Should Virginia Abolish their Independent Cities?

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I don't know about Virginia, but I truly think Kentucky should allow independent cities - provided it's a bona fide city and not just a nebulous blob of suburbia.

Take Newport, Bellevue, and Dayton, for instance. These are cities in Campbell County that vote against the county in almost every single election. (An exception is the recent Kentucky Supreme Court race, in which the Tea Party candidate got trounced pretty much everywhere.) Obama won all 3 cities in 2012, while losing the county by 20 points. More importantly, these cities are paying most of the county taxes but getting none of the benefits. After the recent "election", there are no remaining top county officials who live in these cities - even though these cities have a significant proportion of the county's population.

This is an issue of taxation without representation. I think a court may have grounds to order the cities to be split from the county - unless the county gets its act together.

You can say the same about Covington in Kenton County.

Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati are an area where consolidated city-county government will not work. Period.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Yes, I've made it quite clear how much I hate amalgamation. Do you really want your city to turnout like Jacksonville?

Do you want your city to turn out like Camden?

I'd rather turn out like Camden than Jacksonville.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Two words: Rob Ford. Also, Mel Lastman, and now John Tory. Toronto is an extremely polarized city. It has no business being amalgamated as one municipality.

It sounds like Canada's version of Cincinnati, in that regard.