Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by fdgsdfogijq 1653 days ago
Local government officials have no real incentive to get the most for their money. They "get the job done", but I really doubt they are anywhere close to efficient
2 comments

They would, if our democracy worked better. People care deeply about where municipal tax money is going.

Unfortunately, most of the time, municipal governments are entirely controlled by an unholy alliance between local real estate moguls, and the town's chamber of commerce, so 'what their constituents want' is rarely a priority for them.

I think the mayor of NYC has a strong incentive to get credit for improving their subway system.
Perhaps surprisingly, the NYC subway is run by the MTA, over which the mayor has no control; it's run by the state government up in Albany.