New Jersey Municipal Consolidation

[Verily]

In this thread, I will try to fix New Jersey. That is, I will attempt to combine and eliminate municipalities in New Jersey to reduce the severe problem of redundant (and costly) services. NJ currently has 566 municipalities; I hope to reduce that a maximum of 200.

I'll be using Dave's Redistricting App and will post updates periodically.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

This should be interesting. Bergen and Camden counties can certainly afford to be streamlined.

What's the opposite of boroughitis?

[Verily]

So, I actually went a little crazy and made a mere 100 municipalities. Counties like Warren would probably be pretty upset about containing only two municipalities, so I may redo parts of the map to get it to more like 150. Anyway, Bergen County to start. Proposed names are listed first, then current municipalities, then populations.


Generally speaking, I stayed within county lines and did not split current municipalities. There were exceptions.



1: Rutherford
Contains: North Arlington, Lyndhurst, Rutherford, East Rutherford, Carlstadt, Wallington, Wood-Ridge, Moonachie, South Hackensack (part)
Population: 87,601

2: West Hackensack
Contains: Lodi, Garfield, Saddle Brook, Elmwood Park, Rochelle Park, South Hackensack (part)
Population: 91,434

3: [In Hudson County]

4: Palisades
Contains: Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia, Fort Lee, Edgewater
Population: 127,140

5: Englewood
Contains: Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Teaneck, Bogota, Ridgefield Park
Population: 98,020

6: Northern Valley
Contains: Tenafly, Bergenfield, New Milford, Dumont, Cresskill, Demarest, Haworth, Closter, Alpine, Oradell (part)
Population: 104,702

7: Hackensack
Contains: Hackensack, South Hackensack (part), Little Ferry, Teterboro, Hasbrouck Heights, Riveredge, Maywood, Paramus (part)
Population: 96,136

8: Ridgewood
Contains: Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Paramus (part), Ridgewood
Population: 89,147

9: Westwood
Contains: Oradell (part), Emerson, Westwood, Norwood, Northvale, Rockleigh, Old Tappan, Harrington Park, Rivervale, Hillsdale, Woodcliff Lake, Washington, Park Ridge, Montvale
Population: 91,468

10: Ramapo
Contains: Midland Park, Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes, Oakland, Mahwah, Ramsey, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Ho-Ho-Kus, Waldwick, Allendale
Population: 109,192

[The Head Beagle]

What's the opposite of boroughitis?

http://www.ottawa.ca/city_hall/ward/new_structure/final_map.jpg

[Gravis Marketing]

What were your criteria for merging towns?

[Verily]

What were your criteria for merging towns?

They had to have some level of shared commercial core(s), relatively similar demographics (but I bent this rule for the creation of urban cores, especially around Camden), logical geographic continuity (and similar geography). I also promoted urban cores, so for example Jersey City is up to over a half-million people on my map.

For most of this, I relied on my knowledge of the area. In South Jersey, I did a lot of Google Maps-ing to get a better feel for how communities fit together, but I probably did a better job in North Jersey.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I can understand why you split South Hackensack (it isn't contiguous to begin with), but what justification do you have for splitting Paramus?

[Verily]

I can understand why you split South Hackensack (it isn't contiguous to begin with), but what justification do you have for splitting Paramus?

I took a sliver of SE Paramus (the area east of Forest Ave/Spring Valley Rd and south of Midland Ave) off to make the Hackensack-River Edge connection a little neater. Almost all of Paramus is in the "Ridgewood" municipality, and most of Paramus in the "Hackensack" municipality is Van Saun Park (which is county-owned) plus the easternmost bit of the commercial strip along Rte 4.

Before someone asks, Oradell's inexplicable extension east of the Hackensack River was lopped off and put in "Northern Valley"; the rest is in "Westwood". New Milford has been agitating to annex that chunk of Oradell for years.

