The glamour of an unpaid but critical elected office that often pits neighbor against neighbor and draws harassment was not enough to charm D.C. residents into seeking dozens of open seats on Advisory Neighborhood Commissions.

Come Nov. 7, when all 286 existing Advisory Neighborhood Commission positions will be up for grabs, 44 of the single-member districts will have no candidate, either because residents failed to collect enough petition signatures or because no one was interested.