In politics, the "silly season" refers to the time during the lead-up and early days of a campaign, when getting attention and posturing is the order of the day.
To be sure, there's been some evidence of that in recent months.
But now, with nominations closed, it's down to the serious business and hard work of civic election campaigns.
More than decisions made at the federal or provincial level, decisions made at municipal level immediately affect citizens. Whether highrises are built, affordable housing or childcare is available or the commute is a nightmare - these are the issues largely determined at the local level.
Politics has earned a bad rap, to the point where many people like to say it's not something they get involved in.
But if you pay property taxes, your kids attend school, you expect police or firefighters to show up when you call or you care about what gets built next door - you are involved in politics.
But many potential voters don't bother with the ballot box, with average turnout in municipal elections hovering under 30 per cent.
We hope you'll pay attention over the next month as the North Shore News covers the issues and we hope you'll be part of increasing that turnout.
At its core, politics is about things most of us care about - how our money is spent, concessions we're willing to make, the help we're willing to offer our neighbours and the community we hope to be a part of.
That's something worth getting off the couch for.