[Verily]

Here are Essex and Hudson Counties:



3: East Newark
Contains: East Newark, Kearny, Harrison
Population: 55,371

11: Newark
Contains: Newark, Irvington, East Orange, Orange
Population: 430,813

12: Montclair
Contains: Montclair, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, Nutley, Belleville
Population: 151,350

13: Jersey City
Contains: Jersey City, Bayonne, Hoboken, Weehawken, Union City, Secaucus, North Bergen, West New York, Guttenberg
Population: 540,048

14: West Newark
Contains: Maplewood, West Orange, South Orange
Population: 81,363

15: Caldwell
Contains: Roseland, Essex Fells, Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Verona, Cedar Grove, Fairfield
Population: 62,332

16: Livingston
Contains: Livingston, Millburn
Population: 44,809

[Verily]

Livingston and West Newark could be combined, and Belleville and Nutley could go into Newark as well. Secaucus is out of place in Jersey City, but it doesn't really fit anywhere.

Also, I doubt the residents of "West Newark" would appreciate the name, but the name isn't that important. I considered calling it "Orange", but that would be pretty audacious considering that the current Orange is absorbed into Newark.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Essex and Hudson Counties look reasonable. Secaucus would be a better fit in East Newark demographically, but it wouldn't be as good a fit geographically. West Newark could still be called West Orange, since it's possible that the current Oranges in Newark would still be referred to as such (i.e., the Orange section of Newark).

Also, could you give us the racial breakdown of Jersey City?

[Vasall des Midas]

I doubt the residents of "West Newark" would appreciate the name, but the name isn't that important. I considered calling it "Orange", but that would be pretty audacious considering that the current Orange is absorbed into Newark.

Which clearly calls for New Orange!

What would be the point of even keeping counties around with municipalities that large and "orderly"? Now that's going to be savings... Then you could limit this structure to only the megalopolitan parts of New Jersey and have the far northwest and far southeast retain the current structure (perhaps eliminating some of the very pointless municipalities). Of course, a "city" as large and diverse as that Jersey City would probably be well served by having at least some sort of community councils within it... though they wouldn't need to have any independent budgetary powers but just be given some play money per year from the city.

[Vasall des Midas]

Also, could you give us the racial breakdown of Jersey City?

At Census 2000... 41% Hispanic, 33% Non Hispanic White, 13% Non Hispanic Black, 9% Asian

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I doubt the residents of "West Newark" would appreciate the name, but the name isn't that important. I considered calling it "Orange", but that would be pretty audacious considering that the current Orange is absorbed into Newark.

Which clearly calls for New Orange!

What would be the point of even keeping counties around with municipalities that large and "orderly"? Now that's going to be savings... Then you could limit this structure to only the megalopolitan parts of New Jersey and have the far northwest and far southeast retain the current structure (perhaps eliminating some of the very pointless municipalities). Of course, a "city" as large and diverse as that Jersey City would probably be well served by having at least some sort of community councils within it... though they wouldn't need to have any independent budgetary powers but just be given some play money per year from the city.

Oddly enough, I was going to suggest New Orange as well...

I also agree that by consolidating municipalities, New Jersey could easily go the route of the New England states and abolish county government altogether.

[Χahar]

You can't get rid of Hoboken. That's practically the only place in New Jersey I've heard of.

[Former Moderate]

Also, I doubt the residents of "West Newark" would appreciate the name, but the name isn't that important. I considered calling it "Orange", but that would be pretty audacious considering that the current Orange is absorbed into Newark.

The name "Orange" carries with it about as much desirability of a rotting corpse. You'd be much better off selling the new town as Maplewood or Llewellyn.

I also agree that by consolidating municipalities, New Jersey could easily go the route of the New England states and abolish county government altogether.

Or keep the counties and ditch the municipalities.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Or keep the counties and ditch the municipalities.

In my case, I'd much rather be governed at the municipal level than at the county level (though I reserve the right to change my opinion once I see what's been done to Mercer County).

[Verily]

Passaic County now...





