Nothing rejuvenates my faith in democracy like a vibrant local election. Say what you want about the state of democracy on a national level; on the local level it works as well as it ever has.

All you young liberals and Madison progressives still reeling from the merciless Republican lashing last November, pick your chins up; you’re going to want to pay attention this spring.

Aside from almost every candidate being unabashedly liberal, the upcoming elections for Madison mayor, City Council and Dane County executive are simply going to be a riveting good brew.

The good times to come are not restricted to local wonks, either.

It’s true, county and municipal elections don’t always garner high voter turnout, but those who do show up at the polls are true harbingers of community – a concept that is often obscured by today’s global village.

They recognize that the relevance of whatever thespian brouhaha is parading through Washington at the time pales in comparison to what is happening in their own backyards. They know that while their voices may be merely a whimper on the national stage, they can ring loud and clear on a local one. And they see that their collective impact is exponentially compounded with every neighbor they connect with.

The term ‘community’ might not carry the weight it did in days of yore, when town hall meetings drew processions of farmers on horse and buggy from distant fields. But the connotations are no less important today.

More than defining a group of people who live in a common place, ‘community’ denotes a common ownership of that place. It suggests that while you may not get along with your neighbors, you share a responsibility with them to make your shared surroundings as hospitable to your common ways of life as your own living rooms.

Never does this sense of community mean more than during local elections. And if you can’t jump in the ring this spring, you might as well move right now.

I’m not being pat when I say these are going to be some truly epic elections.

Lets start as local as it gets with the aldermanic races. With 13 of 20 seats up for grabs, the City Council is sure to get a healthy shakedown.

Of particular interest to students are the battles playing out in Districts 2 and 8 – both heavily student-populated areas.

Current student representative Bryon Eagon will be vacating the District 8 seat, paving the way for what is sure to be a colorful three-way match between one current UW student and two recent alumni.

Arguably the early front-runner, Scott Resnick graduated from UW two years ago and has since served as the State-Langdon Neighborhood Association president. He’ll be squaring off against famed campus provocateur Kyle Szarzynski and veritable dark horse Christian von-Preysing Barry.

A youthful dynamic between three candidates with first hand understanding of the trials and tribulations of student-life, mixed with a healthy dose of passionate progressive idealism, will definitely make this a race worth putting down your poli sci readings to pay attention to.

The joust for District 2 should be no less enticing. With UW grad student and proven community enthusiast Sam Stevenson hoping to usurp current Ald. Bridget Maniaci, this race will pit two passionate candidates with distinct political ideals against each other in a classic bout of parry-riposte politics. Word is they’re not huge fans of each other either.

At the county executive level, there is a full-blown royal rumble stewing. Six contenders vying for Kathleen Falk’s long-standing perch atop county government is going to make for a uniquely combative early campaign phase leading up to the Feb. 15 primary. Six will enter; only two will leave.

Right now, current Dane County Board Chairman Scott McDonell and State Rep. Joe Parisi, D-Madison, seem to be best positioned for these two spots in the winner’s circle. But don’t discount the power of powerful friends like Sen. Jon Erpencbach, D-Middleton and former Senator Russ Feingold, who both support Joe Wineke.

Don’t completely count out Wisconsin Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary Zach Brandon either. His bipartisan pull as a moderate centrist could draw enough latent conservative votes to give him a beefy leg-up in the primary.

It’s hard to take anyone serious who promises to abolish the very office he is running for like Spencer Zimmerman, but hey, it worked for Kurt Schuller.

If none of these riveting races are enough to whet your local politics appetite, the Madison goliaths sizing each other up in either side of the mayoral race ring is sure to get your juices flowing. Really, it’s going to be legendary.

Madison icon Paul Soglin is looking to knock out Mayor Dave – the mayor so endearing we call him by his first name (well, that, and trying to pronounce Cieslewicz might make your brain explode).

They are two Madison staples whose visions for city government are as different as the candidates are opposed to each other on a personal level. This race is going to be vicious, garish and oh so delicious.

Start licking your chops Madison, you are in for a simply delectable spring election season. Learn to love local politics; this is as good as democracy gets.

Kyle Mianulli ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in journalism, political science and philosophy

Editor’s note: Due to a copy error candidate for district 8 Kyle Szarzynski’s name was misspelled in the original version of this article. Sorry for the mistake.