Certainly this would be an unintended consequence, at least from Ms. Heller's point of view. :)
Also, as you reduce the number of decision-makers, you increase the chance of wide variations in policy outcomes. I've read surveys of studies done on jury decision-making, comparing decisions made by a 12-person jury to a 6-person jury. Decisions made by a 12-person jury are more consistent and predictable than those made by a 6-person jury - which, when influenced by one or two strong personalities, can produce extreme results.
And, for what it's worth, I lived in Austin, Texas, for over 3 years. City politics there were as goofy and dysfunctional as they are here - even with only 7 council members.
Greg Abbott
Linden Hills
On Wednesday, January 22, 2003, at 08:03 AM, Victoria Heller wrote:
Here's an idea!
Our sister city, Austin, Texas, has a population of 685,000 and only 7 City
Council Members.
Since we insist that everything in Minneapolis be "proportionate" - we only
need 3, plus the Mayor.
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