Just because the governor has majorities of his party in both House and Senate, that doesn't mean he's going to get everything he wants:
A bill to abolish Indiana's 1,008 township boards failed in the Senate Tuesday -- an ominous sign for the township reform campaign pushed by the governor and the Chamber of Commerce.
[. . .]
But while lawmakers have voted along party lines on many issues in the past few weeks, allegiance to township government crosses those lines for several reasons.
Township government often plays a more central role in rural less-populated areas, making lawmakers from those areas less willing to give it up. Other lawmakers are strong believers in the idea that government closest to the people is best -- despite the fact that some township elections attract few voters. And, finally many lawmakers also have allies among township government officials.
Such things as eliminating townships, combining city and county governments and replacing the three county commissioners with one have long been on the agenda of the government efficiency crowd. But a majority of Hoosiers have never wanted them, let alone been clamoring for them. Most people seem to favor responsiveness and accountability over efficiency. If efficiency were everything, this country wouldn't even have a federal system, which was designed to defuse power and thus create inefficiency rather than to concentrate power efficiently.
That was kind of a snide reference in the Indianapolis Star's story, by the way -- "Other lawmakers are strong believers in the idea that government closest to the people is best despite the fact that some township elections attract few voters." Most elections at all levels attract few voters.
