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Why are city elections interesting?
Cities and towns are where we live. Your ward is your hood. Stuff that affects us usually happens close to home. Sure, we might care about big issues like gun control, gay marriage, Arctic defence, etc. on a broader level (and definitely they affect some of us on a personal level), but for the most part, we care about what happens to us personally. We care that we have to spend six months of the year offroading because Edmonton's snow removal policy only applies to main roads, and I think Calgary's official stance is "wait for a Chinook". We care that transit sucks and road construction is planned poorly. We care when property taxes go up and schools are closed. This is all real life politics, folks! This is arguably the election that most directly affects your life.
Another interesting point is that mayors and councillors are not affiliated with political parties. All the partisan politics go out the window with this one. You vote for people, not ideologies. This is also the election where your vote counts the most. A town/city is smaller than a province or a country, therefore with less people voting, one vote has more impact. What does the municipal government do?
The mayor and council establish policies for the city (municipality) and provide guidance to carry out these policies. They form committees, go to meetings, and pass legislation to represent the citizens in some of the following areas:
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