Mark Mullican: Whither public servants?

— Jobs. Taxes. Jobs. Education. Jobs. Election year. Jobs, jobs, jobs.

Hey, what happened to water? Count it down and out as an under-the-bridge issue for the General Assembly as Georgia splashes through a wet winter.

While we’re in the world of cliches, the other aforementioned issues appear to be front and center as our legislators reconvene under the Gold Dome. Truly, though, what will happen several weeks hence? Will progress be made? Will there be true and lasting change? The answers could be up to us.

In a broad sense, the electorate has become increasingly jaded about politics in the last four decades, initially due to Watergate and the Vietnam conflict. The cynicism has become amplified with the ensuing and seemingly continuous scandals within both political parties that have been on display in many of our lifetimes. Sadly, thousands upon thousands of Americans — including Georgians — have given up on affecting change through the ballot box. The arguments for not voting can be often be pessimistic, and evidently persuasive, when we read recent post-election reports that roughly only around a fourth or less of registered voters — at least in Whitfield and Murray counties — are bothering to pull the modern “electronic handle.” To wit:

“It doesn’t make any difference — nothing ever changes.”

“They’re just after as much money and power as they can get.”

“Yeah, my daddy (uncle, aunt, cousin, brother, sister) ran for office once. He swore he never would again the way they made up lies and threw mud at him. An honest person can’t win.”

“Why vote when they get in office and just start taking gifts from lobbyists?”

There may be elements of truth in some of the statements above. But elements of truth don’t always translate into the full enchilada, the same way that something that is 99 percent truth and 1 percent lie is ... a lie.

Before we go any further, perhaps a disclaimer is called for here: I’ve worked at a handful of newspapers, covered a lot of government meetings and like many of you, have become jaded and distrustful at times of those I have or have not helped elect to political office. Conversely, something cautions me from time to time about labeling people into groups or painting with too broad a brush. That being said, this column is not meant to be pointed at any one person of group; they’re just observations.

And if you’ve been through many seasons of planting and harvest time, you know what I’m talking about. We’ve all seen some elected officials — at every level — begin to take the low road or easiest path soon after they’ve taken the oath of office. Examples abound: Paying back deep-pocketed campaign supporters with favorable zoning ordinances so they can get that promising development going, building a power base to try and get reelected instead of focusing on the term they’ve just been entrusted with, and governing by popular opinion polls using phrased-just-so questions instead of voting with a conscience.

Whatever happened to the idea of being a public servant?

You know, the idea that once you get into office you are answerable not just to the people who voted for you, but to every single person in your district whether they even voted or not. And that this term of office is not an opportunity for you to pursue a personality-driven agenda that will get a civic center named after you, or at least be built on your watch whether it is needed or not. Then there’s the fading notion that as a representative of your constituents and a sworn supporter of the U.S. Constitution, you should have the courage to stand for what’s right for all in the face of party pressure, special interest groups and even the opposition of friends and family members.

Whither public servants?

I once heard a country preacher say we see the distressing aspects of bad leadership — including scandal — in our public servants because we have ceased to follow the Good Book’s admonition to pray for our leaders. There’s probably a great deal of truth in that. But before we succumb to the defeatism of what we have or haven’t done in the past, maybe we should remember that optimism can come from other sources of literature. After all, the English poet Alexander Pope wrote, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.”

But even for politics? I daresay yes!

Ever been to a swearing-in — no, not a swearing at! — of newly-elected officials? By and large, at the ones I’ve attended the no-longer-just-candidates appear humbled — and yea, even shocked — that they’ve won and now a whole county or city or school district full of people are expecting them to make the absolute right decision for every single one of them and their family members.

To me, there’s no better moment to shake their hand, look them in the eye and tell them you’re praying for them. It may be disarming to some, but much of the time I’ve gotten looks of thankfulness and even relief.

Public servants are still around, but they don’t always get the favorable press. In fact, the response to their decisions from some quarters may be even more unfavorable if they choose to stand for what’s right. But do any of them understand how refreshing and invigorating that would be to many of us, their electorate?

Earlier this observer mentioned the outcome of our legislative journeys might well be up to us. Well, on one hand we are the ones who voted them into office. But I’ll never forget as I was leaving that breakfast session years ago that I went forward from the press table and tried to shake the hands of the legislators who weren’t already being swamped. “Pray for us,” one of them implored with his eyes. It could be we have more influence than we think.

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