17: Passaic
Contains: Passaic, Clifton
Population: 146,533

18: Paterson
Contains: Paterson, Prospect Park, Haledon, North Haledon, Hawthorne
Population: 189,391

19: Wayne
Contains: Wayne, Totowa, Little Falls, Woodland Park
Population: 85,803

20: Ringwood
Contains: Pompton Lakes, Ringwood, West Milford, Wanaque, Bloomingdale
Population: 67,322

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

Passaic County looks good.

[Verily]

And now we get something controversial: Union County+...



21: Elizabeth
Contains: Elizabeth, Linden, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park
Population: 221,017

22: Union
Contains: Union, Kenilworth, Hillside
Population: 82,487

23: Westfield
Contains: Westfield, Clark, Cranford, Garwood
Population: 73,826

24: Plainfield
Contains: Plainfield, Scotch Plains, Fanwood, North Plainfield*, Green Brook*, Watchung*
Population: 110,105

25: Summit
Contains: Summit, Mountainside, Springfield, New Providence, Berkeley Heights
Population: 67,476


*These municipalities are in Somerset County. However, I felt that I could not reasonably create a municipality around Plainfield without including them, especially North Plainfield. They would either be transferred to Union County, or (as proposed elsewhere), the counties would be dissolved.

Also, Union and Elizabeth could realistically be merged on this design.

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

I don't really like municipalities that cross county boundaries. It can get a bit messy when people from the same municipality receive different services at the county level. I can understand how North Plainfield should be joined with Plainfield, but I'm not so sure that Watchung and Green Brook are a good fit. I think they would fit in better with Bridgewater or Bernardsville. Also, if you're willing to split counties, why not go the whole hog and put South Plainfield (from Middlesex County) into the Plainfield municipality as well?

I also favor the Elizabeth and Union merger (especially Hillside), though if you were to go that route I would put Kenilworth in the Westfield municipality. It would be a better fit politically and demographically. In fact, I think Kenilworth should go into the Westfield municipality regardless of whether or not you merge Elizabeth and Union.

[Former Moderate]

Lots of heads will explode over #24. I'd have forced the commuter suburban pieces into other districts. It might make for an ugly or unusually small district, but I'd combine Plainfield with North Plainfield and then call it a day. Honestly, Plainfield sticks out like a sore thumb and has little to do with the towns you grouped it with. North Plainfield, at least, isn't 90% white like many of the other nearby towns.

Combining those two would give you a town of 67200+, which seems workable when given how small Summit is.  Heck, you could even give Summit some of the old Plainfield territory... it'd make more sense that way.

[RomneyGekko Situation Hairgel]

This should be interesting. Bergen and Camden counties can certainly afford to be streamlined.

What's the opposite of boroughitis?

I have some South Jersey ideas.  Leave Cherry Hill alone however.  It's big enough.  Example: 

Riverside+Delran=Delran. 
Palymra+Riverton+Cinnaminson+Maple Shade=Cinnaminson.
Pennsauken+Merchantville=Pennsauken
Haddonfield+Barrington+Haddon Heights+Audubon+Oaklyn+Lawnside= Haddonfield
Gibbsboro+Voorhees=Voorhees

I could go on.
 

[Vazdul (Formerly Chairman of the Communist Party of Ontario)]

This should be interesting. Bergen and Camden counties can certainly afford to be streamlined.

What's the opposite of boroughitis?

I have some South Jersey ideas.  Leave Cherry Hill alone however.  It's big enough.  Example:  

Riverside+Delran=Delran.  
Palymra+Riverton+Cinnaminson+Maple Shade=Cinnaminson.
Pennsauken+Merchantville=Pennsauken
Haddonfield+Barrington+Haddon Heights+Audubon+Oaklyn+Lawnside= Haddonfield
Gibbsboro+Voorhees=Voorhees

I could go on.
  

These seem coherent, but based on what's been revealed so far, I rather expect Cuivienen made a much more drastic revision. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Pennsauken and Camden were paired together in his map, and Cherry Hill probably includes all of your version of Haddonfield, and Collingswood as well, unless of course he extended it south and paired it with Voorhees.

[memphis]

You could easily consolidate more. My county of about a million people has a total of seven towns.  New Jersey is out of control.