An experiment in government consolidation has failed in central New York -- a victim of a difference of opinion over how to create jobs and promote economic growth in Syracuse and Onondaga County and the continued deterioration of the relationship between the mayor and county executive. Three years ago, Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney and Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner used a public signing ceremony to trumpet the merger of the county and city planning agencies, calling it an example of a streamlined and more efficient government. Now, a similar attempt with to merge economic development agencies lies in tatters, following months of disputes over tax deals for developers, overshadowed by an increasingly frosty relationship between Miner and Mahoney. Miner officially brought an end to the consolidation experiment this week, with a letter to Mahoney accusing the county of keeping the city out of the loop on a number of deals that offer developers tax breaks, and creating a
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