Reform 2.0: Size Up The Suburbs

To date in my parallel universe I have cut the number of counties by about 70%.  I have unincorporated hundreds of small, dying cities, to be run or ended by their counties.  But what about the larger cities, most of which ring the Twin Cities metropolitan area?  Yes, it's time to cut their numbers as well, by consolidation just like the counties.

Some seem obvious, like Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park, originally Brooklyn Township, to become just plain Brooklyn.  This would be about the size of Plymouth or Maple Grove, with a population of about 100,000.  Another obvious pairing, again repairing a historical split would be Crystal and New Hope, but I'd fold in Robbinsdale and Golden Valley to become "Queens" with about 80,000 residents.  These are very manageable sizes these days.

We could go still larger, merging Richfield and Bloomington, for example, where the geography is ideally suited for such a combination.  And then there are the many small parcels like St. Anthony, Falcon Heights, Hilltop, and Medicine Lake.  Overall, in the Twin Cities area I would think we could cut the number of suburbs in half.

Some would argue that smaller local governments are closer to the people, more responsive.  Having lived in one such community, I at least anecdotally disagree.  Small cliques can rule just as oppressively as large cliques, perhaps more so.  Being closer to the people can go too far.

Our suburban boundaries have changed many times in the past.  Anyone remember tiny Morningside, eventually annexed into Edina?  It's time for another round.

Comments

[Hiram]

Geography doesn't vote. In thinking about things like this, it can be useful to think of governmental entities on all levels, as economic, and political, rather than geographical entities.

[J. Ewing]

Smaller government units ARE more responsive, it's just that too many of us want to focus on the big units because that's where the big bucks and big promisers are. If 30 determined people showed up at every city council meeting, things would change in a hurry.

Sure, it's ugly, but it's got a long history of being this way. We have a Met Council that supposedly handles the "cross-city" things, and I'm sure suburbs have the right to join together if they want. Why force it? I'm still seeing your proposals as a relatively small reward while causing a lot of disruption and pain.