Pretty Damn Sweet is proud to share a documentary series we produced for the National Academy of Public Administration this year exploring the question: “What makes a good government in the eyes of the American public?” The series features four Academy Fellows: Kimberly Walton speaking of her time with the TSA in the early 2000s during its inception;  Louis Uccellini on his time as Director of the National Weather Service during the 2011 Super Storm Outbreaks; Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young sharing her current experience with the USDA and the unprecedented times of late; and Valerie Lemmie, featured in this clip, on her experience as City Manager of Cincinnati during the riots of 2001.

Description of the series taken from The National Academy of Public Administration:

Regardless of the outcome of elections, Civil servants face a growing crisis: trust in government is not what it used to be. People believe they aren’t getting the government that they pay for. Civil servants are facing enormous, looming generational challenges without the support of the public.

If we seek to rebuild trust in government, we must show people what good government looks like, and how effective, accountable civil servants are vitally important to the process of building a trustworthy government at the local, state and federal levels.

For the more than 1,000 fellows of the National Academy of Public Administration, the answer to the question of “What does good government look like?” becomes clear in the example. The Academy’s fellows and staff believe it’s important to demonstrate what our hardworking civil servants do for the American people every day. To show how they connect with the people they serve and use those connections to build stronger programs. To show how those relationships they build contribute to creating the good, effective government that hardworking taxpayers deserve.

We hope you’ll take some time to watch and listen to some of these stories and share them with your friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans! Good government is achievable, and we can start the process of rebuilding trust and attaining the government we deserve right now. The first step is seeing good government in action. What does good government look like? Follow us to find out.