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rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 29, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/3/12
In this edition:
*Happy Independence Day!
*Affordable Care Act
*More on SCOTUS
*Tax Abatement for Agudas Achim
*Did You Know?
*Happy Independence Day!
Happy Independence Day to you all! We are lucky to live where we do – I hope you take some time to reflect on the great experiment that is the United States of America! Meanwhile, you have a holiday - enjoy it!
*Affordable Care Act
Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you know that the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Affordable Care Act was Constitutional.
I am a bit of a SCOTUS geek. I love Nina Totenberg, and love reading the decisions of the Court.
But this is not about the interests of political junkies. This is about the 50 million Americans who are uninsured. We live in the wealthiest country in the world. The fact that 50 million people are uninsured is unconscionable!
I sincerely hope that this law helps those 50 million people. I think it will.
*More on SCOTUS
While I am certainly pleased that Chief Justice John Roberts joined the 4 more liberal Justices in allowing the Affordable Care Act to stand, I want to caution my more liberal friends: Roberts is hardly a progressive hero. He is the 5th most conservative Justice to serve on the Supreme Court since 1937!
I found the following article a while ago: In "Rational Judicial Behavior: A Statistical Study," Posner and Landes use a database that includes the political background and voting records of the past 70 years of Supreme Court justices—who appointed each justice and how the justices decided every case—to come up with a ranking, from most conservative to least conservative, of the 43 justices who have served on the court since 1937.
Their conclusion: Four of the five most conservative justices to serve on the Supreme Court since Franklin Roosevelt are currently sitting on the bench today. Justice Clarence Thomas is number one, while Antonin Scalia is number two. Samuel Alito ranks, number four, while Chief Justice Roberts comes in at number 5. Anthony Kennedy, another current Republican appointee, is ranked No. 10. “
While I recognize that this is inexact science, my issues have nothing to do with the conservatism of any given judge. My problem stems from the lack of ideological purity.
Take free speech, for example. I respect any Justice who is a free speech absolutist. Similarly, I respect Justices who believe there can be limits to free speech. That said, how can Thomas, Scalia, and Alito vote to uphold Citizens United as free speech, then turn around and claim that it is OK to make falsely claiming to have won military honors a crime? They just did so! Where is the consistency?
Similarly, how can Thomas and Scalia vote consistently for state’s rights in every case EXCEPT Bush v. Gore? Where is the consistency?
Again, I have no problem with people holding ideologies different from my own. Just be consistent rather than political.
Thomas and Scalia have failed the test of consistency time and time again. That is why they are not only the two most conservative Justices – they are also the two worst Justices in the history of the Court.
In my opinion, this may have been what persuaded Roberts. After all, it is known as the “Roberts Court” after its Chief Justice. This Court was already looking like one of the most political, most activist, least judicious Courts in our history. I think Roberts was beginning to worry about his personal legacy.
Court watching is quite interesting! What are your thoughts?
*Tax Abatement For Agudas Achim
Agudas Achim Synagogue recently requested and received a tax abatement for a property they purchased in Coralville.
The issue of tax abatements comes up a few times each year. Requests from religious institutions are rare, but according to the County Assessor, there have been a couple in recent years. In each instance, the Assessor has informed the buyers that the Board of Supervisors has not granted abatements in these cases. The religious institutions have accepted that response rather than appeal to the Board. That does not mean an appeal is wrong; it simply has not happened.
All these churches have paid taxes under similar circumstances. Giving the Synagogue special consideration would be discriminatory to those we haven't abated previously.
While the Iowa Code has several provisions allowing abatements, properties are not automatically exempt. An exemption also has to be applied for in a timely fashion. The code is very specific on these rules. The Synagogue's attorney signed a purchase agreement that said "a portion of the taxes due may be abated." Obviously, I feel the word “may” is important here; I have never voted for an abatement of any kind.
I want to explain my reasoning. To begin, I want to emphasize the retroactive nature of the property tax system in Iowa. This means that the taxes you pay are for services already provided by the local governments. The Iowa City Community School District, the City of Coralville, and Johnson County already have this money in their budgets; it may well even be spent.
The issue of who will pay these back taxes is negotiated at every real estate closing. It is simply a part of doing business in Iowa. The Synagogue will clearly be tax exempt going forward, but someone still owes taxes. As the buyer, the Synagogue is responsible. Any financial agreement between the buyer and seller should have taken this into account.
