My Concept of Public Service

There are probably many definitions of public service, but the one I find most relevant is the one that views public service as “activities using one’s expertise to address societal needs directly or to help others do so, for the benefit of the public…” 

The “public” in Herndon consists of several components, individual citizens and businesses, various citizen and business groups within the town, and “outside” groups. During my first term, I have focused on the needs of the ordinary citizens and individual businesses. Their needs have been and are of utmost importance to me, because they pay the vast majority of the taxes, form the social and economic fabric of our community, and most deserve priority access to local services.

During the 2010 election, I had promised that no matter who they might be, I was going to visit residents and businesses affected by government programs and address their needs to the best of my ability. And that is what I have done. Little did I realize that this was going to take an immense amount of time and effort and that I would discover so many policies that need to be changed to permit genuine public participation, open government, and adequate oversight over the Town staff. Should I be elected Mayor, I will continue to put our citizens first, because this is what is needed to make Herndon a vibrant town. 

The second component of the town’s “public” is the large number of citizen and business groups that have the reputation of contributing greatly to the welfare of the Town. But, serving them is complicated, because their interests may well conflict with the interests of the general public. During the last two years, some Councilmembers have often supported such groups while paying scant attention to the interests of the general public. In turn, these groups have supported such councilmembers in order to gain political influence. I, on the other hand, have disregarded partisan interests and have served the general public and will always do so in the future.

Finally, a word or two must be said about the “outside” groups that purport to serve the interests of the Town. These include state, county and national political parties and such groups as the Virginia New Majority (VNM). It is reasonable to assume that the Town’s interests will always be subservient to  the outside groups’ own interests. Recognizing that political parties may unduly influence local elections, the State of Virginia has continued to insist that the Town elections be non-partisan. Still, political parties continue to find new ways to provide material financial and organizational support to some of the candidates and chip away at our ability to choose our officials freely. Nobody can bar outside groups from coming into our Town, setting up local offices and trying to influence local issues, policies and elections. But, our citizens and fellow Councilmembers can greatly discourage their efforts by scrutinizing them carefully, by not cooperating with them and/or by refusing to accept any help. Unfortunately, at least one mayoral candidate in this election has answered the questionnaire sent by the VNM, sought their endorsement, and received their support. I, on the other hand, have chosen to remain free of their influence.  

The testimonials you will find on my website are just a few of the individuals and business to whom I have given a voice in their Town government when they faced unfair and/or unreasonable action or inaction by the Town Staff and/or Town Council. Many of these people have been energized by my vision of public service and have become more actively involved in the Town on a wide range of issues and they are the people who are supporting my campaign for Mayor.

Jasbinder Singh