Our View: A 'thank you' to our public workers

Cops and firefighters are a special breed. When crises erupt, they run into the danger while normal people like us run away and prefer to watch from afar.

Public works crews have a similar spirit. Some seem almost giddy when it starts to snow, appearing to relish in the chance to use their big equipment and tools to unclog streets and highways.

Two recent events highlight the dedication many government workers bring to their jobs and to our community. Last week, a drowning in Scanlon brought law enforcement and fire departments from all around the region to the St. Louis River in a search and rescue mission that lasted until dawn. Although the result was tragic, we are impressed with the efforts put forth by all the dedicated employees. Many of them have specialized training that rarely gets used, but they stay ready, willing, and able when disaster strikes.

And the snowstorms we are recovering from showed the commitment public work crews have in clearing our streets. Amid some complaints about unplowed side streets and snowbanks filling in recently shoveled driveways, most of us realize the immense effort it takes to clear so much snow in such a short period of time. Much like cleaning up after a Thanksgiving meal takes a lot longer than doing the dishes on a typical weeknight, city and county crews had our metaphorical kitchen cleaned up pretty quickly this past week. And in Cloquet at least, they were out on Thanksgiving morning cleaning up piles of snow left after the first snowstorm, not at home with their families getting ready for the big feast.

For a police force that has been pretty maligned in the past few years, we are grateful for the "normal" work they do - from midnight water rescues to routine daily patrols to rescuing folks crazy enough to drive in the storm this past weekend.

And we are grateful for the normal duties of public works, which keeps our water flowing, sewage draining, and roads maintained with little fanfare and efforts often unseen and taken for granted.

We want our public employees to know their work is always appreciated, especially when it goes as smoothly as this past week's immense snow cleanup. We recognize these efforts as evidence of that.