When I bought my house, I paid the taxes on it for a time period in which I was not living there. Odds are you did, too. That is how it works in Iowa.
The Board has received other requests, in some cases from friends and neighbors I respect deeply. The easy thing to do would be to give in to the pressure and approve the abatements. But that would be neither fair nor consistent.
Supervisors vote to abate taxes all the time. It is politically expedient. A voter leaves your office happy. That does not make it right, of course. We have had several 3-2 votes on abatements over the years. Collectively, however, the Board had not abated taxes in my 8 years prior to Thursday.
For some, this brought up issues of church and state. Because the majority of the Board had been consistent on the issue, I disagree. I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU, and I am well aware of the past and current struggles for religious freedom. Trust me, a politically expedient vote does not somehow signify that a given Supervisor is some champion of the Jewish people! I couldn’t even get everyone to refer to it as a Synagogue rather than a church! I am not convinced every Board member could explain the difference.
Again, before this past Thursday, the Board had not granted any abatement since I was elected in 2004. We have had several 3-2 votes, but we never abated taxes. Frankly, I was proud of this fact, as I believed we had been very consistent.
I am very proud of my record. I have never voted to abate taxes for anyone, for any reason. You cannot get more consistent than that.
*DID YOU KNOW? Former Iowa City Mayor Moses Bloom (1833-1893) was the first Jewish Mayor of any major American city.
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
June 23, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/26/12
In this edition:
*RIP Richard Jensen
*More JECC Stupidity!
*Economic Kudos!
*Did You Know?
*RIP Richard Jensen
Johnson County recently lost a truly great person with the passing of Richard Jensen of Coralville.
I wrote about Richard and his wife Marilyn in 2008 when I awarded them a “Salvos Salute”. Here is what I wrote then:
“Richard and Marilyn Jensen: Simply good people who seem to donate time, talent, and support to all kinds of good causes throughout Johnson County. Veteran’s events, school events, church events, social services events, library events… The Jensens just quietly do good work. It is the unsung efforts of people like this that make a community strong.”
This is even truer today than it was in 2008. RIP, Richard, and thanks for all your good works!
*More JECC Stupidity!
I cannot believe it. Just when I think maybe we have turned the corner, the Joint Emergency Communications Center (JECC) continues the stupidity.
First, the good news: the JECC Board wisely decided to remove the “interim” title from interim Director Tom Jones. Jones is a good guy who knows his stuff. He has been through the trials and tribulations at JECC, and through it all has demonstrated himself to be a solid, capable leader. He has the respect of the employees.
I try to give credit where it is due, and I credit the JECC Board for deciding to promote Jones.
A second bit of good news: things at the JECC seem to work. There have been several examples of interoperability helping public safety agencies to help the rest of us. I continue to believe in joint communications systems; I simply want to see them run efficiently.
Now the bad news: the JECC Board hired Jones at a higher salary than they paid Gary Albrecht, the man Jones replaced. Albrecht was selected after a nationwide search, while Jones was passed over. Albrecht had a Master’s Degree, Jones no degree at all. Now he should be paid more? Even after JECC’s financial difficulties?
That is not all. Even though Jones has demonstrated that the place runs fine with the existing management structure, the JECC Board decided to hire an unbudgeted assistant for Jones. Why? What possible justification do they have for doing so?
To top that off, they didn’t even get rid of Jones’ former position, meaning it could be filled as well. I have been battling the bureaucracy at this place since before it opened its doors. Nothing changes.
Oh, but it gets worse. Our JECC Board is way too dysfunctional to stop there. The job description requires a “Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent.” Jones has at least 5 years experience, including serving as Interim Director two different stints totaling several months. By Johnson County’s employment standards, Jones easily meets the “equivalent” standard. So, the JECC Board decided to pay an additional $7,000 per year until he gets his BA. Seriously?
The JECC Board members who voted for this were North Liberty Mayor Tom Salm, Coralville Councilor John Lundell, Iowa City Councilor Susan Mims, Iowa City Manager Tom Markus, and Supervisor Pat Harney. Only Supervisor Janelle Rettig voted against the insanity.
I truly wish that the members of the public would hold these people accountable. I also wish the voting bodies of which these people are members would step up and be accountable. Unfortunately, Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty have been see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil where JECC is concerned. It is a cash cow, and the councils have fallen in line with their representatives so they can continue to suckle at the JECC teat.
