SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas to those of you that celebrate it, and Happy Holidays to the rest! May you enjoy a safe, fun, and meaningful holiday season.
2007 is coming to a close, and it is time for honoring a few select Johnson County residents with that most treasured of honors, the Salvos Salute. A few observations:
* This is the third annual set of awards, and there are always more people who deserve awards than there are awards to give. We live in a great County!
* There are some people out there that could win every year. I am trying to honor different folks, but repeat winners are not out of the question.
* Salvos Salutes do not have specific criteria, but you can bet that in general, most of the winners are courageous, advocate for peace and justice, have good ideas, speak truth to power, avoid hypocrisy, and look out for the less fortunate.
Without further ado, your 2007 Salvos Salutes go to:
Amy Correia. Iowa City Councilor Correia found herself on the losing end of a few 6-1 votes in 2007. Amy was right. It would have been easy to count noses and go along with the group, but Amy stood strong and did what she felt was right. Iowa Citians, you have a smart and courageous Councilor in Ms. Correia!
Liz Crooks. A fine mother of 3, wife, student, secretary, neighborhood and school volunteer. Not easy to balance. On top of this, Liz has spent the past few years serving as a member of the ICCSD Board of Directors. For far too long, the ICCSD Board has been composed of wealthy people ³who just want to give something back.² Liz demonstrates that one need not be wealthy to capably serve; as a matter of fact, middle-class people bring as much if not more to the table. Liz has represented the ICCSD well, and has been right far more often than she has been wrong. Contributions from folks like Liz are vital if the ICCSD is going to be everything it can be.
Adam Sullivan. The Editor of the Little Hawk newspaper recognized the racial tension at City High, and felt it deserved discussion. He was right.
Now if the adults in the situation would acknowledge the issues and start to respond in a way that doesn¹t reinforce damaging stereotypes (they are black; we require guns), we would be getting somewhere. (Adam is no relation, by the way.)
Steve Fugate. Global warming is real. Dependence upon foreign oil is bankrupting the US both financially and morally. One solution is biodiesel.
Through Flying F Biodiesel in Tiffin and the Yoderville Biodiesel Cooperative, local entrepreneur Steve Fugate has helped several Johnson County residents to kick their fossil fuel habits. Steve can help you, too give him a call at 545-7022.
Bev Jones. Bev stepped down after serving an amazing 17 years as Treasurer of the Johnson County Democratic Party. This is a thankless position that requires hours of behind the scenes work. Bev is one of the smartest, kindest, most honest, most dedicated people I have ever met. She continues to do lots of good work as a very active community volunteer.
Bob Dvorsky. After winning the House, Senate, and Governor, there was real pressure on the Democratic Party to perform. The road was rocky, but the 2007 Legislative session turned out to be Iowa¹s best in 40 years.
Senator Dvorsky deserves much of the credit. Many of the same people who spent a decade complaining that Senator Dvorsky was ³too partisan² went to him with their hands out once he Chaired Appropriations. Bob was a tremendous leader - always willing to unapologetically stand up for the Democratic platform, and bringing his fellow Legislators along when that was not always easy.
North Liberty transit. Kudos to everyone who pushed this forward. The cities of Coralville and North Liberty deserve tremendous credit for this cooperative effort. Special thanks to the North Liberty citizens who took the first step and began riding!
John Watson. Retiring after several decades of service, John Watson has made Goodwill arguably the most respected nonprofit in Eastern Iowa. John has quietly and efficiently made life better for thousands of our most vulnerable residents. Many people automatically believe that everyone who works in human services is a ³special person². Having spent many years in human services, I know that this is not true. In the case of John Watson, ³special person² is an understatement.
Carol Spaziani. If there is a person I respect more in Johnson County, I do not know who it would be. Carol is the very definition of a good citizen; smart, engaged, passionate, and tenacious. Carol is one of those special people that make Johnson County great!
Ruth Becker. A posthumous award. If there is a person I have ever respected more in Johnson County, I do not know who it would be. Ruth was a real giant, and her passing diminished our whole County. I mentioned that I really value good ideas, speaking truth to power, and looking out for the less fortunate. Ruth Becker defined those qualities, and remains an inspiration to me.
Congratulations, 2007 winners of the Salvos Salutes!
DID YOU KNOW? There are 7,000 veterans of military service in Johnson County.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website- http://www.johnson-county.com/.
"Sullivan's Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
These messages come solely from Rod Sullivan, and neither represents the viewpoints of the whole Board of Supervisors nor those of groups or individuals otherwise mentioned.
posted by Rod @ 11:56 PM
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