That is rather an untidy arrangement at times, but the self-rule premise of democracy assumes that the welfare of the community is a primary concern of the citizenry, and not something handed off to elected officials or hired bureaucrats. Citizenship becomes frail when the primary burden for civic welfare is assumed to be the responsibility of leaders. The frailty of our citizenship can be observed in the growing strength of our narrow self-interest. There is mounting evidence that we are far more dedicated to the advancement of private than public good. We are clear, for example, what a zoning decision will do to the value of our private property, but only vaguely aware of what it might do for the community as a whole.
American democracy requires both effective leadership and vigorous, engaged citizenship.
Obviously, there is an inherent tension in such a system. But that tension is the price of self-governing community. To substitute strong leadership for vigorous citizenship is an understandable temptation. To be free to pursue only self-interest with little regard for the common welfare is an attractive choice. But it is also costly.