NJ Zeitgeist Update

Is New Jersey's addiction to local control starting to wane a bit? Here's two pieces of commentary published today:

From the South Jersey Times:
In Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland counties, a total of 12 open seats had no candidates at all, while two elementary board members must resign their posts to take newly elected seats on a regional board.

What does it say about an office when nobody wants it?

Do we really need 601 separate school boards, each with nine board members, a superintendent, a board secretary, an office, a budget, etc.?

Does it take 601 separate reinventions of the wheel to run public education in New Jersey?

From Blue Jersey, in reference to a piece yesterday in the Trenton Times:
It's been a year since the people of the two Princetons agreed to merge the town and the borough. How is it going? Better than expected. One big piece of the consolidation goes into effect today. But going from 566 municipalities to 565 is just a dent. Why won't other jurisdictions become more proactive instead of waiting for Senator Sweeney's bill to force them to consolidate?