Free Republic

An old slogan favored by environmentalists enjoins us to remember that "we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." In a better world, each mayor of New York City would append to his oath of office a corrolary: "I do not run this city; I merely lease it from Lou Reed." Under Michael Bloomberg, alas, my erstwhile home continues its gradual transmogrification into a theme park parody of itself: ManhattanLand, an island of smokeless, sterile cafes where Times Square is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Disney corporation. While the news focuses on...

TORONTO -- Recognized worldwide for its commerce and culture, this city on the northern shore of Lake Ontario began 1997 with a population of more than 650,000, nearly twice the size of present-day Pittsburgh. But that wasn't nearly big enough to suit the Conservatives governing the province of Ontario at the time. Toronto, home to gleaming office towers and Broadway-style theaters, entered 1998 with a population of 2.4 million, nearly four times as many people as the year before. In a display of unbridled power, the Conservative Party government that controlled the provincial parliament had adopted legislation merging Toronto and...

Sacramento -- In a budget that eclipses $78 billion, the few key issues that lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are deadlocked over don't add or take away a dime from the overall spending package. The fact that policy issues -- such as whether workers should be able to sue their employers for workplace violations -- are holding up the budget have some Capitol observers puzzled over why the deal hasn't been closed yet. "There seems to be a lot of confusion in the negotiations," said GOP political consultant Kevin Spillane. The battle over whether to raise taxes or how deeply...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Negotiators said they would resume talks Thursday on California's stalled budget as tensions mounted over the last remaining stumbling block - reforming how the state pays for the operations of local governments. The question of local government financing has stymied a budget settlement for nearly a week, pitting city mayors and county supervisors against the Legislature's Democratic majority and increasingly, Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Negotiations ended Wednesday without resolution, and there was a growing sense three weeks past the constitutional deadline for adopting a budget that local officials may not be able to reach agreement with lawmakers...

<p>The state oversight board is looking at dissolving Pittsburgh's government -- including eliminating the mayor's office and City Council -- as a way to solve the city's financial woes, board members said Tuesday.</p> <p>"We will look at that as one of the options," said oversight board Chairman Jim Smith. "I'm not sure it's a solution yet. It's an option to look at. That's a pretty drastic option."</p>

<p>With momentum growing to merge Pittsburgh and Allegheny County governments, it probably won't be long before talk turns to consolidating the county's smaller communities as well.</p> <p>When it does, Haysville is certain to top the consolidation hit list.</p> <p>Those pushing a metropolitan agenda already are contending that the county doesn't need 130 municipalities. It's inefficient, they claim. Mark my words, these consolidation commandos soon will suggest it's ridiculous for Haysville to maintain its independence.</p>

Padilla said that the city will continue to press state and federal officials for more money but that the prospects are dim. Officials can slash other departments, he said, but "there is no fat left to cut. Any further cuts will impact vital city services and programs for Los Angeles residents." "Ultimately, it's going to be for the voters to decide," he said. Bracing for more state funding cuts next year, the Conejo Unified School District this week took the first step toward asking voters to add as much as $35 to their annual property tax bill to aid education.

<p>A New York City agency dropped Pittsburgh's credit rating to junk bond status today, citing the city's failure to get new taxing authority from the state and its discussion of municipal bankruptcy.</p> <p>Standard & Poor's dropped the city's ranking from A- to BB, a 5-notch drop. The new ranking is not investment-grade, placing it at so called "junk-bond" status.</p>

This really get me steamed! Are there any users here who vacation or have visited North Beach, Maryland? North Beach, Calvert County Maryland http://ci.north-beach.md.us: Mayor Mark Frazer: http://ci.northbeach.md.us/officials.html: Heres the deal folks. The residence of North Beach are blaming the fishermen for the noise and trash problems on the pier and the boardwalk. The fact is most of the noise and trash comes from their on people and children. They party out there all the time and race their cars up the strip at all hours keeping the waterfront residence awake at night and we are getting the blame. Last...

