In My Humble Opinion
Putting the “civil” back into civil service
Nothing is more frustrating than butting heads with a “civil servant” who doesn't care to serve, and isn't very civil. Too many of these bureaucrats are comfortable in a system that nearly guarantees employment, provides generous benefits, and offers little incentive to serve the public. In fact, if you want to get a rise out of some of these folks, remind them that you pay their salary. It'll get you nowhere fast.
Years ago, civil service jobs were known for their low salaries. Since governments couldn't pay high wages, they attracted workers by offering good benefit packages. Over time, salaries have improved so that many government jobs now compete with private sector jobs in pay, while maintaining the great benefits. Not to mention the guarantee of paid holidays every time the moon changes phases.
Economist John Maynard Keynes once remarked, "Government machinery has been described as a marvelous labor saving device which enables ten men to do the work of one." He probably saw a city work crew in action. But the proof that nothing ever changes is found in the words of the great Roman statesman, Cicero. “I have yet to meet a bureaucrat who was not petty, dull, almost witless,” he observed, “crafty or stupid, an oppressor or a thief, a holder of little authority in which he delights, as a boy delights in possessing a vicious dog. Who can trust such creatures?”
A public employee once told me that the public can be impatient and unreasonable in their demands. I understand that - sometimes impatient and unreasonable people want land surveys, too. But if I don't swallow my tongue, they go somewhere else. We don't have that luxury when dealing with a public agency. If we're treated rudely, we can't just go across town to “Don's Building Permits” or “Ray's Driver's License Service.”
Unlike Cicero, however, I have met some public employees who are not “dull, almost witless, or stupid.” My profession brings me into contact with public employees on a daily basis. I also find myself across the counter from them as a taxpaying citizen. So I want to pat a few backs, and let you, the taxpayer, know that there are people in public sector jobs who are working hard. They hold dear the public trust, and they know that they work for us. The finalists for the 2003 “In My Humble Opinion Civil Service Award” are:
Alan Hulgan - Tennessee Valley Authority. Need engineering drawings for a TVA transmission line that is older than the pyramids? Alan will find them, and you'll have the information before you hang up the phone.
Faye Wood - Catoosa County Office of Planning and Zoning. Last year our office had requests from two clients for subdivisions of their property. Both cases were unusual, but were perfectly reasonable. Instead of saying, “The rules won't let you…” Ms. Wood worked with us to help them get it done, all within regulations.
Norma Lee - Chattanooga State Registrar. Ms. Lee handles scheduling and admission questions in thoroughly pleasant manner. She always responds promptly, and doesn't pass you from person to person.
Fred Brunker - Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency. Fred is never late, and never leaves early, but there is more to Fred than his punctuality. He realizes that sometimes a subdivision ordinance can be difficult to interpret. “How do you interpret that ordinance?” I once asked. Fred replied as only Fred can, “There are a multitude of multiple multitudinous multiplicitous interpretations.” But only one of those interpretations was correct. Fred helped me nail it down.
Chester Sutherland - Tennessee Department of Transportation. I had an engineering class with Chester recently. I assumed at first that he was looking to pad his resume, but I was wrong. He was there to learn. He worked hard the whole semester, not to pass, but to master the material. He won't get a raise or promotion for taking this class, but the taxpayers of Tennessee will benefit because of what he learned.
But the winner this year is…Marybeth Smith, of the Walker County Board of Education. Ms. Smith is the secretary to the Superintendent, but she acts as if she were secretary to the school board, office staff, and every citizen of Walker County. If she can help you find the answer, she will. If she can't, she'll find the person who can. It's said that no one is irreplaceable. That may be true, but she's close.
There are others worthy of mention, and I'm sorry that I can't name every one. And to a few of you who weren't named, there might be a reason. No matter how the thought rankles you, you are a “public employee.” Think about it the next time a citizen asks for your help.
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