Boston’s field of city council candidates has crystallized as potential candidates have cleared their first hurdle: pulling papers to run for office.

Monday marked the deadline for potential candidates to apply for nomination papers with the city. Now, those who pulled papers are busy acquiring enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, which must be filed with the city on May 19.

While all incumbents plan to run, all but District One’s Salvatore LaMattina could face challengers.

In Dorchester’s district three, incumbent councillor Frank Baker will take on boxer and veteran Donnie Palmer. According to John Donovan in the city’s elections department, both men have already collected enough certified signatures to make it onto the city’s ballot. Candidates must file 200 certified signatures for district races and 1500 for at-large races.

As a result–and because the field of at-large candidates is fewer than nine, Donovan said there will likely be no preliminary vote on Sept. 8 in Dorchester’s District 3.

This year’s city council race is a far-cry from the most recent round of city council elections in 2013 with a contentious mayoral race topping the ballot followed by a crowded at-large field, giving more voters reason to turn out for preliminary elections as well as the final vote.

Nonetheless, with fewer preliminary elections, lesser-known candidates have more time to make their cases to voters the old-fashioned way: with shoe leather, hand shakes, and door knocks.

In District 4, that extra time could be an advantage to first-time candidate Andrea Campbell, a lawyer and former member of Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration. Campbell is looking to unseat 32-year incumbent Councillor Charles Yancey. Candidates Jovan Lacet, a Mattapan-based lawyer, and 2013 District 7 contender Terrance Williams, a community activist, have also thrown their hats into the ring in the fourth. Donovan said it is “too early to call” whether or not a preliminary election will need to be held on Sept. 8 for the district representing parts of Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park, and Jamaica Plain. The city has until June 23 to certify the signatures, which will officially determine whether or not a preliminary election will need to be held.

In District 5, which includes Mattapan and parts of Hyde Park, incumbent Tom McCarthy faces a potential rematch with Jean-Claude Sanon, a community organizer who lost to McCarthy in a hotly contested race in 2013.

In District 2, South End resident and real estate developer Ben Tzion Chudnovskiy will also have the extra couple of weeks to build name recognition–and raise money–to take on City Council President Bill Linehan.
Citywide, the four incumbent candidates Stephen Murphy, Michael Flaherty, Ayanna Pressley, and Michelle Wu face South Boston-based newcomers Bryan Fuller and Chrissanta Rudder, as well as familiar face Annissa Essaibi George of Dorchester.

Many of the other challengers are known entities in the city, or at least for veteran local politicos.

In District 7, currently represented by Tito Jackson, a familiar slate of names are lining up in the hopes of toppling Jackson: State Rep. Althea Garrison, TOUCH 106.1 co-founder Charles Clemons, and pro-life advocate Roy Owens joins Kevin Dwire and community activist Haywood Fennell Sr. All have previously run for the district seat which currently represents Roxbury, parts of Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and the South End. Despite rumors that she would run for the District 7 seat, former State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson did not pull papers. This year’s race cannot compare to 2011’s special election, when a field of 16 candidates formed to fill the seat vacated by Chuck Turner after he was sentenced to prison for bribery.

The preliminary election will be held on Sept. 8. The final municipal election will take place on Nov. 3.