SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 4, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/8/12 In this edition: *Happy Mother’s Day! *Loebsack for Congress! *MidWest One *Police Citizens Review Board *Farmer’s Markets - Correction *Arc Awards *Did You Know? *Happy Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, especially my wife Melissa Fath and mother Susan Sullivan Smith. I love you both! Motherhood is not easy. I celebrate and honor you all. I hope you have a very enjoyable Mother’s Day! *Loebsack for Congress! I have discussed some other Democratic Party primary races recently – now it is time for the top of the ticket. I am a big backer of incumbent Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack. Full disclosure – I have known Dave since the early ‘90s, and known him pretty well since the mid-‘90s. That history actually helps to explain why I support Dave so strongly. I did not meet Dave at some high dollar fundraiser. I did not meet him at an art gallery or winery. We met stuffing envelopes. In a public library. You see, Dave Loebsack is a worker. He will get his hands dirty. He knows how average everyday folks live, and he knows what matters to them. Here is a short story to illustrate this point: During the 2008 floods, I was sandbagging at Thatcher Mobile Home Park in southern Iowa City. I had a couple friends who lived there, and faced with disaster everywhere, I wanted to help the people with the greatest needs. So, I am shoveling away, chatting with some new friends, when who should walk up but Dave Loebsack. There was no press there, and no campaign staff snapping photos. Dave just grabbed a shovel and went to work. He stayed for at least 90 minutes, maybe a couple hours. Never once did he say that he was in the US House of Representatives – he was just Dave, there to help. When Dave left, one of the women smiled and said to the rest of us – “You know who that was, don’t you? That was our Congressman!” The rest of the folks were amazed! There were no cameras! He had worked HARD! They had a fairly negative stereotype of a Congressman – until they met Dave. Dave takes this same type of approach to his work in Congress. He knows what the hard-working folks of Thatcher Mobile Home Park need, and he fights for them. Dave knows that these folks need good schools. They need healthcare coverage. They need Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. They need jobs that pay a living wage. They need clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. If they have these things in place, their hard work can pay off. How can I be so sure Dave understands this? Because he has lived it. Dave grew up in poverty, son of a single mother who struggled with mental illness. Life was not easy. But with the help of government programs, Dave grew up healthy and well fed. With the help of government programs, he went to college, even earning a Ph.D. With the help of government programs, Dave went from child poverty to the US Congress. He lived the American Dream! And he has not forgotten those government programs that helped make it possible. I have been very proud of my friend’s work in Congress. Yes, sometimes lawmaking is akin to sausage making. But Dave has always shot straight, and told us what he thought. More importantly, I have seen him listen to constituents and change his own vote once they convinced him they were correct. So, yes – I like Dave. He is a good person and a good Congressman, and he has my support in both June and November. I have heard folks say that this election does not matter; challenger Joe Seng is not a credible. They will wait until November to support Dave. I disagree! NEVER take ANY election for granted! You like Dave? Vote! You want a change? Vote! Whatever the case, VOTE! I’ll be voting for Dave Loebsack. I hope you will, too. *MidWest One I periodically take time out to mention local businesses with whom I have had great experiences. Today I’d like to mention MidWest One, a local bank with whom I’ve enjoyed a honeymoon of almost 30 years! My satisfaction with MidWest One comes largely from customer service. I am always amazed by the consistent, friendly, polite, helpful service I get, regardless of which branch I visit. Things rarely go wrong, but when they do, MidWest One makes it right. Solid, friendly helpful service for almost 30 years. It doesn’t get much better than that! Thanks, MidWest One! *Police Citizens Review Board The Iowa City Police Citizens Review Board is holding a Community Forum on Wednesday, May 9 at 7 pm at the Iowa City Public Library. This is an opportunity for members of the public to discuss the purview of the Board and the complaint review process. I’d like to stress - this is an opportunity! I hope you can attend. *Farmer’s Markets- Correction In last week’s Salvos, I listed the area farmer’s markets, then asked readers to let me know if I missed any. Well, reader Gretchen Fuller pointed out that I had missed one: There is a new Farmer’s Market directly behind Blackstone's Restaurant off Scott Blvd. in Iowa City which will open on May 6. Known as the Eastside Farmers Market, it will operate 3:30--6:00pm on Fridays and 10:00am--1:00pm on Sundays. Thanks for the tip, Gretchen! *Arc Awards The Arc of SE Iowa celebrates 55 years with its annual Awards Ceremony at 6pm on Friday, May 11 at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Iowa City. 55 years of advocating for people with disabilities and their families deserves a tip of the hat! Kudos! *DID YOU KNOW? After first winning election with just under 60% of the vote in 2006, Representative Loebsack has received 65 and 62% of the vote, respectively. 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. If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan@mchsi.com with "subscribe" in the subject line. 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 @ 10:36 PM
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