Then, one magical day, the city's own public helper elves came by and sucked up the leaves. Or, sucked at the leaves.
They were just like the [clicky] privately contracted helper elves. Only the public helper elves worked with much less vigor and enthusiasm. Yet, the public helper elves were paid a great deal more than their brethren.
The moral being, if you know someone who works for the city, buy him a sixer and let him get you a job. It may be menial, but at least it pays well.
The end. Goodnight, dear. Sleep tight.
***smooch***