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City government and civic boosterism may intersect here and there, but they’re not the same thing.

Fort Dodge experienced a minor controversy last week when City Manager David Fierke said city employees would be allowed to take time away from their jobs to attend a rally supporting the city’s bid for a casino license.

The mayor was on board with that plan. According to a story in the Fort Dodge Messenger, Mayor Matt Bemrich said: “We pay people every day to do economic development. This is going to cost very little compared to what we usually spend for economic development.”

Actually, Fort Dodge pays its employees every day to perform specific duties that are considered vital to the functioning of the city. And some of the people who help pay those salaries are not in favor of a casino.

If the city’s economic development experts really want a casino – a disappointing thought, considering that Iowa already has too much gambling – they should pursue it without pulling co-workers into the scheme.

If the development folks are convinced that a casino would bring significant jobs and new money to the area, they were well within their job descriptions to woo the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission at the March 7 event.

But it’s possible that they’re on the wrong path; in the long run, a casino might be bad for Webster County. That’s where government and boosterism diverge. Boosters are required to be optimists, always floating new ideas and backing them 100 percent.

Government, however, is the public’s mom and dad. Government exercises caution. Government sets aside money just in case the public paints itself into a financial corner.

Sure, the mayor and the city manager are community leaders; as such, they should participate in the discussion and eventually take a public position. But that doesn’t mean they get to bring their employees along as backup.