Quiet municipal elections often affect people’s lives far more than loud presidential ones do, and next week’s election is likely to be one of the most impactful locally in recent years. That’s because it involves selecting mayors — the CEOs of our cities and towns — whose actions can shape a community, for better or worse, well beyond their time in office.

Tooele voters are faced with a choice of continuing Mayor Patrick Dunlavy’s agenda for the city or turning to political newcomer Becky Bracken for change. That choice comes at a pivotal moment in the city’s history, when recession has slowed a decade of residential and business growth, and the city faces major challenges ranging from high-stakes lawsuits to rising crime to a battle over preserving hillside open space.

In Grantsville, Byron Anderson’s eight-year run as mayor is coming to an end, leaving that city with a choice between two new candidates: sitting city council member Brent Marshall and business leader Jill Thomas. Whoever wins the office will inherit a city government that’s virtually broke with a budget that’s been pared down to bare bones. For Grantsville, those financial concerns will likely frame every other issue the new mayor takes on over the next four years.

In Stockton, incumbent mayor Dan Rydalch has generated a firestorm of controversy just before the election by suspending a city police officer last week after the officer gave Rydalch’s son a ticket for driving without a license. The suspension is sure to galvanize Stockton voters to turn up at the polls — either in support of Rydalch or his opponent Mark Whitney — but hopefully the scandal won’t obscure other serious concerns in the town like growth, an annexation bid, water infrastructure development and preservation of the Stockton Bar.

With the election racing towards us, it’s important for voters to use this week to prepare themselves to cast an informed vote. For Tooele voters, a good opportunity to compare and contrast the two mayoral candidates comes tonight at 7 p.m. at Tooele High School when the Transcript-Bulletin hosts this year’s only one-on-one mayoral debate. Other resources for all voters include a series of newspaper articles going back to September’s primary election, candidate Web sites or contacting candidates directly to obtain their positions.

With the hectic pace of life today, it can be difficult for voters to focus on municipal elections. But even if you haven’t paid much attention to the races thus far, don’t let that deter you from spending some time this week doing your homework.