Metro Governments

[Enough]

Pretty interesting read.

Could it EVER get done?

http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/a...ry/650954.html

Time is right for state to mandate metro governments

By W. T. “Bill” McKibben

In a recent New York Times opinion piece, former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw pointed to the plethora of government entities that plague our nation. He included New York State as one example with “about 10,500 local government entities.”

Buffalo was a top-20 market in the 1960s; now it has trouble staying in the top 50. With a host of strengths that should promote growth, it remains tangled in the web of too much government. The solution to that curse has been apparent all along: metropolitan government.

As mayor of Indianapolis, Buffalo native Bill Hudnut led that drowsy Midwest city into a powerhouse metro government. His many efforts to get his hometown to follow suit fell on deaf ears. As cities across North America moved in this direction, Buffalo buried its head in the sand, clinging to a horse-and- buggy government model. Louisville is one of the more recent converts. It has enjoyed spectacular growth since going metro in 2003. Our local politicians will never act. Nor will the voters; everyone agrees that taxes are too high and that we have too much government, but when it comes time to cut back, they cling to their little fiefdoms.

We need the solution that helped make Toronto a world-class success. Ontario mandated metro government throughout the province. Screams from the existing government units reached a crescendo, but the leaders hung tough and it came to be. Toronto and Ontario boomed.

Might the New York State Legislature take a similar step? Why not? We already have the uber metro city in the United States, New York. And since, as we all know, the city controls everything in Albany, why wouldn’t it? Downstaters view upstate, especially Buffalo, as a huge money pit taking dollars away from them. So why wouldn’t Albany legislate metro government to consolidate many of the 10,000-plus government entities that Brokaw put in the spotlight?

What better time for the downstate politicos to save big bucks? The current financial crisis has them desperate, and upstate is ripe for the picking. Mandate metropolitan government in every city in the state. Consolidate and eliminate all the redundant government entities.

Here’s my challenge: List the 20 hottest cities in North America. I’ll buy dinner for the first person who can create a list where less than 16 of the 20 are metro cities. Over the years most folks end up with 18 of the 20 metro. Here’s a chance for all you Buffalo News readers to take me up on the challenge. Make up your list; see if you can beat me at my boom city game. Nobody has in the more than 40 years I’ve been tossing it out to those who do not buy into metro.

As for our governor and the other folks calling the shots in Albany, here’s your chance to get upstate off your back. If you don’t believe me, ask Brokaw.

W. T. “Bill” McKibben is a Buffalo-based writer and consultant. His book on business ethics, “Play Nice, Make Money,” was published in 2007.

[Dougles]

I think any new idea is a great idea, but the entranched *******'s could never risk lossing power in NYS.

But I would LOVE to see the numbers on who spends more of their share NYC or NYS!

Yes, upstate may have more state jobs, but most of the difference is in CORRECTIONS and most of those criminals are from, you guest it, NYC!!

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I think the writer is correct, it could never get done here!

As soon as Mohan brought up merging school districts in Amherst "Education Experts" immediately came out and said it wouldn't save money.

Who the heck are these "education experts"? Oh yeah, the people depending on status quo for a very nice lively-hood!!!!!

[WNYresident]

Who the heck are these "education experts"? Oh yeah, the people depending on status quo for a very nice lively-hood!!!!!

Hey your learning how it works

[dgrzeb]

I've been praying for a Buffalo "metro" area since I seen how well it worked for Toronto............Here , the politicos , & their mindsets , their fiefdoms , makes it VERY difficult , I mean when they have a meeting , they argue whether the table should be round or a rectangle !

[Enough]

Hey your learning how it works

Hey, I've always thought the School Districts are our biggest burden!

We complain so much about county taxes and in the mean time school taxes keep going up, and up, and up! Taxpayers in this area have never seen a school budget increase they didn't like!

We already pay more per student than any state in the country for schools (without the results to show for it) and politicians keep telling us we have to invest more into education! How much more do we have to invest????

Some other states have County-Wide districts much larger than our's and they seem to get by with providing an education much cheaper than we can. How come????

[Dougles]

Some other states have County-Wide districts much larger than our's and they seem to get by with providing an education much cheaper than we can. How come????

5 letters N-Y-S-U-T