I’ve known Paul Harpole for quite a few years, long before he became a city commissioner and mayor of Amarillo.

And I’ve developed great respect for him. But I cannot fathom how he can put any kind of positive spin on the hideous voter turnout in this past Saturday’s municipal election.

The turnout attracted 6.9 percent of the city’s registered voters. Harpole was re-elected mayor with 82 percent of the vote in a two-person race, which was the only contested seat on the City Commission ballot.

He told the Amarillo Globe-News’s Kevin Welch, “I’m not pleased (with the turnout) but it’s higher than some off-year elections. But it’s not high enough.” But it’s higher than “some off-year elections”? That sounds a bit to me like positive spin.

No, the election history in Amarillo is one of maximum apathy. It astounds me.

I remember well the 1996 special election to determine whether the Amarillo Hospital District should sell Northwest Texas Hospital to a private health-care provider. That measure drew 22 percent of the district’s registered voters. Four out of five voters sat that one out. But judging by the reaction of local officials to that turnout, you’d have thought the city had experienced a smashing breakthrough in civic involvement.

In 2011, with three open seats on the commission, including the mayor’s seat, turnout was about 15 percent.

Single-digit turnouts for municipal and other local elections are not cause for any kind of positive spin.

Harpole indicated that people must be satisfied with the job commission members are doing. That’s a valid point. But why don’t people turn out to affirm the job their public officials are doing on their behalf? That seems to be the question of the day.

I’m running out of ways to say this, but local elections have more of a direct impact on people’s lives than state and national elections. City commissioners set tax rates that property owners have to pay. They determine the level of public service that people receive directly.

It’s critical that the public takes part in determining who serves on our behalf. Ninety-four percent of the city’s registered voters decided they didn’t care. What’s worse, the number of non-voters grows even more when you measure it against those who eligible to vote but who haven’t even bothered to register.

Pathetic.