WEST SENECA, N.Y. -- A county legislator, an education activist and former common council aide stood alongside the longtime incumbent in New York's 58th State Senate District.

It may be Bill Stachowski's most intense challenge for a seat that covers South Buffalo and the city's west side as well as Lackawanna, West Seneca, Hamburg and Eden.

YNN's Jen Markham challenged the candidates on the district's most current event; the failure by Albany to clear the way for UB 2020.

How would they have made it happen?

Michael Kuzma: “I’ve actually looked at the proposed bill. There are a lot of questions. You would eliminate state oversight on tuition costs, which I’m very troubled by. The Attorney General and State Comptroller would no longer review contracts between SUNY and private interests. I’m troubled by that.”

Thomas Casey: “I would want to see objective data that shows we are going to generate jobs. I think the reformulation of the structure of the University presented some solid opportunities so long as it did not compromise low-income students.”

Tim Kennedy: “The fact of the matter is, is we need to work with all sides of the political spectrum to ensure that important job creation opportunities like UB 2020 are actually created. And we don’t just talk about them and they don’t become political rhetoric and they don’t become phantom frameworks but rather they become realistic, job creating machines.”

Bill Stachowski: “There’s a definition of public-private partnerships, there’s an agreement on tuition with a tap match, there’s a changing of the procurement of the procedures that the state now goes through and there is a mandated participation by the state not to let SUNY create tuition and take back money. That won’t happen.”

Stachowski fielded constant challenges from Kennedy, the Erie County lawmaker who polls show to be the incumbent's main threat in this primary.

Tim Kennedy: “Every single vote is influential. Every single vote counts. It’s up to the individual to go down to Albany representing this district to be a voice for Western New York. On all sides of the political spectrum, to work with everyone down in Albany to make sure that Western New York’s voice is not only heard, but heard loud and clear.”

Bill Stachowski: “I’ve never been that way. I have always stood up for Western New York. I have held budgets up for Western New York. I have argued in conference over many bills that did not come out or didn’t pass. I voted on the floor against bills that would have been bad for Western New York. I have a history of fighting for Western New York against the downstate interests.”

The democratic primary winner in the 58th primary would move on to face a formidable challenge in November from Republican Assemblyman Jack Quinn III.