Matthew Lesko wants to find the most helpful government employees

“I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.”


This is not the punch line of a joke. It’s what I believe. This is the message of many real people who hold positions as government employees whose job it is to help people with problems in their life. This is why we have a government and this is what it is for. I want more people to know that there are real government offices where this is actually happening.

So I’m running a contest with a prize of $500 for the person who submits the best story on how a government bureaucrat has helped you. You get the money if we pick your story, and the bureaucrat gets a plaque for their wall saying that they received the “My Favorite Bureaucrat Award For 2005.” We will also print your story in a future edition of “Lesko’s Lessons.”

Maybe there was some government employee who:

improved your life by helping you take advantage of a government money program
provided a service for you or a family member that really made your life easier
did something for you and your community that improved our quality of life

It may be the person at your local office of economic development who helped you or a friend get money and help to start a business… It may be a person at your local division of motor vehicles who saw that you could not wait much longer in line to renew your driver’s license because you had a colicky baby and moved you to the front of the line… Or it may be a paper restoration expert at the Library of Congress who told you how to preserve your comic book collection…

Use 250 words or less explaining the circumstances why they deserve the award. Be sure to give as much information about the bureaucrat as possible. Also include your name, address and phone number. Entries are due by May 15, 2005

We will award $500 to the winning story and $100 each to 2 runner-up stories.

Send your nominations to matthewlesko@msn.com.