also find, on the editorial board's Taking Note blog, a collection of readers" questions and candidates" answers on a variety of subjects. We also recommend the debates on NY1, superbly moderated by Errol Louis, starting with the one at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in April. To hear the candidates speak thoughtfully and at length on signature issues outside the debates, get yourself to YouTube: Ms. Quinn, whom The Times has endorsed, spoke at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem in June about policing and stop-and-frisk. Mr. de Blasio gave a speech on inequality in the city, his central theme, at the New School in May. Mr. Thompson spoke in July on race and politics and the Trayvon Martin case at Abundant Life Church in Brooklyn. The cruel arena of TV debates often makes candidates look dumbed-down and small; some of the videos will make you feel better about the choice you have on Tuesday.