Who is Cresco's Mayor Fontes? EDWARD M. FONTES Questions of his military record and employment are raised By KEN BECKER, News Editor Who is this man who is Cresco's mayor? What is the true military and employment history of Ed Fontes? These questions and many others have been raised in recent months by people who claim they know the truth of Cresco's mayor. In numerous public appearances and in interviews with this newspaper and other newspapers in Waterloo, Decorah and elsewhere, Ed Fontes has elaborated on a stellar career in the U.S. Army. This, he claimed, included a stint with...

Municipal, school-district voters kill time caps on officials' service More voters, particularly those living in small, rural communities, are tossing out or modifying term limits for elected officials, even as some politicians such as Denver Mayor Wellington Webb are being forced to step down.

<p>The Republican-controlled Allegheny County Elections Board voted 2-1 yesterday to block a referendum that proposes to put the sheriff in control of the county police.</p> <p>Leaders of the Allegheny County Deputy Sheriff's Association, which gathered more than 30,000 signatures in an attempt to put the question on the May 20 ballot, said they would file a lawsuit as soon as today to challenge the board's decision.</p>

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. Editor's note: This is the third in a series of articles examining the Mauldin area. The city of Mauldin has had its share of ups and downs since its beginnings in 1890. It boomed in the 1920s, nearly died in the 1930s and 1940s, revived in the late 1950s, then hung on steadily over the next three decades before growing like mad in the 1990s. During its 112 year history, Mauldin has changed from farming to industry, from horses to cars and from shouting to cell phones. But through every generation...

Hey, it's nothing personal. The City of Boulder (Colorado) will be filing for legal condemnation against Pollard Motors (30th & Pearl) in an effort to leverage them off their property. But fret not.....it's for a "transit village", along with affordable housing. Isn't that nice? Not only that, the condemnation will not be a hostile act....they're going to be nice about it, according to council. As reported in the Camera....City Councilman Tom Eldridge said the condemnation preparations are not meant to be hostile, but simply send the message that the city is serious in its intent to buy the property. By...

I just received an ELECTION NOTICE in the mail on a postcard. It informs me that there is an election for the "Woodland Hills-Warner Center Neighborhood Council" on June 12, 2002. Well, here it is June 8th, and I now know about the election - but how do I learn about the issues and candidates? They have a web site, and while it looks pretty and all, there is virtually no information, except that candidates can be nominated up to the day of the election. So there seems to be an obvious question: How does one find out about the...

Neighbors sound off on paintball operation By NANCY GISH Southtowns Correspondent 5/15/2002 Dozens of residents opposed to a paintball game operation jammed Wales Town Hall on Tuesday to oppose issuing another permit to Matt Kowalski of Vermont Hill Road. The Town Board on Nov. 13 issued a special permit to Kowalski to operate a paintball operation three days a week seasonally, on property owned by his parents, Paul and Barbara Kowalski. Neighbors objected and took the Town Board and the Kowalskis to court, claiming, among other things, that the board didn't follow proper state environmental review procedures or the town's...

Perth Amboy Mayor Joseph Vas can rattle off numerous good reasons why his plans for a public-safety and recreation complex off New Brunswick Avenue make sense. No one argues for example the merits of a centrally located nerve center for police, fire and first-aid services. No one disputes that it is smart to use eight acres of land donated by a city waterfront developer. No one denies it is preferable to locate here rather than displace scores more residents or businesses by spreading the project into other parts of the community. On a purely strategic level, the plan is...

Districts could set weapons rules Lee schools to keep zero-tolerance policy By Dara Kam, The News-Press Tallahassee Bureau & Sharon Turco, sturco@news-press.com Tallahassee -- School students could be allowed to bring guns to school, locked in their cars, under the rewrite of the rules governing Florida's schools. Lee school board members, however, said they have no plans to change the district's zero-tolerance policy banning weapons on campuses. The rewrite cements a loophole that gives school districts the ability to override state and federal zero-tolerance policies barring weapons from school campuses. State Sen. Burt Saunders, R-Naples, voted to allow school boards...