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A race between Atchison and Clark could take on a similar dynamic, Garcea said.

The two men’s announcements may discourage other potential candidates from throwing their hats into the ring; a right-of-centre candidate may be concerned about taking support from Atchison while a left-of-centre candidate could worry about hurting Clark’s chances.

The only type of person likely to run against them would be one “who doesn’t give a darn about what happens to either of these candidates,” Garcea said.

That could well describe former four-term mayor Henry Dayday, who said in an interview on Thursday that Clark’s entry will not affect his plans. Dayday, who announced a run in 2012 but pulled out before the election, said he is still seriously considering a bid this year.

Wolf, who has also yet to rule out another campaign, declined to comment Thursday.

Atchison and Clark have served on council together for a decade, but Saskatoon’s mayor had little to say about his council colleague on Thursday.

“I never really thought about it,” he said of Clark. “He expresses his point of view, I express mine and that’s it.”

Atchison said he is “busy looking after the city” and will not shift into “campaign mode” until the fall.

If there was a strong feeling of distaste for how things were being handled at city hall, someone new to the institution could take advantage of that with a platform of cleaning up how the city government is run, Garcea said.