Markus’ vote is particularly egregious after the way in which he held Johnson County hostage on the Animal Shelter. Tom Markus is a real budget hawk – when it is his budget.
I hope the public will actually look into the facts here. I can already quote you the responses from the members of the JECC Board – “I’m not willing to put a price on public safety.” Nice quote, but it is 100% bull crap.
Are they trying to say that they have one-minute response times for police and fire in their cities? Do police and fire personnel earn six figures in their cities? Do they buy the newest and best equipment for their cities every year? Of course not! Because that would affect their CITY budgets! So they DO put a price on public safety – and they do it every year!
What they mean to say is, “I’m not willing to put a price on public safety, so long as Johnson County pays the whole bill.” They ought to be ashamed. ASHAMED!
There is one other response besides the “price on public safety” line – that is to simply attack the messenger. I am “uncooperative” and/or “need to be in charge.” Look for some of that in the days to come. Thing is, my arguments tend to be based on facts and numbers. Their argument is that I am an ass. I may be an ass, but that is not an apples-apples argument.
League of Women Voters? You helped get this started. It is a great initiative, but it has not been managed well. I think you have some obligation to continue to pay attention and ensure that wise decisions are made at the JECC. We need the League to go into watchdog mode. Don’t accept the platitudes from the JECC Board. Speak to the Supervisors. Dig a little.
So, more of the same. I wish I had better news to report. Meanwhile, congrats and good luck to Tom Jones.
*Economic Kudos!
Johnson County was ranked third in The “Fourth Economy Community (FEC) Index” released recently. This category features counties that are ideally positioned to attract modern investment and managed economic growth.
“The ‘fourth economy’ defines our nation’s current economy, reflecting a combination of the previous three: agrarian, industrial and technological,” said Rich Overmoyer, Fourth Economy President and CEO. Mark Nolte, interim ICAD Group president, attributes multiple factors to Johnson County’s success, including the long-term vision of existing industry. “Our annual existing industry interviews show companies are increasing their investment in research and development and introducing new products and services at a rate nearly 20% higher than national norms,” said Nolte.
The FEC Index considers county-level measures within investment, talent, sustainability, place, and diversity, as well as capacity for innovation.
*DID YOU KNOW? June 24th is Saint John’s Night on the Christian calendar. In much of the world, that is a night of parties and hijinx.
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
June 16, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/19/12
In this edition:
*Mobile Home Dilemma
*Did You Know?
*Mobile Home Dilemma
The Board once again waded into the difficult topic of how to address the housing crisis that exists for many older mobile homes in the county.
Again, I believe it is important to recognize that most mobile home parks in Johnson County are well run, and offer affordable housing to thousands of residents. Unfortunately, there are a couple operations – most notably Regency south of Iowa City – that function with a total disregard for human well-being.
The human need is indeed great - big holes in floors, broken windows, animal infestations, lack of heat, no hot water, etc. Many of the folks who live in these units simply do not have the money to make these repairs, let alone to move.
Last year, the Board of Supervisors attempted to address this issue in part through a property maintenance ordinance. This would have put housing in Johnson County through an inspection similar to those in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, and every other city. The Board even allocated $20,000 to help mobile home owners who could not otherwise comply with the ordinance. But in the face of an angry room full of rural residents, three Supervisors voted against it.
There was still an outcry to address the situation, much of it coming from the religious community. So, in an attempt to satisfy the social justice folks in our county, the Board voted to allocate $20,000 to once again attempt a different method of addressing this issue. I was part of a committee designated to determine if and how this money should be spent. (This was just the most recent committee; I have been speaking to experts about this issue for 8 years, since the murder of Jetsetta Gage during my first year as a Supervisor.)
The committee has looked at virtually everything. Attorneys, detectives, deputies, tax experts, social workers, immigrant rights advocates, housing experts, owners of well-run parks, zoning experts, public health… it seems as though we have included everyone. Yet there are no good answers.
So, the committee voted to use the $20,000 for repairs in owner occupied mobile homes.
I agree that in a perfect world, Regency would cease to exist. But where would all the residents go? The wait for affordable housing is long. What’s more, several residents will not qualify for these programs due to legal status/legal issues. What about them? What about their children? Not everybody can benefit from charitable giving and reside in a Habitat House. Hell, Habitat can’t/won’t take lots of these people! The need is too great.
