A clash at Taipei's city council over a nursery abuse scandal turned into a fight about whether the mayor will face the public — bad news for parents wanting answers, and awkward for Chiang Wan-an ahead of an election fight.

• City councilor Hsu Li-hsin asked Chiang five times if he would publicly debate changes to child abuse laws; Chiang never said yes or no.
• Chiang instead listed what the city has done: two staff banned from the profession for life, a NT$2.8 million fine, the nursery's license pulled, and a wider probe of the chain.
• Hsu said rival mayoral candidate Puma Shen and his team had already agreed to a public discussion, putting pressure on Chiang to match it.
• Hsu mocked the mayor with a nickname for answering a different question than the one asked; Chiang shot back that his answers were straight.
• The city says it finished its investigation in 31 days, well ahead of the legal deadline, and keeps meeting affected parents.

Outlook: The abuse case looks set to become a running theme in Taipei's mayoral race, with pressure building on Chiang to accept or clearly refuse a public debate.