Rod Sullivan, Supervisor, Johnson County, Iowa

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SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

August 25, 2012

Sullivan’s Salvos 8/28/12 In this edition: *Labor Day *Labor Day Picnic *Uptown Bill’s *United Way *Go Hawks! *Congratulations, Margo! *Did You Know? *Labor Day Happy Labor Day next Monday! I love Labor Day. Every Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day we set aside time to recall the folks whose service has given us our freedom. I have long felt we need to treat Labor Day in a similar fashion. Please take a moment this Labor Day to remember the people who fought (and often died) to give us child labor laws, 40 hour weeks, weekends, overtime, vacations, the minimum wage, sick leave, parental leave, OSHA, employment nondiscrimination, pensions, Social Security, health insurance, and so much more. Do not be fooled! These benefits were not GIVEN to workers by benevolent corporations! They were earned by workers who sacrificed! It is a shame that so many average Joes have chosen to support our corporate masters versus supporting those whose efforts really benefit the masses. Unions continue to provide the best protection working people can have. I feel as though I have accomplished some good things as a member of the Board of Supervisors. One of the accomplishments of which I am most proud is starting an employee appreciation lunch every year the week of Labor Day. Johnson County employees deserve much more, but this is one extra opportunity to say thank you. Trust me – the average person has nothing to fear from unions. We all benefit when folks have safe and healthy workplaces. We all benefit when workers get adequate rest. We all benefit when workers receive good training. We all benefit when folks earn a living wage and have health insurance. Unions help improve the quality of life for all of us. One example of a way in which unions benefit everyone: much is made of the automobile industry expanding into the southern US. While these are not union plants, workers still have good wages and benefits. Some see this as an indictment of unions. It is precisely the opposite. Do not think for a minute that these companies pay $22 per hour because they WANT to. They would be much happier to pay $4 per hour. And, when China’s workforce improves in quality to the point that they can do automotive work, the companies will move there. Understand – big companies exists for one reason, and that is to earn a profit. If the laws allowed slavery, companies would use it. Because it is cheaper. So why do they pay $22 in the southern US? Because of the threat of the United Auto Workers (UAW). If the wages or benefits ever sink too low, UAW could unionize those workers. The car companies don’t want that, so they pay the lowest possible acceptable wage. See? The UAW does not represent the workers at those plants. But they have driven up the wages and benefits for the workers there all the same. I am proud to be a member of Local 716 of the American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the Iowa City Federation of Labor. Happy Labor Day! *Labor Day Picnic The Iowa City Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, will host its annual Labor Day picnic on Monday, September 3, starting at noon at Lower City Park, shelter 6. Burgers, brats, veggie options and beverages provided. Please bring a dish to share. Political speeches and a good time guaranteed. Free to all Friends of Labor. For more information call Patrick Hughes, President, Iowa City Federation of Labor, 319-828-4541. *Uptown Bill’s Extend the Dream Foundation in cooperation with nearly everybody will again offer a Fair and Flea Market in the WSUI parking lot on Labor Day (Sept. 3rd) from 8-3. As in the past, PATV and Uptown Bills will again have great open houses, lots of music and things for the kids. The event features over 30 vendors, antiques, collectibles, books, furniture and more, with local musicians and entertainers playing or performing all day at Uptown Bills Coffeehouse and Neighborhood Art Center. *United Way The annual United Way Campaign kicks off this week. My family and I are longtime United Way supporters. Now is the time for you to join us! No donation of time or money is too small! For more information on the United Way of Johnson County – including donating and volunteering – see: http://www.unitedwayjc.org/ *Go Hawks! The Iowa Football season kicks off this weekend. As my friends know, I am a bit of a Hawkeye sports nut. But I try to refrain from putting much about sports in Salvos – I figure you can get that from many sources, all better than I. What I will say is this: football fans – remember, football is only a game. Non-fans – much as you may hate it, bleeding black and gold has some very positive effects on our community. So let’s try to get along and enjoy the fall. Go Hawks! *Congratulations, Margo! Congratulations to my friend Margo Magee Swim on her retirement! As most of you know, Melissa and I are foster and adoptive parents. Like every other foster parent and foster child in Johnson County, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to Margo Magee Swim. Margo is retiring after 30 years of service to the most vulnerable people in Johnson County. She has always gone above and beyond to ensure that foster kids got what they needed. Margo would be, borrow, and steal to get a kid a coat or a pair of tennis shoes. Literally THOUSANDS of kids have better lives because of her work. That includes my own children. Congratulations on your retirement, Margo! You quietly made the world a better place! *DID YOU KNOW? The following poem was written in response to the Lawrence, MA textile worker’s strike in 1912 – it was very much about women’s rights in the labor market. It still rings true today: “As we go marching, marching, we bring the greater days, The rising of the women means the rising of the race. No more the drudge and idler, ten that toil where one reposes, But a sharing of life's glories: Bread and roses, bread and roses. Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes; Hearts starve as well as bodies; bread and roses, bread and roses.” 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

