municipal government

6 Stories

'Canada's Trump' Pushes the 'Nuclear Button'

Doug Ford uses the 'notwithstanding' clause for first time in Ontario history

(Newser) - Looks like Toronto's municipal battle is heading back to court. With Ontario Premier Doug Ford imposing the all-powerful "notwithstanding" clause to slash the city council in half , councilors voted 26-10 Thursday to fight back by all legal means, the Toronto Star reports. The decision came after Toronto's...

Town May Pay Workers to Take a Sex Break

Swedish councilman floats the proposal

(Newser) - Spending too much time at work and not enough time with your partner? A Swedish politician has a solution: Employees should be paid to go home and have sex. Per-Erik Muskos, a council member in the small town of Övertorneå, argues that couples aren't spending enough time together...

State Reassigns All Ferguson Court Cases

'Abusive' judge-prosecutor steps down

(Newser) - The Missouri Supreme Court is helping with the housecleaning in Ferguson: The court says that to "restore public trust and confidence" in the municipal court division, it's taking the "extraordinary action" of reassigning all municipal court cases to a state appeals court judge, reports the New York ...

Cash-Strapped Cities Get Creative With Fees

Governments turning to extra charges to fill budget holes

(Newser) - Cities across America are taking a page from the airlines and charging for things that used to be part of the service, the New York Times reports. "Accident response fees" charging at-fault drivers for the cost of cleaning up crash scenes are catching on, and Washington, DC is considering...

Mayor Embraces Kissing in Public, Denies Ban

Mexican official starts ad campaign to prove that Guanajuato welcomes PDA, despite what people say

(Newser) - Planning a trip to Guanajuato, Mexico? You’d better bust out the lip balm, AP reports. Mayor Eduardo Romero has proclaimed his city “the kissing capital” to counter claims he’s against public displays of affection. Apparently, the wording of a local anti-obscenity law caused some people to believe...

Chafing Under Term Limits, Local Pols Act

Elected officials nationwide push for more time in office

(Newser) - Local politicians across the country are mounting campaigns against the term-limits laws that threaten to force them from office, reports the New York Times. More than 20 governments—including New York City's—are considering repealing term limits, with term-limited politicians spearheading the challenges. "We do a lot of churning...

6 Stories