What is an "essential function" of Government

The answer is rather short. The essential function of government is limit only to those things we can not do for ourselves.
In Lowell, the city government has grown far beyond those bounds.
Tsongas arena, The Auditorium, Parking garages which spawned "The Parking Authority," The Spinners' ball park, "public housing projects. All of these things serve only to allow self aggrandizing politicians pat themselves on the back, pad the city payroll, and help more people become permanently dependent on tax payer support. And all of these people will vote loyally for those who promise not to shut the faucet off.
I would love to run for city council but it would be a waste of time and money. The voters of Lowell have never elected anyone who ran on a platform of smaller government, fiscal responsibility, property rights, and selling off all city owned property that is beyond those things that are essential.
If parking garages are economically viable, then let the private sector build them. If a ball park is economically viable, let the team owners buy it. then they won't have to beg for permission from the city manager to add seats. Get rid of the Tsongas Arena. A private owner will make it profitable. The government can not. It never has in such cases. In all of these cases the city can collect property taxes without incurring any future pension liability.
We also need someone on the city council that will block all eminent domain takings that are not genuine public use taking as spelled out in plain English in our Constitution. Taking someones property to build a parking garage or to give it to a private developer IS NOT PUBLIC USE!
Of course the loons over at "left in Lowell" would disagree, well maybe until the city came to take there own home.