In a world perpetually bombarded by the 24 hour news cycle, it's easy to get caught up in the fervor of the national elections. They seem so important, and they are. The 2010 midterm elections will determine the nation's course. Do we continue down the destructive path of the past two years, or do we pull back from the brink? But if the national elections bear any significance, local politics is far more important. While the 2010 midterms will determine our fate for the next two years, local elections will determine our course for decades.