SAN DIEGO -  

San Diego mayoral candidates Carl DeMaio and Bob Filner spoke to a group of community leaders in San Ysidro on Thursday morning during a forum, but questions still remain over a controversial development project which would put a new stadium by the waterfront.

Both DeMaio and Filner are denying they support a new Chargers stadium at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal. However, in an investigation with KPBS and Investigative NewsSource, emails were uncovered that showed U-T San Diego's CEO, John Lynch, saying he made progress with one of the candidates.

The site's developer is Doug Manchester, who is the new owner of U-T San Diego. Manchester and Lynch want the stadium there by the waterfront. It is a 96-acre property, close to the San Diego Convention Center, the Gaslamp Quarter and hotels.

"Let's deal with this as a business project, not as a political project. That's the way we'll get a stadium built," Lynch said.

The road to the project becoming a reality is a long one. The U-T faces huge roadblocks, including the Navy, the Coastal Commission, and a long-term lease with the Dole Fresh Fruit Company.

In an August email, Lynch said he made progress "with labor, Chargers, County, business, Navy and one of the mayoral candidates."

DeMaio said he met with U-T management, but that does not mean he supports the project.

"Any emails… we've released everything we have which consists of a meeting that we took like we take with many people all around town on a number of issues," DeMaio said.

The U-T has endorsed DeMaio and Filner's thoughts on that are clear. 

"It's nothing less than the publisher buying a mayoral candidate," Filner said.

Lynch said in a recent U-T article that "we never asked for [DeMaio's] support, nor did he offer."

The latest scientific 10News poll shows Filner leading DeMaio in the mayoral race.