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MILWAUKEE - The candidates for Milwaukee County Executive faced each other in a debate for the first time Thursday. State Senator Lena Taylor is challenging incumbent Scott Walker for the job. It's the most powerful political position in the county. The county executive candidates say whether to raise taxes is one of the big issues that divide them. The debate was short on fireworks, but it was long on substantive issues affecting the future of the county. Issues like crime, jobs and transportation. The one issue that rose to the forefront was taxes, and whether the county residents would have their taxes raised. Scott Walker says his position on taxes has always been clear. “I made the commitment to hold the line on taxes. We're going to do that in the future,” Walker said. Walker has been county executive for six years and insists he is running on a strong record of success. Thursday, he said a vote for Taylor is a vote for a tax and spend liberal. “We're the ones who have taken on the status quo here in Milwaukee County and we are succeeding. If you put our opponent back in you are going to go back to the same status quo that got us in the trouble before,” Walker said. Tax and spend liberal is a title Senator Taylor wouldn't embrace. Instead, she attacked Walker on his position on taxes, accusing him of having his head stuck in the sand. “You can't be an ostrich and have one view and say no new taxes,” Taylor said. Taylor didn't rule out raising taxes, but suggested if she did it, she believes it would be to the benefit of the county. “What I’ve learned as a businesswoman is that you need to invest in your assets in order to grow your wealth. You can't squander our assets by not investing at all,” Taylor said.