August 17, 2012

Sullivan’s Salvos 8/21/12 In this edition: *Happy Birthday BJ! *Teachers *”Tolerance” *Courage Ride *Did You Know? *Happy Birthday BJ! Happy Sweet Sixteen to my son BJ! BJ turns 16 on August 22nd; more importantly, in his mind – that is the day we plan to get his driver’s license! BJ is a really neat young man, and I am extremely proud of him. It might sound cliché, but I fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes upon him. My life is so much richer because of his presence. I think he has a great future ahead of him, too. Happy Birthday, Buddy! *Teachers School is back in session, so I thought it might be appropriate for a little history lesson: Our former US Representative (Congressman Leach) helped pass legislation that repealed Glass-Stegall, an important wall between banks and investment houses. Unfettered, banks branched out into all sorts of ventures, becoming unmanageably huge in some cases. In this rule-free wild-west environment, banks took risks they should not have taken, and loaned money they never should have loaned. Then the bottom fell out. The US economy was pushed to the brink. The US housing market collapsed, and the unemployment rate skyrocketed. Those of us who acted responsibly (including many local banks) were forced to suck it up and bail out the bad actors. This increased US debt. Local governments, dependent upon property taxes, saw revenues fall. Now -can someone explain to me how teachers became the problem? Because rather than deal with ANYTHING I have just described, politicians chose to attack public employees. Unfortunately, many in the public bought into this narrative. I disagree. I LOVE teachers! I think teachers are underpaid and underappreciated, and do NOT deserve to be under attack! A common refrain from the haters is that “unions protect the bad teachers.” Unions do ensure that every teacher, good or bad, gets a fair hearing. But don’t we want that? And where are these problem teachers? Sure, there have been a couple high-profile cases of teacher misconduct over the years. That happens in EVERY job. The number of poor teachers is remarkably low. Teachers definitely rate better than the members of the House of Representatives who attack them! Between my three kids, two of whom are already graduates of the ICCSD system, they have had 36 years of ICCSD education. Between the three, I would guess they have probably had over 150 different teachers. I would venture to say that 80% of those teachers deserve an “A”, and 15% deserve a “B”. I cannot recall a single teacher to whom I would give a “D” or below. If you ask any adult, her or she can point back to a couple (or perhaps several) teachers who had an impact and influence that was life long. I know that was true for me! I attended Lisbon Community Schools k-12. Former Lisbon teachers Joan Pringle, Jean Ann Whitman, Yvonne Fielder, and Bob Bunting top my list, but I had many other excellent teachers. I LEARNED from these people. They really and truly mattered in my life. This is a big deal! My children and my family have been truly blessed to have these wonderful, intelligent, dedicated, caring, compassionate, hard-working people in our lives. Thank you to each and every one of them. Good luck teachers, on your new school year! Rest assured that most of us appreciate all you do! Keep up the great work! *”Tolerance” It seems that the right has decided to attempt to co-opt the idea of “tolerance”. Tolerance is a good thing. It means being open-minded and accepting. In the bizzaro world of conservative politics, gays are intolerant because they do not sit back as the right attempts to destroy their lives. Sorry folks, but you do not understand tolerance. What’s more, I do not hold tolerance in the high regard some others do. First, tolerance does not appear in the Bill of Rights. Free speech does. Secondly, I believe in confronting those who have done wrong. Look. When you try to deny someone their rights, don’t be surprised that they get pissed off! You cannot spit in my face and pretend it is somehow protected speech. Much as I hate it, often the only way to stop a bully is to directly confront her/him. Feel free to exercise your right to free speech. Just don’t act so shocked (shocked!) when the targets of your abuse exercise theirs. *Courage Ride Welcome to the Courage Ride! - Honoring the Courage of Seth Bailey! Pedal over gently rolling green hills leading past Amish homesteads and over old stagecoach routes! Enjoy! Fabulous foods all day from start to finish; a mouthwatering Belgian Waffle Breakfast, a substantial biker's lunch, and plentiful snacks at rest stops that will keep your legs fueled and moving! Relax! The hills will be alive with the sound of music! Live entertainment throughout the day - even at the rest stops! Silent Auction! Place a winning bid on bikes and other fantastic items in our silent auction! Amenities! Detailed route map, SAG support, bike mechanics, hot shower, free grass camping, and a really cool pocket sized waterproof bike pouch. Donate! Your entry fee goes to a great cause! This annual bike ride through the beautiful countryside of Eastern Iowa is dedicated to improving the lives of people living with cancer by raising money funding local cancer research at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Your donation can help find a cure for sarcoma and other cancers! Non-riders are welcome so bring your family and friends. Dad's Belgian Waffle tickets may be purchased on the day of our ride at Iowa Mennonite School. Lunch and snacks are available for purchase as well. Stay with us and enjoy the music all day long! To date, the Courage Ride has raised over $113,400 for cancer research! For more information or to register visit: http://www.courageride.org/ *DID YOU KNOW? US teachers rank only 22 out of 27 in a comparison of teacher salaries among developed nations. (Source: OECD.) 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

