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At the end of June, each of the candidates for mayor sat down at the Idea Center to talk about the issues: Public safety, police oversight, housing, schools, the economy and more.

For the next three episodes, we鈥檒l hear excerpts of those interviews and get to know the candidates. First up: Dennis Kucinich and Justin Bibb.

If you鈥檝e read any news about Dennis Kucinich this year, you鈥檒l know two things. One, he鈥檚 running for Cleveland mayor more than 40 years after his first stint at the job. And two, he just wrote a book.

It鈥檚 called 鈥淭he Division of Light and Power.鈥� In it, Kucinich recounts his two-year term as mayor, and especially his battle to preserve Cleveland鈥檚 public electric company, Cleveland Public Power, or Muny Light.

Kucinich is different from the other candidates for mayor this year. Not just because he鈥檚 the oldest at age 74, but because he got started in politics so young. He was first elected to Cleveland City Council in 1969, when he was just 23 years old. He was elected mayor eight years later.

In his bid to return to the mayor鈥檚 office after four decades, he鈥檚 talking a lot about crime.

鈥淚 intend to bring to City Hall a new approach in not just creating a civic peace department, but in taking an approach that relates to restorative justice,鈥� he said in his interview at the Idea Center. 鈥淲e cannot solve every problem with guns. I mean, on either side.鈥�

Kucinich says he is not a fan of the current trend of tax incentives and tax increment financing for development projects. 鈥淵ou cannot keep giving away money that the city needs to be able to provide services,鈥� he said in an interview with "After Jackson" host Nick Castele. [Gabriel Kramer / 91制片厂]

Kucinich was 31 when he became Cleveland mayor. Justin Bibb is only slightly older. At age 34, Bibb鈥檚 campaign slogan is 鈥淐leveland can鈥檛 wait.鈥�

It鈥檚 a pre-buttal, if you will, to questions about his lack of experience in elected office. Questions like, "Why don鈥檛 you start smaller, pay your dues, learn the ropes?"

His slogan offers an answer: Cleveland can鈥檛 wait.

鈥淲e can't afford to go, you know, 40 plus years back in time. And we can't afford just a steady hand right now,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 believe it's time for new, bold, dynamic, fresh leadership. And I believe I'm the right leader for the right time.鈥�

Bibb, who served on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority board, wants to upgrade Cleveland's parking meters to smart meters and use the revenue in part to fund public transit. [Gabriel Kramer / 91制片厂]

Follow 鈥淎fter Jackson: Cleveland's Next Mayor鈥� on NPR One, iTunes or on your favorite podcast platform. Or catch it every Wednesday at 9 a.m. on the 鈥淪ound of Ideas鈥� on 90.3 WCPN.