Anyone who has spent time in the local government setting has likely encountered all aspects of the political engagement of civil servants. At one end of the spectrum are taciturn, apolitical managers who have raised the technical expertise of union members from nine to five. At the other end are the nifty “hacks” who got their jobs through connections and patronage. Although both contribute to the public sector workforce in their own ways, they often mistrust and misunderstand each other.
This disparity is particularly evident in forms of local government where mayors and county executives are powerful. Administrative secret jobs, or “exempt” jobs as they are commonly known, are the electoral grease of the bureaucratic slide. For obvious reasons, local government human resources departments, planners and public sector unions dream of apolitical leadership focused on service delivery rather than political gamesmanship. But whether we admit it or not, politics is an omnipresent force in local government.
Local government officials in states like New York, where I work, are elected to office through political party structures and appoint senior members. Government practitioners must learn how to balance the complex political challenges and technical responsibilities of their jobs. Those charged with managing and managing government service delivery institutions should have a say in how their communities are governed. We should encourage their healthy participation.
Rather than avoiding politics altogether, career leaders and rank-and-file employees need to embrace the electoral process in a legal, ethical, and positive way that creates better governance for residents. Back in 2000, in Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam warned that Americans’ declining involvement in civic life would have dire implications for democracy. All public servants have experienced how the hollowing out of the system has tainted our discussions and eroded mutual trust.
I started working as a partisan operative, but was fortunate to have a professional and academic career in public administration. The two should not be treated as mutually exclusive. Politics is a great way to attract young people to public service. Government employment can channel idealistic passions into a constructive career.
Public sector leaders must look for creative ways to foster affiliation and participation in institutions, political or otherwise. Admittedly, this is a fine hair to part. Civic and social engagement outside of the workplace enriches individuals, communities, and professional environments. So how can civil servants foster a culture that encourages colleagues and subordinates to participate in their most precious freedoms, without falling into unethical (or illegal) political pressure?
All too often, highly ambitious and agenda-driven elected leaders force unwanted political action either explicitly or with a nod of the eye. They repel competent professionals and attract criminals. Or there are leaders who profess to be impossibly apolitical, leaving staff to question what their rights are. They are missing out on tens of thousands of potential local government employees, many of whom are naturally predisposed to enter public service.
Line managers and state and local government human resources departments need to develop strategies to address cubicle politics head-on. The duties of a legislative official are very different from those of a law enforcement officer, which are very different from those of a human resources professional.
Leaders need concrete policies. First, we need to establish a dialogue centered on the rights of public sector employees to decide how they want to participate in politics, free from influence from their employers. We also need to encourage our employees to go above and beyond the call of duty and be active in their communities as engaged and trusted citizens. This includes, but is not limited to, campaigning on behalf of a cause or candidate you support as a civilian resident. Of course, it must be emphasized that this does not affect their public responsibilities.
Local governments can be engines of democratic engagement that perform important functions far beyond cleaning up trash and maintaining sewage systems. They don’t have to rely on ward heel tactics like Tammany Hall or Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley’s administration. If local governments can instill a sense of civic duty in their employees, they will become a force for America’s civic recovery.
Derek Smith is a Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Parking in Buffalo, New York, and a Master of Public Administration student at Buffalo State University. His first job in politics was as a member of the British Parliament during the Brexit debate in 2016. She then worked as a community volunteer organizer for the New York State Democratic Party, as a staff assistant to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, and as a legislator. Senior Legislative Assistant at Buffalo Common Council.
Governing opinion columns reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Governing editors or management.
