Our mayor has been a mixed bag. He has been fairly progressive in terms of improving public infrastructure, but has had a poor track record on social issues.
Currently, he is courting a scandal involving a violent altercation at a safe injection site where someone got bludgeoned to death. His response was a rather draconian closing of the facility (he claims it’s only temporary) and essentially telling the homeless in the area to get lost. As you might imagine, this is not going well.
I have no interest in running for any political office, though if I did, the city council would likely be highest on my list. I actually enjoy watching them in session from time to time on the local cable channel, as there is less partisan bickering at the municipal level and, as you say, the decisions they make are more likely to affect your day-to-day life.
I am sort of half-heartedly angling to get on a committee involving the city’s cycling infrastructure, but that’s about the extent of any political ambitions.
For the most part, I choose the generic version for pharmaceuticals where available, but there are a few exceptions. For example, for something like a nasal spray, the generic version’s dispensing mechanism may be inferior?