The Editorial Board at the Post-Standard in Syracuse argues that the new government consolidation bill approved in Albany recently may not work as intended without strong leadership at the local level -- but "something needs to be done."
"New York is groaning under the bureaucratic burden of thousands of local governments -- not counting hundreds of school districts exempted from this legislation. Central New York alone has 1,348 municipal entities, including 79 towns, 41 villages, 183 drainage districts, 256 lighting districts and 180 "miscellaneous" districts," the editorial declares.
While mentioning the need for through study before instituting major governmental changes that could be set into motion by a small number of voters if the new bill becomes law, the editorial also notes that "without a persuasive leader willing to take risks and win converts, there still may not be enough votes to finish the job."
Read the entire editorial at:
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2009/06/a_boost_for_mergers_new_state.html
