People are not interested in civic politics because the institution is a management institution that is hamstrung by it mandate, with it purse strings in the hands of superior governments. Thus voter turnout is often at the 30% level. What people want to see at city hall is good managers, not idealogues.
Of coures incumbency is high, no one cares and no one votes. As long as the managers are not doing anything obscenely stupid, one is as good as another.
I have pointed out very clear economic restraints that hamper full participation in the system by anyone who is not bringing in at least 40,000 a year. And even at that level the burden of campaigning costs is fairly prohibative, without a supporting state funded political organ backing you up.
In a very limited sense, these inequities seem relatively simple to change, yet no one seems to be able to come up with a reason that they are not.