Four aldermanic races in Calgary could be wide open contests because they have no incumbents, says a policy professor at Mount Royal University.

There are 34 candidates vying for the council seats in Wards 4, 6, 9 and 12.

And the crowded field is making it a challenge for voters to make an informed decision and for the aldermanic hopefuls to rise above the fray, said Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University.

"You somehow have to give enough information about what you stand for to get a little bit of momentum as an individual candidate. But there's no clear momentum in any of these vacant ridings," she said.

Learning about the candidates' promises and profiles has taken some leg work, said Ward 12 voter Chris Pennings. The five candidates all dropped off leaflets, but none came to his door, he said.

"I just read a lot online, I did a lot of Googling," said Pennings, who voted earlier this week.

'With 11 candidates it's hard to get the media coverage and distinguish yourself positively in the media'—Lori Williams, Mount Royal University

"I felt this real non-connection between the candidates and the people. They didn't know what the issues were. I just found it so hard going into the voting both saying, 'ok, who do I vote for'," he said.

There are 11 candidates running in Ward 4, 10 in Ward 6, eight in Ward 9 and five in Ward 12.

"With 11 candidates it's hard to get the media coverage and distinguish yourself positively in the media," Williams said.

Vacant wards

Ward 4 in the northwest was left without an incumbent when Ald. Bob Hawkesworth decided to run for mayor. He dropped out of that race on Wednesday, endorsing Barb Higgins.

First-term Ald. Joe Connelly left Ward 6 in the southwest open when he announced his own mayoralty bid in April, which he vowed to continue Friday despite low polling numbers.

After five terms as alderman for Ward 9 in the northeast, Joe Ceci announced in April he that he would not be running for council again this fall.

Nine-year veteran Ald. Ric McIver is leaving Ward 12 open in the far southeast as he runs for mayor.