Who are these people, anyway?

“Now and then an innocent man is sent to the Legislature.” – Kin Hubbard

“This Legislature is composed of largely intelligent people. Some are large. Some are intelligent. Some are neither.” – Jim Lillpop, former Colorado legislator

By Dr. James “Jim” Kadlecek

This column is written in Colorado, where, among other things, I am speaking at a memorial service for a former legislative colleague. Not surprisingly, this has caused me to give thought to legislators and the public service our elected officials perform.

The public trust that elected officials assume when they take the oath of office was best described by Henry Clay: “Government is a trust, and the officers of government are trustees, and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people.”

So who are these people who serve the public as trustees? Isn’t using the terms “public service” and “trustees” just covering up the fact that most are “politicians” who are lining their own pockets at public expense? Isn’t calling politicians “trustees” pretty oxymoronic? And, anyway, why should anyone care who they are or what they do?

The answer to that last question should be obvious. Our elected officials, “politicians” if you prefer, are entrusted in our system with making public-policy decisions that impact literally every aspect of our lives. You name it: education, health care, the environment public safety, security and defense, housing, workplace safety, war and peace, and even matters of a very personal nature such as those relating to sexual preference, abortion, etc.

In the classes I teach in American government, I ask students to consider all the ways that government and politics impact their lives each day. The list is long and comprehensive. The quality of life that Americans enjoy is, yes, a product of our immensely productive capitalistic economy, but also very substantially the result of an activist democratic government. And that government, and the services it provides, is the result of “politicians” donning their hats as “public trustees,” debating the public issues and serving the public by making decisions on our behalf.

Do we all agree with each of these decisions? Of course not, but we are free to express our opinions to our elected representatives, free to vote for or against them and even free to run for office ourselves.

Next question: are these people lining their pockets at public expense? Based on my eight years of public service, plus nearly 30 years of close observation of the political process in three states, here’s my answer: A few have done so, but the vast majority of those who serve the public do so at a cost, not a profit, to themselves.

I’ve often joked that I don’t recall anyone offering me anything more than an occasional free lunch, or maybe a ball-point pen. Not much of a bribe, right? A few times I was asked if I had profited financially from legislative service, and I offered to show people my tax returns from before I assumed public office and after. I (and I think most elected officials) sacrificed income in order to serve. Certainly, most states don’t pay their legislators very much (New Mexico pays zero), so very few seek public office because it’s a good-paying job.

So, while we do always have to be on guard against the occasional “bad apple” who tries to use his or her position of trust for personal gain, it doesn’t happen that often in the United States. When it does, the media is there to blow the whistle.

So, do most legislators have ambitions for higher office? I suppose everyone who gets elected considers that possibility at some point. However, very few decide to do so. Most of us do our public service and go back to our “real-world” lives. For most of us, it’s analogous to the military – you do your service, and when it’s over, you go home. That’s what I did. But, in the case of legislators, even if they want to continue to serve, the voters have the right to send them home at each election.

So, final question, who are these people who want to be our legislators? They aren’t special people. They are you and me. For the most part, they are average folks. No better or worse than the citizenry they represent. They have their flaws. They have their strengths. They are special in only one way: They have the courage to put their names on the ballot and to live with the results, and they have the willingness to put up with a lot of often unjustified abuse and still honor their oath of public service.

For that, I am grateful, and you should be, too.

Kadlecek has lived in Doña Ana County since 1996, served in the Colorado Legislature and holds a doctorate in public administration. He’s the author of the book “Capitol Rape.” His column runs on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month and other times that he gets fired up about something.