Public officials can’t win when it comes to figuring out how to run governments responsibly and efficiently. The same constituents who say they believe in small government, low taxes and as little interference as possible are often the first to complain about cuts when the government tries to right-size.

Some of those folks can get pretty nasty about it, too. A recent example came from a joint meeting of Marietta City Council’s Employee Relations and Finance committees, with a low-blow hypothetical question about what the city would do if six officers were cut from the force and a 6-year-old was sexually assaulted at the Washington County Fairgrounds.

City officials and members of council aren’t enjoying this process. They’re not looking to slash at will and disregard their responsibilities to the public.

Anyone who’s ever been in a management role in a private business knows how difficult it is to make the right decisions when cuts become necessary to help the business thrive. Often doing the right thing is a challenge.

Make no mistake. Citizens are right to ask how the city got to this point in the first place, and what else is being done to ensure it does not happen again. Of course, council, the mayor and department heads must also be doing all they can to prevent the need for such drastic emergency measures in the future.

There is nothing wrong with asking that of our elected and appointed officials.

But demanding they behave more responsibly with our dollars AND chastising them for doing so is unacceptable.

“We can’t get a way back machine and change it,” Finance Chairman Mike Scales said during the meeting.

No. We can’t.

So rather than pile on with “oohs,” disruptive clapping and worst-case-scenario criticisms, let’s chip in with ideas, constructive perspectives and just a touch of understanding that — whatever happened in the past — council is trying now to make it right.