In another sign that the Democratic mayoral primary won’t be free of sparring, the member of Congress in the race, Anthony Weiner, criticized his opponents yesterday for what he said were “old, stale, and not very creative” ideas.

During the third mayoral debate of the weekend, Mr. Weiner, whose district straddles Brooklyn and Queens, billed himself as the insurgent candidate with middle-class city residents on his side.

When the panel of four Democrats was asked how they would distinguish themselves from their opponents, Mr. Weiner was the only one who went on the attack and, in effect, answered the question.

“If you want old, stale, and not very creative, you have other choices,” he said during a forum at the New School University in Manhattan, which was held by the National Jewish Democratic Council. Later, he apologized but did not seem to withdraw his comment.

“There isn’t a single person up here that doesn’t, to some degree, own their places at this table to endorsements of important people, to big fund-raisers, to county organizations,” Mr. Weiner said. “I’m not like that.”

A former borough president of the Bronx, Fernando Ferrer, rejected the question altogether, saying he would not enter a “circular firing squad” or engage in “World Wrestling Federation” tactics that would only make it more difficult for the eventual Democratic nominee to unseat Mayor Bloomberg, the Republican.

The borough president of Manhattan, C. Virginia Fields, who lashed out at her opponents during a television debate taped Friday, and the speaker of the City Council, Gifford Miller, gave more tempered answers.

All four candidates blasted Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire and former Democrat who is bankrolling his re-election drive with his personal fortune, for what they characterized as obscene campaign spending. On Friday, the mayor’s campaign disclosed that it would spend $1 million on a flurry of television advertisements starting this week and that it had spent $10 million on the campaign since last June.

Mr. Weiner said that when potential voters see those television spots they should remember that the marketing blitz costs more than it would take to provide raises for “thousands of teachers,” who are deadlocked in contract negotiations with the city. The United Federation of Teachers represents more than 90,000 current employees of the city school system.

Mr. Bloomberg has consistently defended his record – and his willingness to shun the city’s system of matching some contributions to participating candidates with public funds.