I think, in the final analysis when local governments are true independent and democratic, councils would be ‘the one-stop shops’ for everything local people may bring up. But they may not necessarily be the prime responsible agency for solving the issues. They may be only intermediaries connecting responsible agencies (higher regional or national offices). However, they need to be more than just ‘receptionists’ (as noted by ‘(7) สารพัดศูนย์มีแล้วที่ อปท. แต่ จนท.ศูนย์มีคนเดียว’) but ‘ ambassadors’ who are savvy with both local and national mechanisms, and trustworthy ‘persona’ for local people.

We are talking ‘ideal’ local administrators, aren’t we?