New Jersey's multiple municipal madness / Alan J. Karcher.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Karcher, Alan J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Municipal government--New Jersey--History.

Municipal government.

New Jersey.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

x, 238 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, ©1998.

Summary:

Alan J. Karcher takes a critical look at how and why the boundary lines of New Jersey's 566 municipalities were drawn, pointing to the irrationality of these excessive divisions.

This book investigates the economic considerations, political pressures, and personal agendas that created the bizarre configurations dividing the Garden State, while analyzing the public policies that allowed and even encouraged the formation of new villages, boroughs, and towns. The author also examines the political dynamics that thwarted every effort of New Jersey's metropolises to join the front rank of major American cities.

Karcher identifies the motivations behind the unparalleled experience of New Jersey's municipal multiplication. He delves deeply into the primary causes of new lines being drawn, such as road appropriations, the location of a railroad station, control of a local school district, the regulation of alcohol sales, and the preservation of exclusivity prior to the acceptance of zoning. He also assesses the present situation and what has happened in the past sixty years since the municipal multiplication madness ceased, calling on elected officials to confront reality and correct yesterday's excesses.

The genesis of the present political map of the state is a story that while interesting is not always charming, while fascinating is far from edifying. Little in the history can be called quaint. Rather it is a story of separation and exclusion, of division and greed, of preservation of prerogatives and prejudices. It is a story that supports the conclusion that these lines are rarely the product of chance; rather, they were drawn by politicians with very human foibles and frailties, and with very narrow agendas -- agendas that have proven to be egregiously expensive for today's taxpayers. Book jacket.

Contents:

Background and Case Studies

Motivations for Municipal Multiplication in New Jersey; or, What Moved the Hands that Drew the Lines

Historical Context of Municipal Creation

Case Study of Perth Amboy's South Ward

Shrewsbury: The Incredible Shrinking Township

Specific Issues that Cause Division

Municipalities Created by Street Fights

Railroad Towns: Jerkwater Depots and Real Suburbs

School-District Boroughs: Local Control as a Religion

Dry Towns versus Wet Towns: Drawing the Line at Abstinence

Exclusive Enclaves: The Pre-Zoning Prophylactic

Happy, Sad, and Interesting Origins

Factors Thwarting Consolidation and Case Studies of the Largest Cities

The Effects of New Jersey's Anti-Urban Bias

Perth Amboy and Burlington: Capital Cities that Did Not Capitalize

Camden: The Missed Opportunities

Newark: The Mistakes

Jersey City: The Exploited Victim

Correcting Yesterday's Mistakes: Is It Possible?

Once the Municipal Multiplication Madness Stopped

Reasons for Change

Some Suggested Solutions.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-227) and index.

ISBN:

0813525659

9780813525655

0813525667

9780813525662

OCLC:

38879242