Government
John Oliver Takes Down Incompetent 'Ghost Governments'
Special districts operate outside local governments to offer a single, focused service. That “makes it all the more noticeable when things go wrong.”
John Oliver is making a career out of his extended tear-downs of American local governments at their worst, and Sunday night’s Last Week Tonight investigation featured another excellent entry. With equal parts outrage, pity, and absurdist cheer, Oliver took down special districts—local-level government agencies, separate from cities or counties, charged with delivering focused services (water, sewers, fire, parks, mosquito abatement) within a specific geographical boundary.