Mike McDowell made the following statement in announcing his bid for re-election as Kootenai County assessor: "I have the education, training and experience of more than 32 years in the Assessor's Office. I have served the property owners of Kootenai County as your senior deputy assessor since 1983 and as your assessor since 2003. I know and understand the many challenges of the office. I place a high value on quality customer service, professional development for staff, and cost effective operations. Complete statement and bio info here.

Question: Political candidates often use the word "serve" in terms of "serve the public." I don't want to pick on Mike here. But don't individuals in private industry often serve the public, too?