Another municipal election is looming, and loom is just the right word for far too many citizens have come to treat the democratic process as a nuisance to be suffered or, if at all possible, avoided entirely.

Don't even think about asking them to run for office, let alone vote.

The sad fact is that, across this country, participation in municipal elections runs about 30 to 35 per cent -- less than half the turnout of the average federal election.

Curiously, it is municipal politics, not federal or territorial, that play the strongest role in determining the quality of life for most Canadians, Yellowknifers included. The state of our roads, the purity of our water, the quality of the schools, the safety of streets -- these are the things that really make a difference.

And yet, voters stay away from the municipal ballot boxes in droves. And candidates? In some years, they are virtually an endangered species.

Public apathy is a dangerous beast. Its offspring is a narrow field of candidates that produces weak politicians who know they don't have to worry about being accountable to anyone -- since hardly anybody cared enough to vote for or against them.

Healthy communities are almost always characterized by strong democractic traditions. Dysfunctional communities often bear many of the hallmarks of dictatorships.

While it may seem like everyone is asking for help -- how many appeals for volunteering did we read about last week -- there can be no calling higher the public office (at least, no earthly calling).

Yes, you will be taunted and insulted, pestered and probed. You will have to watch your watch your words and put up with reporters who often seem too curious by half. You will lose most of your free time and spend many an evening at a long and sleepy meeting.

But it's worth it, if you care about the community you call home.

Yellowknifers may be interested to know the new tennis courts beside the Wade Hamer mini-golf won't be public if the Yellowknife Tennis Club has its way.

Those are the courts that were torn up and rebuilt by the city because the tennis club's specifications were not met. A club member quoted in last Friday's Yellowknifer said next year the gate will be padlocked and only members of the Yellowknife tennis club will have access to the new courts.

The city has yet to decide how the court access will be divided between public and club use. We hope the city keeps in mind who paid for the courts.