The advent of a Presidential election year promises a year-long season ahead during which public officials, the democratic election process itself, and the government institutions critical to our national well-being will endure relentless pummeling. For the sake of civic sanity, I'd like to take a step back from the American sport called "trashing the commons" and offer an appreciation for what so many among us too readily dismiss.
 

Amid tragic scenes of devastation, most recently from the dam breaches and flooding in South Carolina, it is government that local residents will turn to for the big picture stuff, like rebuilding those dams and fixing roads and restoring water supplies and electricity. And, of course, FEMA for grants and loans, property protection and public safety during that crucial post-disaster period when people are regaining their balance. That is the job of government. Disaster has a way of bringing the need for big muscle into acute perspective. That's at least one reason it's good to have a government agency or two around and a few officials looking out for the public good nearby when things go awry.
 

At Community Partners, we're fans of good, active and engaged government. We appreciate, for example, that an insightful new Mayor of Long Beach, already busy running a complex city of nearly 500,000, created the Mayor's Fund for Education and asked to house it under the Community Partners umbrella. He knows we care about the people of his city and will work diligently to help fulfill his intention that a city government that cares about having smart citizens will have another ally in the task.