Public Servants

There are three kinds of public servants. Those elected to public office are public servants. They are selected to serve at the ballot box. The basis of each elected position lies in the United States Constitution. In fact, most elected officials take an oath to uphold the US Constitution, and usually the constitution of the State in which they serve, as well as other legislative authorities that give rise to the position for which they are being installed. They may receive a salary or monthly stipend to compensate for their time and expense in serving the public. Many elected positions carry no compensation at all.

The second type of public servant is one hired to perform a specific job – teacher, policeman, fireman, janitor, engineer, clerk, secretary, and so on. Their job descriptions, compensation and benefits are spelled out in countless documents governing the administration of public agencies. They are hired on the open labor market and are both hired and paid based on their skills, education and other qualifications. They work their jobs just like everyone else in the economy. They have bosses and work teams just like you and I. They also have career aspirations and professional goals like everyone else.

The third type of public servant is volunteer. There are likely more of these than all other public servants. Committee members, commission appointees, boards of trustees and the like are all part of the public service environment. Such people specialize in their service and delve deeply into the function and specialty of specific agencies. Volunteers are often recruited to help some of these agencies perform their functions. They perform with dedication and commitment. They receive our thanks perhaps once each year with a public reception at city halls across America.

I’ve been all three over the years. I worked for a state university as Assistant Dean of Students with countless director positions assigned over the years – student government, student discipline system, veterans, organizations and activities, etc. I was elected to a city council for four years; and I served as a park commissioner for seven years. I served on the Arts and Tourism Commission, the city hospitality association to support restaurants and hotels in town. Along the way other needs of the community were identified and voluntarily organized into bodies that performed public functions without compensation.

All positions were demanding and required self-education, acquired experience, and discipline to perform. The results were rewarding: responsive city leadership in planning, budgeting and preparation for the future. Quality of life issues were discussed and provided for. Needed recreational programs were created and provided; parklands were acquired, designed and maintained for public use and enjoyment. Social interaction of the community was supported and enriched. Tourism was sponsored, acquired and improved the local economy. Tax dollars were well spent and accounted for. A dynamic chamber of commerce was enhanced for the benefit of businesses, local employment and tax revenue generation. A community newspaper was created and produced for over seven years without expense to the readers or community institutions and agencies. Arts programming created public art exhibits – both local and distant artists – as well as plays, concerts and public discussions and lectures.

The university position was a career job and earned salary and benefits, including pension. All the other assignments earned nothing; oh, one had a small stipend ($400 per month), and none received an expense allowance or pension credits. All were performed for public benefit. And community life benefitted accordingly.

This is how life in America is done. It is mostly local. It is up close and personal. We can see this type of service and touch it, and benefit from it.

Career public servants labor for years, often decades, for the common public good as defined by the agency for which they work. They invest in their own education and training. They work 40-hour weeks and often much longer to do their jobs. They get paid a salary that is hopefully based on market value. Benefits are paid similar to what others in the employment market earn. Often, public employment is restricted in its generosity due to tight budgets and consideration for the tax load on the public. Public elections often target expense controls during campaigns for office.

When retirement occurs, pensions are paid. Most earn benefits from one pension plan, and it is in place of Social Security benefits. Some career employees earn modest benefits from Social Security if they worked enough years in private employment in addition to their public service career.

There are some elected positions that carry a public salary (governor, lieutenant governor, etc.) and those positions also earn pension credits. If an individual served in more than one of these major elected jobs, pension benefits accrue to each position and benefits are paid at retirement for each of those positions. Such practices benefit only a few people; the vast majority of public servants earn and receive benefits similar to private sector employees.

I offer this information because many people think public servants are overpaid, over-pensioned, and not worthy of merit. Those folks are wrong. Most employees earning salaries and benefits are worthy of such rewards. Not to pay them marketable salaries would deny government agencies talented employees. Not paying retirement benefits as contracted would be a major error; talented employees would be lost, and new ones would be hard to attract to fill vacancies. Besides, not keeping contractual agreements would place in question the word of the agency or government.

The recent firing of Andrew McCabe of the FBI within 24 hours of his retirement, is a gross misuse of authority by both the president and the Attorney General. The decision to end employment is one matter; stripping a person of pension benefits without proof of guilt, is an injustice of monumental proportions.

March 19, 2018