Along similar lines, simply buying Regency might solve the problem. But do taxpayers want to hand a check over to the least humane business (Churchill Group) any of us have ever seen? Is that where you want $4 million of your tax dollars going? And once we buy it, what does it cost to renovate and operate? Is this the proper role of government?
As you can see, the battle rages on. Unfortunately, two Supervisors voted against the plan to use the $20,000 for repairs to individually owned mobile homes.
Supervisor Rettig wanted some of the money to be used to demolish and dispose of some of the mobile homes. I do not necessarily disagree – in theory. But this presents several issues: first, where do these people go? It costs about $5000 to destroy and dispose of a single mobile home. Add in a rental deposits, utility deposits, first month’s rent, etc. and the $20,000 we allocated will serve about two families.
Secondly, now that Regency has a nice clean pad, they can rent it out all over again. I see this as lining the pockets of the Churchill Group, and allowing them to prey upon even more people. It is a transfer of public money to a vile private entity.
I guess I could understand the argument that pre-1976 homes are such fire traps, we should not invest in them. Again, I do not necessarily disagree. But people still live there. Fixing a roof cannot guarantee the trailer will not burn down. But it can guarantee no rain gets in!
Supervisor Neuzil made this argument. First, if he felt so strongly this way, he should have voted for the ordinance last year. And he still wanted to spend the money, just on newer trailers. That made no sense to me - I think if government is going to intervene, it needs to help those with the greatest needs.
A Republican friend of mine also opposed the County spending this money. She said she felt the private sector needed to step up. I could not agree more! But this is the free market at work! Regency has few regulations; the Board failed to pass an ordinance, remember? So, the “private sector” is doing what it is designed to do – make as much money as possible.
I pushed her on this, and she was not one of those folks who feel the residents should be completely left to their own devices. She agreed that something should be done. She mentioned charities; they have helped some, but Regency management likes to keep them out.
As we pointed out, the private sector is not getting it done in this case. Any "long term" solutions are going to involve more government, which she doesn't want. I honestly do not see a "conservative" way out of this mess, other than to say residents are on their own.
And that is fine; many folks feel that way. I happen to disagree. I see several BIG roles for government here – including safe water, working sewer, police protection, public transit – the list goes on.
I just don't want people implying there is something ELSE we could do that would be cheaper and/or more effective. Because I've studied this for years, and I don't know what that response would be. Again, I'm open to suggestions - but lots of good minds have worked on this, and cannot come up with a better solution.
I have used an analogy several times that I will repeat here, because I think it illustrates the depth of our problems.
We are dealing with a man who is chronically mentally ill, chronically alcoholic, chronically homeless, and chronically unemployed. He has all sorts of additional health needs. We are offering him a free lunch.
We know our lunch does not go very far. We know it does not address any of the underlying issues. But we do not have the necessary resources to address every problem this guy faces. We can make his life just a little better for a short time – we can buy him lunch.
That is how I view this $20,000. It is a band-aid. We have huge problems. We seem to be politically unable to address them any other way.
Don’t get me wrong. We still need a local ordinance. We still need changes to state law. We still need criminal prosecutions. We still need strong enforcement from the DNR, County, and other regulating bodies. We still need more and better affordable housing. I promise to continue to fight for all of this.
Meanwhile, let’s agree to do what we can right now. Let’s buy this guy lunch.
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County is home to about 3,000 mobile homes, about 20% of which date to pre-1976. (Source: Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity.)
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
June 9, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/12/12
In this edition:
*Primary Election Results
*Juneteenth
*Pride Events
*Father’s Day
*ACLU Report Card
*Did You Know?
*Primary Election Results
Congratulations to Representative Loebsack, Dick Schwab, and Travis Weipert for their wins in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. I believe strongly in all three men, and I hope those who supported other candidates will give them a chance.
Thanks, too, to every candidate of either party who stood for election on Tuesday. We must have people who are willing to step up if we are going to be governed successfully.
And thank you to the voters for supporting me as well! I promise never to take this position for granted!
On to November!
*Juneteenth
Celebrating Juneteenth: Commemorating the End of Slavery! Club Kazi teams up with Johnson County Social Services, Iowa City Parks and Recreation, The Coalition for Racial Justice, IC Human Rights Committee, Diversity Focus and many more to sponsor a fun-filled event for families.
