Pros
Work is easy, it can be fulfilling if you have purpose and you really think you are serving the public good.
Friends can be lifelong, once established, the day goes easier and politics is manageable.
Union, they seem a waste but when you have a documented grievance, it's all you have before it get's expensive.
Retirement, what can I say, the golden handcuffs.
Cons
Management, mostly poorly educated, croneyism and nepotism is rampant. There are a few gems at all levels, but they are few and far between.
Tribalism, pick a flavor and support your friends or you'll be sorry,
Monsters, the micro-manager is not urban legend, but real. Hang around long enoigh and you'll encounter them, learn how to use the Union and understand it's not you but the broken system. Some managers literally believe the grievance process is part of good management.
HR, basically the tool of management to support the rampant incompetence, croneyism and nepotism. HR has an underground sytem to track malcontents through their apps, it's subtle, go read between the lines.
IT, you will learn to love the outdated technology
Budget, a joke, it's just a placeholder to shuffle money to pet projects. If private businees budgeted this way, they'd be bankrupt overnight but overwhelmingly successful.