Today, Calgarians cast their ballots for mayor. Well, some Calgarians will. The City has a well deserved reputation for being one of the most apathetic when it comes to democracy – one-third of Calgarians voted in 2007, one-fifth in 2004.

This time around, there are no execuses to stay home. Calgarians have close to a dozen legitimate candidates for mayor to choose from. And Oscar Fech! More importantly, there’s a real race for the top, with three very different frontrunners in a statistical dead heat for the top prize.

While I don’t have a vote, I actually like all three of the candidates at the top. Sure McIver is a Conservative, but he’s not a scary socon or a buffoon, and he certainly has the experience to make a good Mayor. Higgins brings an outsider’s perspective to the race and would be a great representative for Calgary. She’s well spoken, affable, and likable. Had she committed herself to running for mayor earlier and developed a coherent vision for the city, there’s little doubt she would have won.

Then there’s Naheed. I won’t call this an endorsement, because candidates I endorse usually don’t do very well, but if I were living in Calgary today, he’d have my vote.

Quite simply, a win for Nenshi would be a win for substance over style. Naheed has run an issues-based campaign from the start, releasing his “better ideas” throughout the summer. The man has been writing about how to make Calgary a better city for years and he may finally get a chance to do that. He understands city council and city planning better than most of the current councilors, yet at the same time he’d be coming in as an outsider, ready and willing to shake things up and break Calgary free of the NIMBY mindset that has plagued City Hall for years.

Back in August, when I profiled the candidates, here’s what I wrote about Naheed:

Naheed is brilliant and has, hands down, the best ideas of any candidate on how to run Calgary. So, of course, he will not win.

So come on Calgary – prove me wrong!

Voting Information – Hours, where to vote, etc…

Previous Calgary Votes Coverage

-Candidate Profiles: McIver, Higgins, Nenshi

–Nenshi, Lord, Burrows, and Connelly Calgary Grit survey responses

–What’s the matter with Calgary

NOTE: I’ll be live blogging the results tonight once the polls close, so be sure to tune in.