As my have been the case for many of you, in the introductory course of my Master of Public Administration program at Penn State University, I was required to read The New Public Service: Serving, Not Steering by Janet V. Denhardt and Robert B. Denhardt.  It made quite an impression on me.  The authors identify seven ideals of public service:

• Serve Citizens, Not Customers
• Seek the Public Interest
• Value Citizenship over Entrepreneurship
• Think Strategically, Act Democratically
• Recognize That Accountability Isn’t Simple
• Serve Rather than Steer
• Value People, Not Just Productivity.

Each week for the next three weeks in this blog space I will highlight the ideals by showing how local governments are incorporating and embracing the principles that Denhardt and Denhardt outline in their book. 

Here are the first two principles followed by an example of how the principles can be implemented. The text in italic type is a direct quote from the Denhardts’ book.

1. Serve Citizens, Not Customers. The public interest is the result of a dialogue about shared values rather than the aggregation of individual self-interests. Therefore, public servants do not merely respond to the demands of “customers,” but rather focus on building relationships of trust and collaboration with and among citizens.

This document from Dr. Carmine Priore, former president of the Florida League of Cities, provides 10 suggestions on how to serve constituents as citizens and not customers.

2. Seek the Public Interest: Public administrators must contribute to building a collective, shared notion of the public interest. The goal is not to find quick solutions driven by individual choices. Rather, it is the creation of shared interests and shared responsibility.

Check out this blog series by Mike Cohen of Peak Democracy Inc. Cohen explains how to “seek the public interest” by creating and using online public comment forums.

How does your local organization embrace these two ideals? Please post your examples and comments below.

Douglas Shontz

Knowledge Network Intern