A Study on the Operation of the City Council Sub-Group after the Merger of Taichung City and Taichung County

The Taichung City Council and Taichung County Council were governed by two contrasting political entities before the merger in 2010. The former was operated by the caucus, while the latter was run by sub-groups consisting of the Red Faction and Black Faction. However, a watershed moment had been reached as the two regions merged to become a special municipality in 2010. Yet, due to the change of political ambiance, what followed was a series of skirmishes. Although the first mayoral seat was garnered by Mr. Hu Chih-chiang, previously from the Provincial Taichung City, the Taichung City Council election then was overwhelming won by the former county councilors. With the joint efforts of the Red and Black Faction, the two factions’ heads had been sworn in as the council speaker and deputy speaker, bringing the sub-group culture into the City Council. Later on, Tong Xin Association and Ri Xin Association were formed, gradually wielding a greater political influence than the KMT caucus upon the Council’s operation. To better understand why such sub-group culture prevails after the merger of Taichung City and Taichung County, this study will look into three aspects, namely the formation of sub-groups after the merger, the interaction between the sub-groups and the KMT caucus, and the operation efficacy of the sub-groups. The research observation can be encapsulated as follows: (1) the county councilors authoritatively dominated the merged Taichung City Council with their stength principle; (2) the county councilors are strongly incentivized to form and/or join sub-groups; (3) the county councilors are the ones that have the biggest say in governing the sub-groups; (4) the sub-groups have gained an upper hand against the KMT caucus; (5) the trigger behind the friction has evolved from power balance to a fairer distribution of resources between the two regions; (6) the transition processes undergone by Tong Xin Association and Ri Xin Association are poles apart; and (7) the sub-groups in the short term will continue to flex their political might.