There is no dictator, you are electing a plurality of representatives by rank choice. Even if one bad actor gets in they are still a minority of authority on appointments from your delegation. And if a party were consistently putting in three reps that consistently make bad decisions a fundamental hope for democracy is that when your representatives are acting against your interests you don't vote for them again.

The point is that there is no executive, no dictator, appointed by the people. It all goes to either a council or legislature appointment. And as long as you do such elections locally enough that those representatives aren't just ivory tower detached from those they govern their failures will be reflected throughout the community.

A large part of why it is so easy to mislead voters today with ads and propaganda is that you aren't voting for people you know, you are voting for strangers from a distant land, and to them you are just a statistic.