An attempt is made in the article to present scientific expert analysis of the course and results of the elections held in the city of Nizhniy Novgorod in September, 2002, when the city dwellers were to elect the head of local self-government. The authors describe the macropolitical background of the whole event, enumerate both the achievements and the problem zones of the politico-administrative practice in the city. The electoral campaigns of those who figured as the main mayoral aspirants are characterized. The authors come to the conclusion that the developments in the course of the elections have aggravated the “democracy deficit” in the regional political space. New alignment of forces within the local political elite is demonstrated, and the Nizhniy Novgorod communal self-government development prospects are discussed, with a number of proposals formulated that may prove, in the authors’ opinion, to contribute to the said development.