Posted on 09/20/2004 10:12:47 AM PDT by Willie Green
TORONTO -- Recognized worldwide for its commerce and culture, this city on the northern shore of Lake Ontario began 1997 with a population of more than 650,000, nearly twice the size of present-day Pittsburgh.
But that wasn't nearly big enough to suit the Conservatives governing the province of Ontario at the time.
Toronto, home to gleaming office towers and Broadway-style theaters, entered 1998 with a population of 2.4 million, nearly four times as many people as the year before.
In a display of unbridled power, the Conservative Party government that controlled the provincial parliament had adopted legislation merging Toronto and five of its suburbs, two of which had populations of more than half a million themselves.
The legislation -- hailed as ambitious by some, reviled as tyrannical by others -- created the fifth-largest city in North America when it went into effect the following New Year's Day.
But the new super-sized Toronto has stumbled through its first six years, beset with labor strife, political conflict and scandal.
The story of the Toronto "amalgamation" -- as Canadians call it -- can serve as a cautionary tale for Pittsburgh or any other city considering a government merger.
"We had chaos for six years," said David Miller, Toronto's mayor since December. "Now we're finally starting to stabilize an effective government."
(Excerpt) Read more at post-gazette.com ...
ping
How have Jacksonville, FL, Columbus, OH, Anchorage, AK, Oklahoma City, OK, and Nashville, TN fared after doing this vs. before?
Columbus has not merged with anyone. They have aggressively annexed unincorporated land, but even that appears to be slowing down some.
Mayor David Miller is a commie scumbucket. He's defanged the Police department and made Toronto a hell-hole once again.
Apropos of nothing, I once read an entertaining "alternate history" sci-fi novel in which the Greenville Treaty was still in effect, and Pataskala was the state capital.
Also compartmentalization (i.e. more municipalities in a set of square miles) inhibits corruption.
I think Philly would be better off it were broken into 100 townships of 15,000 persons. (It would be akin to a suburban county.)
Wrong Columbus. You need Columbus, GA.
Philadelphia did the same thing up until the 1950's. Didn't do them much good...
A break up by Wards would be a start. I'd even settle for breaking off the city north of Magee St. in the northeast (Lawndale/Castor Gardens/Mayfair and north).
Ditto that.
Erie County, which encompasses the city of Buffalo, NY, is attempting to do the same thing.
Here are the reasons why I object to it:
"The general public has very little opportunity for input," he said. "The bureaucrats are firmly in control."
Payroll, expenses rise
The growth in expenses and payrolls has occurred primarily in previously merged programs -- such as police, public transit, and courts -- which were handled by a county-like Metro government before 1998.
"When two companies in private enterprise merge together, there is usually a savings in staff costs," Godfrey said. "For some reason, when cities are amalgamated, some politicians are afraid to downsize staffing."
Budgets have increased, payrolls have swelled, and grass has died.
That's true. They have annexed a lot of land and now surround a few of its suburbs.
Actually, in that regard I have noted many similarities between Columbus, OH and Charlotte, NC.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.