The Public has some nice features, but I agree with your assessment - for the money there are better options, IMO. As an example, the
Globe Live 3 is a far better bike (hydraulic disc brakes, Belt Drive, etc) for less cash.
If you want a good quality, practical city bike without dropping a ton of cash, I'd suggest taking a look at one of
these - simply add the saddle of your choice (Brooks B-68 is nice) for $100 or less, and you are in business. It takes very basic mechanical skills to assemble a BD bike, or you could pay your LBS a set rate to put it together for you.
Good luck, and welcome to BF!