Celebrating Juneteenth: Commemorating the End of Slavery will be held June 16 at Mercer Park in Iowa City from 12 to 6 pm. Volunteers and community members will assist in activities and games. There will be free food (while supplies last), vendors, music and live entertainment. Children can enjoy story time, a bouncy house, clowns, face painting and water games courtesy of the IC Fire Department.
Adults will be able to enter into a Bid Whist and Spades Tournament. There will be a Health and Financial Wellness Fair indoor, and a chance for participants to win wonderful door prizes.
This is an event for all community members and an opportunity for families to come out and enjoy a summer day in June with their loved ones. Please come out and join us at this historic event!
Club Kazi is a group of professional African Americans living and working within the Linn/Johnson County corridor. Club Kazi is dedicated to improving the quality of life for African Americans in the greater Iowa City area. We work together on many areas of public need including improving foster care for Black children and families to strengthening and empowering the Black family.
For more information, please contact: LaTasha Massey, Community Projects Specialist at Johnson County Social Services 356-6090.
*Pride Events
The 2012 Iowa City Pride Parade and Festival will take place on Saturday, June 16, to once again bring joy into your life.
The Parade starts at College Green Park at 12 noon and marches through downtown Iowa City. (Check-in/line-up begins at 11 a.m.) The Festival occupies downtown Iowa City on the Pedestrian Mall from approximately noon to 5 p.m.
I am always glad to say I live in a community where people can come together to celebrate diversity. My proudest moment as a Supervisor was the passage of the Johnson County Human Rights Ordinance. We have much to celebrate - I hope you’ll join us at the Pride events!
*Father’s Day
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! Being a dad is the best thing I have ever done. It is also the most difficult. I imagine that is the case for most fathers.
I know I miss my own dad terribly even though he has been gone for almost 15 years. Please make a point of taking some time on Sunday the 17th to reach out to a positive male influence in your own life.
*ACLU Report Card
The ACLU of Iowa put out its annual Report Card, which grades all 150 Iowa Legislators on their civil liberties voting records.
This was an interesting session from a civil liberties perspective. Typically, the more conservative Republicans tend toward a score of zero; the more liberal among the Democrats routinely score in the 90s. There are often one or two bills that cut across party lines and skew scores a bit; this year, there were several.
I am a longtime member of the Hawkeye Chapter of the ACLU, so this information is important to me. I remember that former Iowa City Representative Minnette Doderer retired with a career score of well over 90, which is particularly remarkable given the length of her career. So over the years, scores tend to be reflective of an official’s record. But a look at a single year requires some in-depth study. Allow me to offer an example:
Locally, Rep. Jacoby scored a 75%, which grades out as a “C”. But Dave was dinged for voting against SF430, the Public Information Board.
Representative Jacoby has long argued that if the Legislature is going to require city councils, school boards, counties, and other local governments to follow open meeting rules, the Legislature should follow the same rules.
It only makes sense – like those other bodies, the Legislature is doing public business and spending public dollars. There is no reason for secrecy.
So, Dave has taken a principled stand and voted against every iteration of this bill until the Legislature decides to play by its own rules. This is a courageous, honorable position that is all about good government, and Dave deserves a great deal of credit for sticking to his guns.
So on the ACLU score sheet, Jacoby is dinged for a vote against open government. In my book, he deserves props for that vote, not a black mark! There are other examples of nuanced votes that are difficult to score as either a + or -.
Still, I find the ACLU scorecard to be a very helpful tool. I actually wish the local ACLU graded Supervisors, City Councilors, and School Board members!
Other scores of note: Senator Joe Bolkcom, 88% for a B+; Senator Robert Dvorsky, 75% for a C; Representative Vicki Lensing 87% for a B+; Representative Mary Mascher 81% for a B-; Representative Jared Klein (yes, he currently represents large portion of Johnson County) 38% for an F; Representative Jeff Kauffman 31% for an F; and Representative Nate Willems 75% for a C.
You can find the whole scorecard at: http://www.aclu-ia.org/iowa/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/6-2-2012-voting-report-card-.pdf
*DID YOU KNOW? Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, is a holiday honoring African American heritage by commemorating the day that slaves in Texas finally learned of the abolition of slavery in 1865.
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
June 1, 2012
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/5/12
In this edition:
*Primary Elections
*Congratulations Leo!
