Opinion: Given what county government actually does, breaking up Maricopa County into four smaller counties is a monumentally bad idea.
By Robert Robb | Arizona Republic
The criticism of the proposal (House Bill 2787) to split up Maricopa County into four new counties has mostly focused on the practicalities of dividing up the current county’s assets and liabilities.
That’s a very big issue. Indeed, it would be profoundly irresponsible to make the political decision to do the split without fully evaluating those practicalities.
The killer argument against the proposal should be the proliferation of political offices it entails. Each of the four new counties would elect boards of supervisors and all the country row officers: county attorney, sheriff, assessor, recorder, treasurer, school superintendent, clerk of the superior court.
There is nothing about life in the Phoenix metro area that would be improved by adding a new swarm of politicians.
However, the premise of the legislation – that Maricopa County is too big – should also be challenged. In reality there are enormous advantages and benefits to having a unit of government that encompasses virtually the entire metropolitan area
