Pledging to abolish the school committee, levy hefty taxes against Harvard and fire the city manager, 17 of the 20 candidates for Cambridge City Council desperately tried to distinguish themselves from the pack at a candidates’ forum last night.

The panel, sponsored by two of the most leftist parties in this left-leaning city—the Green-Rainbow Party and the Progressive Democrats of Cambridge—was moderated by Cantabrigian Robert B. Reich, who served as Secretary of Labor under Clinton and a Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate in last year’s race.

All nine current members of the council are running for reelection this year—and in a city where conventional wisdom dictates that incumbents never lose a race, this means the challengers face particularly long odds.

Neighborhood activists—particularly veterans of battles over Harvard development—have emerged as a potent new kind of candidate.

Candidates Craig Kelley, John Pitkin and Carole Bellew offered radical steps to limit the power of the City Manager and advocated for more affordable housing.

“The city manager does as he wishes,” Kelley said. “The city council has been habitually unable to make him do what they want.”

Several candidates accused City Manager Robert W. Healy of hoarding power in his appointment of citizens to zoning, planning and other city boards.

“The way the city manager appoints to boards is inappropriate and stifles citizen participation,” Pitkin said.

Some candidates also supported the revival of rent control—long a divisive issue in Cambridge politics that was ended by a statewide measure in 1994. Recently, local activists have been pushing to bring rent control back to Cambridge.

“Rent Control is absolutely essential for the city,” said candidate Aimee Smith, who is running for the Green-Rainbow Party. “The Green-Rainbow Party believes housing is a right.”

Harvard’s plans to develop in Cambridge’s Riverside neighborhood also became a hot topic when several challengers accused the council of not responding sufficiently to residents.

“People in Riverside have been mangled by false claims of what city government can do,” said candidate Robert LaTremouille, who has made a name advocating for the city’s geese population.

“You can’t blame the people in Riverside for looking across the table and thinking ‘the city is not on our side,’” Kelley said.

Several also suggested area universities—currently classified as tax-exempt non-profits—should be taxed.

“The universities need to be taxed,” incumbent Marjorie C. Decker said. “We need to treat them like developers. They are a corporation and they act like one.”