SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
November 2, 2008
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/4/08
Happy 17th Birthday to my daughter Rachel on November 6! Rachel is a sweet, bright, funny, lively and beautiful young lady. It is hard to believe that she is almost an adult.
Rachel and I have been through a lot together, and I would not trade it for anything. As Garth Brooks sang, “I could’ve missed the pain, but I’d have had to miss the dance.” (Rachel will HATE that I quoted Garth Brooks when referring to her!)
Happy Birthday, Honey. I love you!
Election Day is finally here! If you have not yet voted, you simply must do so today! As the saying goes, Democracy is not a spectator sport!
Check the Auditor’s website at http://www.johnson-county.com/auditor/voter/0811sat.htm
or call 356-6004 for your polling place.
One final attempt to correct some of the lies that are being spread regarding the Land, Water, Future campaign: A $200,000 house might pay $3000 annually in property taxes, probably a bit less. (This depends upon exactly where you live.)
A $26.00 annual increase in property taxes amounts to a tax increase of one eighth of one percent. (Take the increase - $26 – and divide by the total tax - $3000.) That is .008! The Flip No campaign claims in print and radio ads that it is a 20-30% increase.
Obviously, folks are free to vote however they wish. The local Farm Bureau has chosen to oppose this initiative, and done so in a manner that should make all of us proud. The Flip No campaign has been a different story. I just wish Flip No would use facts and not lies when attempting to make their case.
If you are interested in local returns, Cable Channel 5 in Iowa City and Coralville will have results beginning at 9 PM. You can also follow the action on the Auditor’s website referenced above.
Polls close at 9 PM in Iowa. Some polls out east will be closed by 6 PM Iowa time; most will be closed by 7 PM Iowa time. Given that Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, and Michigan will be reporting results by 7 PM Iowa time, we should have a very good idea how things are going by the time our own results are available.
Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Wisconsin close by 8 PM Iowa time. Montana and Nevada close the same time as Iowa. Unlike the past two Presidential elections, we may not need to stay up until 4 AM waiting for results. (I will probably stay up anyway. Election Day adrenaline, y’know!)
Some interesting facts for today’s election – Johnson County now has over 91,710 registered voters, an all-time record. 44,000 are registered as Democrats (48%); 30,000 are registered as No Party (33%); 17,000 are registered as Republicans (19%); and the Green and Libertarian parties each have less than 100 registered voters.
91% of all people eligible to be registered are registered. Over 97% of the people over age 65 are registered to vote!
This is the first Presidential election where Iowa will allow voters to register on the day of the election. So voter registration numbers will continue to climb until 9 PM on Tuesday!
Johnson County has about 129,000 total residents. Who are the 29,000 people ineligible to vote? Children, mostly – we have about 25,000 citizens under age 18. Also ineligible to vote are foreign nationals, felons who have not had voting rights restored, and those adjudicated incompetent.
As of the close of business on Saturday, November 1, 39,118 voters (43% of all registered voters) had requested absentee ballots. 36,020 (92%) of these ballots had been returned.
Why do we vote the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November? It goes back to 1845, and has agriculture at its roots.
The thinking was that most of the crops would be harvested by November, allowing farmers time to vote. Back then, voting occurred only at the County seat, so some travel was required. Many people lobbied for Monday to be Election Day, but several others complained about being forced to travel on a Sunday. The latter won out, and ever since, Election Day has been a Tuesday.
A brief update on the United Way Flood Relief efforts from June 16 to Oct. 16, 2008.
Services were provided to 352 households with 886 total people in the households served. The total amount expended since June is $220,000.
Iowa City Marriage Equality Public Forum -Wednesday, November 19, 7:00 - 9:00 PM @ The Senior Center, Assembly Room.
Welcome: Kim Painter, Johnson County Recorder; Panelists: Jen and Dawn BarbouRoske, same-sex plaintiff couple in Varnum vs. Brien case; Camilla Taylor, Lambda Legal, Senior Staff Attorney; Tom Koeppel, proud parent of a lesbian daughter; Dr. Rev. Rich McCarty, ordained minister and Professor of Religion.
Co-sponsors: Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, National Association of Social Workers - Iowa Chapter, Iowa Citizens Action Network, Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Iowa City Human Rights Commission, Pittman Law Firm, Mears Law Firm, Iowa Women’s Foundation, Women’s Resource and Action Center, Emma Goldman Clinic, Prairie Lights Bookstore, Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County, Community Mental Health Center, University of Iowa LGBT Resource Center, Connections, Iowa City Interweave.
DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County expects to be reimbursed $128,000 from FEMA to cover the costs of flood preparation and clean up. That is 90% of the expenses Johnson County incurred; the hope is that the State of Iowa will pick up the remaining 10%. These amounts do not include the Emergency Management and Secondary Roads Departments, which file separately.
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
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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 @ 8:10 AM
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