*Public Health and Science
*Low Income Housing
*North Liberty Fun Days
*Sanders Birthday Bash!
*Did You Know?
*Primary Elections
Primary elections are Tuesday, June 5. I am supporting Dave Loebsack for Congress and Travis Weipert for County Auditor. Oh yeah – and myself for County Supervisor!
If you have not already voted early, please vote on June 5th!
*Congratulations Leo!
Congratulations to Johnson County’s Veteran’s Affairs Director Leo Baier. Leo is leaving Johnson County after almost 19 years of serving our veterans.
I worked in the same building with Leo before I became a Supervisor. Leo is a true gentleman, and one of the nicest people with whom I have ever had the opportunity to work. I wish him well in the future!
*Public Health and Science
I like science, though I am not particularly good at it. I respect the scientific process, and the work of people who do scientific research. When possible, I try to base my political decisions on sound science.
Because of this, it drives me nuts when people simply choose to discount science and believe whatever is convenient. Obvious examples of this include questioning evolution and denying global warming.
The facts simply do not support these conclusions. But that does not matter to folks who deny science. People choose to believe whatever suits their personal wants, facts be damned. I find this attitude dangerous and shortsighted.
It is important to point out that both the right and left have instances whereby science is ignored. Our Department of Public Health has recently weighed in on two issues; one of those is often opposed by the right, the other by the left.
First, Johnson County Public Health has reaffirmed its support for Fluoride treatments in public water supplies. While often opposed by extremists on the right, many experts feel this is among the top ten public health initiatives of the past 50 years! Scientists have studied fluoridation long and hard, and find no ill effects. Meanwhile, dental health is much better today, particularly for the urban poor, than it was 50 years ago.
Secondly, Johnson County Public Health has reaffirmed its support for a ban on the sale of raw milk. Although many on the far left see this as healthier because it is more natural, science does not bear this out. Raw milk is responsible for virtually all milk-related diseases, up to and including deaths in many cases. Plus, researchers have demonstrated consistently that pasteurization does not decrease the nutrients present in milk.
While taking these two stances may be viewed as unnecessary, I applaud the Board of Health for taking these positions. Science is good. We should embrace knowledge. Please join me in supporting the use of science in our policy decisions.
*Low Income Housing
I attended the May 15 meeting of the Iowa City City Council. At that meeting, the Council got a presentation from Doug Boothroy and Steve Rackis regarding city-owned low-income housing.
Rackis spent a lot of time emphasizing that most occupants are elderly and/or disabled, and the majority have no children. Why does he feel the need to emphasize this? Well, first, I’m certain he wants the correct information out there. But the unspoken point is clear – he is concerned that the Council thinks this housing is only for poor black people.
My question? So what if it were? What if every person occupying this housing were black? Then what? Perhaps we should ask ourselves why seniors and people with disabilities are so preferable to African Americans.
Both Boothroy and Rackis offered numerous bits of financial data demonstrating that this housing does not cost the City anything; as a matter of fact, it brings hundreds of thousands of federal dollars into the city. (It does not “make” the City money per se, but it does not cost them anything. The benefit is to the economy - federal dollars flow to local contractors and vendors.) Both men showed that providing less units would actually COST Iowa City money.
So - every Council member but Throgmorton opted to have staff research selling several of these units.
Granted, they only voted to CONSIDER this. But why? The data does not support this decision. It is clearly another attack upon the poor people of color in our community.
The newspapers did not cover this. We have our work to do. We must contact the Council and let them know that we will not stand by and accept another attack on poor people of color perpetrated in our name!
*North Liberty Fun Days
North Liberty Fun Days runs June 7-10 in the bustling city of North Liberty. Get up there and enjoy all the fun activities!
See the Fun Days Facebook page for further details.
*Sanders Birthday Bash!
Local raconteur Gary Sanders is celebrating his 65th birthday with a party on Sunday, June 10 from 1-4 at Lower City Park Shelter #6.
The party will not only mark Gary’s birthday, but will celebrate the Medicare program. Everyone in Iowa City is invited; however registered Republicans must wear a Scarlett “R”. Bring food if you wish, but don’t feel obligated.
In case of rain, the party will be held at 2326 E. Court Street in Iowa City. Call 337-7739 with questions.
*DID YOU KNOW? Wright County, Iowa has the highest percentage of “Grade A” topsoil 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.
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
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