Sentence:  From another point of view, it was a place without a soul. The well-to-do had hearts of stone; the rich were brutally bumptious; the Press, the Municipality, all the <WSD>public</WSD> men, were ridiculously, vaingloriously self-satisfied. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Officially representing the community; carried out or funded by the state on behalf of the community. (from 15th c.)