With less than a month to go before the municipal election campaign officially gets underway, no one has come forward to take on Jim Watson for the mayorship.

But there are at least two possible candidates who aren't ruling out a run just yet: Coun. Diane Deans and Sen. Vern White.

Watson announced more than a year ago that he'd be seeking election for a third consecutive term. Since then, a few names have persisted as possible contenders, most prominently Paul Dewar, Deans and White.

Dewar, the former MP for Ottawa Centre, had been exploring a mayoral campaign. But in February he let the city know he had brain cancer and is currently undergoing treatment. Dewar hasn't said he's not running, but some near to him believe he has bigger issues to deal with right now.

Deans said she has been 'astounded' at the number of people who've suggested she run for mayor. (CBC News)

Desire for change, says Deans

Deans, the longtime councillor for Gloucester-Southgate, appears to be keeping the door open to running for mayor, although she won't say so specifically.

When asked Tuesday if she's considering taking a stab at the top job, she said: "I struggle to answer that question because that's a difficult decision and there's a lot of elements to it."

But she said she's hearing a desire for change in the community, "although how widespread is that, I don't know."

Sen. Vern White said he'll wait until the last few weeks before deciding whether to enter the mayoral race. (Stu Mills/CBC)

While she said she has been approached in previous elections to run for mayor, this time around she's been inundated with requests — 20 times more than in the past.

"I've been astounded by the number of people that have approached me over the last number of months about the potential for running in a mayoralty race," she said.

She's hearing from a wide range of people worried about everything from basic infrastructure problems, such as road conditions, to concerns about municipal governance issues, such as transparency and accountability at City Hall, she said.

White also approached to run, he said

White — who was Ottawa police chief until he was named a Senator in 2012 by then-prime minister Stephen Harper — said he's also been approached to run for mayor. He's not organizing a campaign right now but isn't saying no, either.

"I won't say I haven't given it some thought," said White. "Look, it's humbling when people say they'd like to see you as mayor, and some people have said that."

Someone has commissioned a Leger poll about how Ottawa residents view Mayor Jim Watson. (CBC)

Not surprisingly, White is concerned about policing issues, whether it's the sustainability of the force's budget, the public rift between the rank-and-file and the executive, or the city's strategy for dealing with guns and gangs. He even co-authored an op-ed in the Ottawa Sun calling for changes to the city's strategy to curb shootings.

He was frank about the fact that, should he run, he'd be looking to others for expertise on other citywide issues such as the LRT or the central public library. And he's never run for political office, which could be a challenge for him.

Still, he said he'd wait until the last couple of weeks before making a final decision. Candidates have until July 27 to sign up to run. It's worth remembering that Larry O'Brien successfully ran for mayor in 2006 after jumping into the race in July.

Mystery survey (mostly) about Watson

Both Deans and White admit running against Watson is a daunting prospect. Among other things, the mayor is a skilled campaigner with huge name recognition. A Mainstreet poll from a year ago found Watson was the most popular mayor among Canada's largest cities.

And yet, someone wants to know more about what people think of Watson.

A Leger web survey was sent to residents via email in February, a copy of which was obtained by CBC News. It's unclear who commissioned the survey from the private polling company.

The questionnaire asked respondents about city issues, potential mayoral candidates and what they thought about Watson.

On issues, the survey asks respondents to rank the top five out of 13 priority areas they want the city to focus on, such as transit, LRT, housing affordability and taxes, followed by a question on whether things have gotten better or worse over the past four years in those same 13 areas.

A few questions deal directly with people's impressions of seven city leaders, including: Deans, Dewar, Watson, White, MPP Lisa MacLeod, broadcaster and businessman Mark Sutcliffe, and Coun. Tobi Nussbaum.

A follow-up question asks respondents whether they would consider voting for those people for mayor (although this list doesn't include Deans). And there was an explicit question about how respondents would vote if there was an election between Watson and Dewar.

Survey: Watson likeable or not likeable?

A chunk of the survey was about respondents' views of Watson's leadership and performance. There's a question asking survey-takers to rank Watson's performance from excellent to terrible in 10 areas, and another on the likelihood he could lose the upcoming election.

Perhaps the most intriguing question asks respondents to choose the best of two words or phrases that best describes Watson. The 10 sets of phrases included: likeable or not likeable; great mayor or good enough mayor; flip-flopper or principled; and stale or energetic.

Everyone mentioned in the survey, including Watson, told CBC they didn't know who commissioned it.

MacLeod, Nussbaum and Sutcliffe also told CBC they do not intend to run for mayor.

Leger did not return calls for comment on this survey.