Together with Louis Döllstädt, Pabst was the leading man in Weimar's municipal administration from the founding of the German Empire in 1871 until his death.

Pabst joined the administration of Weimar in 1871, was elected to the municipal council in February 1873, and became its chairman and Burgomaster (mayor) in January 1876.

"Pabst, who for several years was vice-chairman of the International Association against the Pollution of Rivers, Soil and Air, was particularly receptive to questions of urban hygiene, especially in the field of drainage and waste disposal".

[3][4] On 5 June 1899, an appeal was circulated by the newly founded 'Committee for the Erection of a Bismarck Tower of Honour', headed by Pabst, which asked for financial support for its planned construction.

Pabst was an honorary member of various associations, including the 'Gesellschaft für Naturwissenschaft, Völker- und Altertumskunde' (Society for Natural Science, Ethnology, and Antiquity) from 1904.