Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel clearly struggled to maintain her composure at the weekend when addressing a draft 10-year long-term plan hearing involving submissions for the New Brighton area.
Submitters were angry with the slow pace of the rebuild in the eastern suburbs, which were decimated by the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, and made clear they felt let down, leading to an emotional and personal apology from Ms Dalziel.
The episode shows the human cost of the public service role, one which can often be thankless.
This is especially so over divisive issues and in times of crisis when there are urgent needs to be met, and people are more fragile and less able physically and emotionally to deal with setbacks.
Of course, elected representatives sign up to the job, and many are elected on the promises and reassurances they make.
It is right, therefore, to have high expectations of leaders, to require them to step up in times of crisis and use their power and influence to make a difference, and to take them to task if promises made are not delivered.
It is understandable that emotions were laid bare at the hearing but from afar, it is easier perhaps to see both sides.
Mayor Dalziel was only relatively recently elected and has inherited many of the problems which have plagued the city in the wake of the earthquakes.
Few civic leaders can have had such complex and traumatic roles as Ms Dalziel and Bob Parker before her.
They, and the vast majority of elected officials and staff in various organisations, have shown goodwill to help people and to return the city to some semblance of normality.
Some of the issues impeding progress have perhaps been inevitable given the raft of organisations involved and the complexities and cost of rebuilding a city literally from the ground up.
Much has been done in terms of invisible infrastructure and enabling the ''rebuild proper'' to begin.
But there have clearly been systemic problems and the bureaucracies around the rebuild sometimes seem to have taken on a life of their own.
It is understandable that people still living in limbo, in areas of the city which remain largely untouched, in damaged properties, perhaps still negotiating insurance, in a city that still bears much obvious evidence of its wounds, are angry and despairing.
At the hearing, Ms Dalziel acknowledged the failings, calling the earthquake recovery action a ''terrible process'', and promised it would never be repeated.
It seems a bold promise, which implies all problems have been ironed out, and are not in danger of being repeated.
Residents certainly do not want more hollow promises.
They want action, which is, after all, why Ms Dalziel, the former Labour MP for Christchurch East, was elected, more than a year and a-half ago.
Sadly, more than four years on, as winter begins to bite once again, there is still much to be done to convince residents they have not been left out in the cold.
The need for inspirational leadership and genuine commitment and collaboration that generate meaningful action, becomes more pressing as time drags on.
There is precious little public empathy left for elected representatives and officials - and certainly little time for their tears.
And another thing
The Fifa Under-20 World Cup teams have begun arriving in Dunedin ahead of the first games in the city this Sunday.
It is exciting for the stadium and the city to be hosting some of the games - six pool matches and a round-of-16 knockout game - at what is Fifa's second biggest tournament worldwide.
It reaffirms our ability to attract and host major sporting events, and we should be pleased fans have been recently able to enjoy rugby, cricket and now football World Cup action.
Of course, keeping the ball rolling relies on local support, so it is to be hoped as many people as possible get to the games, cheer on the teams and enjoy the action and excitment of ''the beautiful game'' played by the world's up-and-coming stars.
