Why can't Detroit annex neighbouring cities to regain its population?

**Danny** · August-31-09, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

Race might be an argument against a uni-metro government, but I don't think you could use it with a Wayne County-City consolidation. It's a more even black/white split. I look on the Wayne County website under elected officials http://www.waynecounty.com/mygovt/mygovt.aspx and I see half of the six elected officals are black [[including the County Clerk, Sheriff and Prosecutor). I look at department heads and only three of the ten pictures are white.

You have to be aware that you're writing to many Americans have a strong FEAR! of another race invading their way fo life, a strong FEAR of higher taxation without representation. The United States does not have a strong Socialist government unlike Canada, but we have to make due with our strong democratic and republican political regime. Your ideal for a combine municipal city of Detroit by county will not work due to social issues of race, politics and hugh tax base. The folks in Toronto felt comfortable of the supercity. Detroit and suburbs will feel confortable of their own cities.

**davewindsor** · August-31-09, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Danny

The folks in Toronto felt comfortable of the supercity. Detroit and suburbs will feel confortable of their own cities.

The folks in Toronto never felt comfortable with a supercity. The city held a referendum and voted 3 to 1 against amalgamation, yet the Premier of Ontario did it anyway for the greater good and to make the area more tax competitive. The City of Chatham-Kent located an hour's drive from Windsor/Detroit was amalgamated with 110,000 people and 1,715 square miles. The City of Windsor is only 46 square miles and was never amalgamated because the premier's party got the boot after serving two terms. But, guess what, the cities that did amalgamate are doing a lot better now than cities that didn't like Windsor with uncompetitive tax rates versus other areas of the province. I don't see how else Detroit is ever gonna recover and balance its books unless it starts moving forward and consolidating their services.

**Danny** · August-31-09, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by davewindsor

The folks in Toronto never felt comfortable with a supercity. The city held a referendum and voted 3 to 1 against amalgamation, yet the Premier of Ontario did it anyway for the greater good and to make the area more tax competitive. The City of Chatham-Kent located an hour's drive from Windsor/Toronto was amalgamated with 110,000 people and 1,715 square miles. The City of Windsor is only 46 square miles and was never amalgamated because the premier's party got the boot after serving two terms. But, guess what, the cities that did amalgamate are doing a lot better now than cities that didn't like Windsor with uncompetitive tax rates versus other areas of the province. I don't see how else Detroit is ever gonna recover and balance its books unless it starts moving forward and consolidating their services.

Well folks in Toronto got their wish. They voted for a supercity and they get it. I'm not sure how Windsor be a supercity. If it did wait until the tax base goes. Plus, I don't think that Windsor would become a supercity just because it want to compete with Detroit. Building an emerald 'cityeqsue' downtown that would be bigger and higher than Downtown Detroit skyline which looks the remnants of the Great Depression.

Retroit · August-31-09, 12:26 PM

Danny, how did you pass English class? Could you please proof-read your posts before submitting? I'm sure you have something important to say, but I can hardly figure out what it is.

**Danny** · August-31-09, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Retroit

Danny, how did you pass English class? Could you please proof-read your posts before submitting? I'm sure you have something important to say, but I can hardly figure out what it is.

Retroit 25% of the American people are illiterate and using spelling daemons. Get used to it. Americans are using slang and codespeak and not King's English.

**Patrick** · August-31-09, 05:16 PM

Benefits would include:

--stemming the endless stream of unneeded residential/commercial development along the rural fringe, while focusing on strengthening what we already have.
--consolidation of governmental services, thereby reducing taxes needed to pay for 100s of mayors, police chiefs, etc.
--economies of scale when it comes to contracts for city services, again reducing the tax burden of most residents.
--less regional in-fighting and more cooperation on bringing new developments and jobs to the region.
--better national image as far as social/economic statistics are concerned. For example, Detroit would no longer be the "most dangerous city". In fact, it would actually have one of the lowest crime rates in the country, when compared to other cities.

Segregation would still be rampant. There would still be in-fighting and things would become more clan-like.

LouHat · September-02-09, 08:19 PM

It will never happen, forced integration led to self-segregation, and escape from jurisdictional boundaries. No one who was born and raised in the old Detroit, and was forced to raise his own kids in the new suburbs, is going to want to see those boundaries redrawn, ever. It's over, thanks for playing.

**Gistok** · September-03-09, 12:17 AM

There have been a lot of very interesting posts... and a few really smartass sarcastic ones. On this thead Danny is making some of the latter look downright foolish.....

Priceless!