On the whole, this year's local election campaign has been a quiet one. That's unfortunate, because many of the area's most important elected offices are on the ballot: Rochester mayor, School Board, City Council, Monroe County Legislature, several judges, the Monroe County sheriff, and numerous town officials.

The election for County Legislature is particularly significant. Republicans have only a one-vote majority, and Democrats could win control in this election. For reasons we explain in our Election Guide, we think Democratic control of the legislature is crucial for Monroe County. While some of the Republican candidates are certainly qualified, the same is true of the Democratic candidates. Over the past several years the Republicans have simply rubber-stamped the Brooks administration's tactics and have gone along with the politicizing of important non-political issues.

This year's legislature election has an additional significance; the winning majority will draw the election-district lines following the 2010 Census. That lets the majority legislators draw lines that boost their chances for the next decade. We're not naïve enough to think that Democrats won't do the same with the districts, but Monroe County has suffered too long from the partisanship and self-interest of Republican rule.

Among the numerous other races, we're making the following endorsements:

For Rochester mayor, Bob Duffy. We haven't always agreed with Duffy's actions. He should have shown much more leadership on Renaissance Square, and we wish he would put as much energy into fighting the roots of crime as he puts into fighting crime itself. But on the whole, his record's a good one, and he deserves a second term. (He's the only mayoral candidate on the ballot, although the Green Party's Alex White is conducting a write-in campaign.)

For City Council, Carolee Conklin, Dana Miller, Loretta Scott, Matt Haag, and Jackie Ortiz. All five, as we said in our endorsement before the September primary, are strong candidates with the skills and thoughtfulness that the city needs right now. Activist Harry Davis, running on the Working Families line, is passionate but temperamentally unsuited for Council, and incumbent John Lightfoot, who is conducting a write-in campaign, has too little depth and breadth.

For School Board, we are endorsing only two candidates for the three seats: Van White and José Cruz. Incumbent Cynthia Elliott is also on the ballot on the Democratic line, and as we said prior to the September primary, it would be hard to find anyone who speaks more passionately about the needs of Rochester's children. But her public outbursts and her hostile attitude toward other board members and toward school-district staff, including Superintendent Jean-Claude Brizard, seriously weaken her board service. Community activist Howard Eagle, who is on the Working Families line, is also passionate about the needs of the district's students, but he too often lets his temperament erode his effectiveness.

Unfortunately, the absence of lively, high-profile campaigns in the city is likely to keep voter turnout low - and low turnout can propel poorly qualified candidates into office. City voters shouldn't sleep through this election.