The "New Sheriff" Leaves Town

After arriving at the Department of Labor, Hilda Solis famously proclaimed that there was a new sheriff in town. Hilda Solis, new sheriff at the U.S. Labor Department.

Today, she leaves office with a paean to public service. Beginnings and Endings: My Journey of Public Service.

Too often, in the heat of partisan battles, it is easy to forget that although what we do for a living, i.e. representing employers, often puts us in an adversarial position to those who work in the areas that regulate employers, that what motivates those who do public service is the public good. As Secretary Solis says,

We don't do what we do for the money, or the glory; we do it because public service is the very best way to make your own, unique contribution to the world. Leaders may change, circumstances may change, but our service must be constant. It forms an unbreakable bond between ourselves and our communities, our country and the people we care about.

And even though we may disagree not only with how they go about achieving it, but sometimes even what they seek to achieve, we should always acknowledge the importance of those who choose public service.