SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 29, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/29/08
I have mentioned before that there is a Primary election on June 3rd in Johnson County. Republicans can vote to select a nominee to run for Congress, while Democrats can choose candidates for the offices of Auditor and Supervisor.
As one of the 4 candidates for 3 Supervisor positions, I have a pretty vested interest in how this Primary turns out. But do not view this primary as an opportunity for me or any other candidate. View it as an opportunity for yourself!
Unfortunately, we rarely have substantive discussions on the issues that face us all, be they big or mundane. I know that as a voter, I find it important to ask candidates how they feel about the issues that are important to me. I want to know that the people who represent me share my values and vision.
Well, voters, some rare opportunities await! The AARP is holding a forum on May 5 at 2 PM at the Senior Center. The League of Women Voters is holding a forum on May 14 at 7 PM at the ICPL. Other opportunities may come along as well. Attend these forums, and ask questions. If you cannot be there in person, watch the replays, and tell your friends what you saw.
There are important questions to be asked regarding taxes, the budget, land use, the environment, human services, labor, and more. How have we voted in the past? What have we accomplished? What do we pledge to do?
Do not miss these opportunities. Ask us questions. Hold us accountable. Make us sweat! We work for you, and you need to evaluate our body of work.
Speaking of the campaign… a number of people have taken yard signs. Thank you for your support! A couple rules to remember:
1. If you own or work at a business that is incorporated – which means most businesses - you cannot put up a sign. That is a violation of section 68A.406 of the Iowa Code. If my sign is at your business, take it down right away, take it home, and put it up there.
2. Signs must stay out of the right of way. In town, this can usually be identified as the area between the sidewalk and the street. In the country, it is roughly the fence line.
If you have any questions on any of this, or don’t have a sign and want one, just give me a call. Thanks!
Due to frost boils left over from winter plus the very wet spring, the Johnson County Engineer has embargoed several chip seal roads. This means no vehicles over 16,000 pounds are allowed on the roads. (There is a State exception for vehicles directly involved in agriculture.)
Embargoes serve a very important purpose. In bad conditions and without weight limits, chip seal roads can literally get destroyed. Fixing them would cost the taxpayers millions of dollars. Embargoes are precautions that protect our investments.
Roads get embargoed on occasion; the last time the Board had an in-depth discussion of the policy was 2001. In 2001, the Board and waste haulers agreed that haulers would need to get smaller vehicles to comply with embargoes. At least 3 companies (Johnson County Refuse, Hawkeye Waste, and Waste Management) complied. These businesses are picking up waste as I write this. One company (N&N Sanitation) chose not to comply. This has caused a problem for rural residents who use N&N Sanitation for their waste hauling.
Now N&N wants an exception. Is this fair to the other companies that invested in new equipment? Is this fair to taxpayers who will need to fund the repair to damaged roads? N&N is trying to paint Johnson County as unreasonable. Johnson County, looking out for taxpayers, has played by the rules.
Look, I understand that it is frustrating to go without garbage pick up. But I have been incredibly frustrated by the responses of some of the affected residents. One gentleman made me so angry that I decided to act. I drove out to his house and picked up his garbage and recycling myself. I emptied his cans into garbage bags, threw them in the back of my minivan, took them to town, and disposed of them properly. I am not any unbelievable problem-solver. It strikes me that both N&N and this gentleman could have done what I did.
I grew up on a farm. We never had garbage picked up. Not once. Ever. Whatever the animals wouldn’t eat got burned.
Granted, this might be old-fashioned, and those old practices are certainly less than healthy. But if my family and I could do it for 155 years, surely N&N Sanitation can manage for two weeks. I am not asking folks to give up garbage service, but a little understanding would be nice.
Some residents have complained that they did not know the embargoes were in place. Embargoes are noted through signs, articles are run in the paper, and embargoed roads are listed on the County website. Perhaps letters should be sent to all property owners in the area; I am willing to investigate this option.
As a Board, we are screwed no matter what we do. The weather this year was terrible. Protect the roads, the public is angry. Let the roads go to hell, the public is angry. We cannot control the weather, and we cannot win in this situation.
The Board will be discussing embargoes at our regular meeting – 9AM on Thursday, May 1st. As always, this meeting is open to the public.
DID YOU KNOW? One in every 33 adults in the US is in jail, prison, or on probation/parole. That is the highest percentage in the world.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:19 PM
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