that your paper and provincial governments have so demeaned and undercut the value and reputations of local representatives that people would have to be "missing a few marbles" or just a "sucker for punishment" to put their names forth in this fall's municipal and school board elections. Every effort seems to be made to poke fun at the "triviality" of issues handled, and any and all "squabbling" between individual representatives or between neighbouring municipalities. Thankfully, none of this foolishness ever happens at the provincial or federal levels of government! I do not condone these activities on boards and councils or between neighbouring municipalities, but to constantly shine the light there and miss all the hard work and wonderful results in other areas is doing a great discredit to our local governance systems. Soon we will hear the cry from your paper and others wondering why more good citizens won't come forward and put their name on the ballot in this fall's elections. Little wonder! Maybe it's time to start talking up the benefits of local people making decisions for their own communities, and stop tearing down the very people you encouraged to run in the last election. Not that long ago, before he became premier, John Hamm and the Progressive Conservatives campaigned for more and smaller health boards for our province after the Savage government formed large regional health boards. When he became Premier Hamm, he followed through on that promise, giving us today's health board structure in Nova Scotia.