A candidate running for city council in Ward 8 is raising questions about the incumbent alderman's voting record when it comes to secondary suites.

Evan Woolley, who is running against John Mar, says Mar has been missing when key Ward 8 issues come up at council. Mar has missed three votes on the secondary suites issue because he had plans to build one of his own — but the city has no record of Mar ever applying to build a secondary suite.

The current Ward 8 alderman, John Mar, is being criticized by another candidate for his voting record on secondary suites. (CBC)

"This is something that Mayor Nenshi has talked about critically, and that's the say-do gap — what we say we're going to do and what we do," said Woolley.

In 2011, John Mar told city council he could not vote on secondary suites because he would be in a conflict of interest given plans to build one in his own home.

"I have an application before the City of Calgary with regards to a secondary suite on my property and will be declaring a pecuniary interest and leaving the chamber for this issue," Mar said at the time.

However, there is no record of Mar submitting an application.

Mar says he encountered opposition from his neighbours on the plan to rezone his property so he never filed any paperwork.

While he said at a recent all-candidates forum that he supports the suites and is building one himself, Mar told CBC Calgary he isn't currently building one — but could in the future.

See a larger version of the letter here.