With widespread frustration over the city's response to winter weather earlier this year, the snow plan has become one of the flash points in this year's mayoral race.
In a WKYT debate, Carter and Gorton went head to head on the issue.
"It's just not acceptable that we're still trying to figure this out. Snow and ice are not new phenomenons. So there are things that we can plan for and we have not done that. And if we have had the plan, we certainly haven't executed it," Carter charged.
Gorton countered that she's overseen the largest overhaul of the snow plan in 30 years.
"You can't do these plans overnight. I don't know who thinks that's possible. We did an after-action review to say what worked and what didn't work," she said, before laying out how her new plan came together.
While Gorton accepted the resignation of Nancy Albright, the former head of the Environmental Quality and Public Works Department, following the winter response, Carter's plan also calls for a change in leadership — one that would replace Charlie Martin, the interim commissioner for that department.
Similarities also crop up on the question of drivers and communication with the public. Carter wants to see bolstered ranks of trained drivers and mandate that private crews be on call, while Gorton's strategy includes more personnel and trucks outfitted with tablets that would allow for better coordination.
Both candidates are promising more frequent communication and updates regarding changing weather responses.
As for major winter weather events, Carter wants to see first responders, schools, LexTran, utilities and others under a more unified command structure run through the city's Emergency Operations Center.
In response to her challenger's plans, Gorton said many of the elements of the strategy "mirror our old or newly released plan," while other portions are "financially unrealistic," suggesting they might require tax hikes to implement.