Pros
Work life balance. The State of Tennessee has had a 37.5 work week schedule for about two decades. Almost all employees stick hard to their 7.5 hour daily schedule making it easy to plan family activities. The health benefits were outstanding but have been reduced drastically over the past four years (but are still better than average). State holidays, vacation, and sick time are much better that average.
Cons
As expected, the State is full of politics. However, the culture in one Department is generally different then another department. What is "OK" to say or do one day is probably not "OK" the next day. Once a good employee (smart / technically adept) is brought into IT (contract or full time hire) they are usually run off by incompetent leadership (especially true in contractors and executive positions). This generally leaves a majority of staff that are in a "protected class" and absent of the skills and drive needed to do the job correctly and efficiently. Cost of projects are never thought about, only how they look to the public, if the project is required by federal law, or what value they may have in the next election. Obtaining power is the key objective here. Employees go years without a pay increase and the State does not have cost of living or merit increases. When pay raises happen, they are generally a small percentage and given to all employees. Advancement is generally limited to how you are connected politically.