New Jersey Municipal Consolidation

[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?

[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?

[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?

[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.

[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).

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

Passaic County looks good.

[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.

[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.

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

I am unfamiliar with the specifics of Piscataway's population, so I can't give decent advice on whether or not it should be split. I would say, however, that if it were to remain whole, it should definitely be placed with New Brunswick. In this scenario, I would include Middlesex borough with Piscataway and put Bound Brook in with the Somerville-Bridgewater municipality.

I also agree that as long as you're crossing county boundaries, Plainsboro and West Windsor need to be in the same municipality. They share a school district and have similar demographics, including large Asian populations. I would consider putting them in the same municipality as Princeton, though this may cause issues when the Princeton municipality becomes too large geographically.

Arguably, everything that borders Princeton should be included in with Princeton. Princeton Airport is in Montgomery Township in Somerset County, much of West Windsor and northern Lawrence have a Princeton mailing address, and many businesses in West Windsor and Plainsboro associate themselves with Princeton rather than the municipality in which they really reside.

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

Looks good, except I'm not sure you should put the Town of Boonton and Boonton Township in different municipalities. And what's with the Rockaway Township split?

And looking back at the Somerset County map, it does look like you've put two precincts from northern Branchburg in the Bernardsville municipality.

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

I definitely would like to see what you've done to South Jersey.

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

As a New Jerseyan, I wouldn't mind seeing this project resurrected...