John Adams once wrote that “public business must always be done by somebody,” a reminder that democracy survives only when everyday people choose to carry the weight of it. This letter is written at a moment when faith in public institutions feels fragile. From the beginning, democracy wasn’t meant to rest on the shoulders of a few or an election of one. It was built on the belief that government is a shared responsibility, strengthened when neighbors serve neighbors in ways most people never see. America’s founders understood something simple and enduring: a republic thrives when its people step forward because they believe in the place they call home.
That’s what makes this moment so difficult to navigate. Public service has taken a beating in the headlines recently, including in Minnesota, where allegations of fraud and misconduct among elected officials have understandably shaken public trust. When trust fades, cynicism fills the gaps. People begin to wonder whether anyone in government is truly working for them. And that frustration makes sense, because trust is a slow build and a very quick loss.
But here is what often gets lost: the most honest picture of public service isn’t found in the arena of elected office. It’s found in the steady, unglamorous work of people who never campaigned for anything at all. People who never had to seek an endorsement or ask for your vote. People who serve because they feel a calling — a responsibility to their neighbors — and not because they were elevated by a political structure.
If people want to see what public service honestly looks like, they should look to the unelected public servants — from patrol officers to public works crews — quietly but fiercely holding communities together every single day.
America doesn’t run on elections — it runs on the public servants who show up day after day.
Fred Rogers, who influenced generations without ever holding office, once said, “Real strength has to do with helping others.” That simple line captures the heart of the custodians, dispatchers, teachers, nurses, engineers, public works laborers, planners, police officers, firefighters, HR professionals, public health workers and so many more occupations that keep our democracy functioning. Their names rarely appear in the news, but their fingerprints are on everything that actually works.
Think of the paramedic and firefighter who step into a home when a loved one is showing signs of a stroke. Or the public works employee who clears snow at two in the morning so families can travel safely. Or the librarian who creates a welcoming space for kids who need somewhere steady to land. These people don’t stand behind podiums. They don’t need endorsements. And they don’t have term limits. Their work is measured in the humanity and comfort they provide, day after day, year after year.
Jane Addams, a civic reformer who devoted her life to community well-being, wrote, “The good we secure for ourselves is precarious and uncertain until it is secured for all of us.” The people she described more than a century ago are the same ones carrying that responsibility today: public servants believe communities deserve dignity and stability.
So when failures among elected leaders dominate the headlines, it can feel like the system is cracking. But equating political misconduct with the state of public service misses something essential. It overlooks the millions of quiet interactions each day between residents and public servants who act with care and integrity. These are the people who show up regardless of who wins an election or how rough the political climate gets. They serve because that’s who they are.
We must remember that public service isn’t only defined by who sits on a council or a board or who wins an election. It’s defined by the people who do the work few ever talk about. Reinhold Niebuhr once said, “Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone.” Public employees live that truth instinctively. They rely on one another, support one another and keep stepping forward.
Humility and persistence are the traits that hold a community together when elected leadership wavers.
This isn’t to say misconduct among elected officials doesn’t matter. It certainly does, and it should be addressed swiftly and transparently. Accountability, transparency and public trust are fundamentals of our great nation. We should expect high standards from those elected to lead. But while we work through those failures, we should remember that the foundation of public service remains intact. It sits outside the reach of any election cycle and remains strong because millions of people wake up each day determined to serve their communities well.
If we want to restore faith in our public institutions, we can start by recognizing the people who never asked for your vote. The ones plowing roads before sunrise. The ones teaching kids with patience and heart. The ones answering 911 calls on holidays. The ones investigating crimes with quiet resolve. The ones planning infrastructure, ensuring clean water, flowing sewers and helping families find stability.
Our authentic public servants don’t chase headlines. They don’t seek credit. And they don’t step away when the “other party” wins. The public service Americans are proud of belongs to them. It always has and it always will. When our foundation feels fragile, we have a chance — maybe even an obligation — to remind ourselves that our communities work because of millions of everyday acts of public service. That’s what unites us and that’s the common ground buried beneath the noise of politics.
America doesn’t run on elections — it runs on the public servants who show up, day after day, long after the politicians finish their terms. When we remember this, the clearest path forward is obvious. Let’s lift up the servants who keep showing up – quietly, purposefully and with resolve. Noticing them matters.
Related reading:
Where have the police gone? — a Police1 letter exploring the fragility of public safety when fewer choose to serve.
