If I'm a well educated professional that would qualify for the school superintendent job, I'd pursue the job opportunity that was awarded based on my experience, interview, etc. rather than running in a small town election where hillbillies are labeling me or my opponent "Rude Cindy" or "Puppet Tony". Local elections typically follow Sayre's Law - "In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the issues at stake." The district 5 commissioner election is the perfect example of that. For most well educated professionals, local elections are not worth the headache, especially, given the innate nature of their qualifications, there are many other options out there.
Pure democracy is fine, but more often than not the people are delivered Barabbas.