[Winona Online Democracy]
Township government
goes back to the 1630s in New England, but obviously only back to the early
1800s (the decades after the Louisiana Purchase) in Minnesota and points
west. In Minnesota, most townships - where geography allows - are square,
six miles on a side. This size lent itself to the the horse-and-wagon
era where a 3- or 4-mile trip to town and back was convenient in a day, or for
meetings among the "town" folk. Later, in the railroad era this
6-mile spacing was useful for grain and feed mills on rail lines.
In much of the rural Midwest you'll find the grain elevators on
railroad lines at this pacing. Today we can phone or e-mail
across long distances instantly, and we can drive 100 miles in the same time it
took to get the horse and wagon to town.
There may be much to
recommend life out away from the larger cities, but the rationale for townships
themselves was largely based on technology as it related to geography. As
technology changes it is appropriate to look at other changes in government as
well. In this light, townships may be an anachronism. Do we need
three levels of government under the state (of Minnesota)? I think
not.
For a similar
example of "closeness" to the people being governed, the two largest cities in
the state have broken down their cities into neighborhoods (Minneapolis) and
districts (St. Paul) for purposes of planning and implementation. A larger
government can organize itself in such a way so as to provide a more intimate
level of service without needing an entirely separate layer of
government.
_______________________________________________
This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy
All messages must be signed by the senders actual name.
No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list.
To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit
http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona
Any problems or suggestions can be directed to
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at
http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