August 12, 2012

Sullivan’s Salvos 8/14/12 In this edition: *Happy Birthday Melissa! *Spouses of Elected Officials *Back to School *UI Students Return *Good Bye Jordan! *Lone Tree Fall Festival *Did You Know? *Happy Birthday Melissa! My wife Melissa celebrates her birthday on August 17th. I am so unbelievably blessed to be married to this wonderful woman! Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you! *Spouses of Elected Officials In thinking about my own wonderful wife, I began thinking about the challenges she faces as the spouse of an elected official. I don’t think spouses of elected officials get nearly enough credit. They have to deal with people who call their homes at all hours. They wait ad nauseam while their spouse chats up constituents at the grocery store. They get dinner ready, only to have the spouse arrive home two hours late. In addition to the annoying stuff, there is the hard work! They stuff envelopes, knock on doors, and make phone calls. They march in parades, put up signs, and clean up after party events. Much of their personal time and money goes toward helping to elect their spouse to a job that takes a lot of time, yet really doesn’t pay very well. They have to massage bruised egos and often give good political advice. On top of all that, they are expected to always be nice and polite, and up to date on all the issues. They are also asked to bite their tongues, never letting on if they hold opinions that differ from those of their spouse. I could not do it. My hat is off to Melissa and all the men and women who manage to pull this off! *Back to School It seems as though school begins earlier every single year! IMS goes back August 15! The ICCSD, Regina and College Community start August 16! That seems extraordinarily early to me! Lone Tree begins the 20th, while Mid-Prairie, Solon and Clear Creek Amana kick off on the 21st. This might sound like a contradiction in light of what I just said, but personally, I favor a move to year round schools. I have a friend who teaches at Taylor Elementary in CR, and they have a wonderful schedule! There are more short breaks, and the school offers fun and educational programming for kids whose families do not have time off during the breaks. And the summer break is still a full 5 weeks long. Kids in year round schools maintain more of what they learn, and are creatively engaged more days per year. Studies show this type of arrangement gets very good results. Of course, there are downfalls. Older buildings must be air-conditioned. Teachers would work longer and get paid more. Their contracts need to be altered to allow them more flexible work schedules. More support staff are required. All of this costs money. A lot of money! In addition, I think we should add another 10 days or so to the school year. Yes, this too would be expensive. But is it a greater cost to our future than having kids sitting around playing video games? Doing something right is rarely the cheapest option. I’d like to see us suck it up and pay what it costs to do education right. Meanwhile, good luck to all the families out there who have students headed back for another year! Keep up the good work! *UI Students Return Over 30,000 UI students are descending upon Johnson County. Yes, this means no parking, longer lines, more litter, and late night hijinx. As a Johnson County resident, you need to alter your driving habits. You’ll need to allow more time for pretty much every endeavor. Plain and simple – you’ll need to be more careful. Those are a few of the downsides. But the upsides are too great to measure! We are blessed to live in an intelligent, caring, diverse, and wealthy community! The pros most certainly outweigh the cons! In addition, I love the rhythm that comes from living in a University community. Go Hawks! *Good Bye Jordan! As college students pour in to Iowa City, at least one college student is headed out. My daughter Jordan begins her freshman year at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois on Friday, August 17. Macomb is pretty similar to Cedar Falls, and WIU is much like UNI. It is a Division I school of about 13,000 students, located about 45 minutes southeast of Burlington. Jordan is majoring in psychology and received a scholarship for running on the track team. I could go on and on. Just let me say I am so very proud! Though this is not my first child to leave the nest, it is my first headed to college. If you see me bawling my eyes out in the next few weeks, this is probably why. Good luck, Jordan. Daddy loves you! *Lone Tree Fall Festival The last of the small town summer festivals is this Friday and Saturday, as Lone Tree hosts its annual Fall Festival. This is a family-friendly event with lots of different fun activities. For more info, please see: http://www.lonetreeiowa.com/cc_fallfest.htm *DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County is home to about 25,000 people under the age of 18. (Source: US Census Bureau.) 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

Sullivan’s Salvos 8/14/12 In this edition: *Happy Birthday Melissa! *Spouses of Elected Officials *Back to School *UI Students Return *Good Bye Jordan! *Lone Tree Fall Festival *Did You Know? *Happy Birthday Melissa! My wife Melissa celebrates her birthday on August 17th. I am so unbelievably blessed to be married to this wonderful woman! Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you! *Spouses of Elected Officials In thinking about my own wonderful wife, I began thinking about the challenges she faces as the spouse of an elected official. I don’t think spouses of elected officials get nearly enough credit. They have to deal with people who call their homes at all hours. They wait ad nauseam while their spouse chats up constituents at the grocery store. They get dinner ready, only to have the spouse arrive home two hours late. In addition to the annoying stuff, there is the hard work! They stuff envelopes, knock on doors, and make phone calls. They march in parades, put up signs, and clean up after party events. Much of their personal time and money goes toward helping to elect their spouse to a job that takes a lot of time, yet really doesn’t pay very well. They have to massage bruised egos and often give good political advice. On top of all that, they are expected to always be nice and polite, and up to date on all the issues. They are also asked to bite their tongues, never letting on if they hold opinions that differ from those of their spouse. I could not do it. My hat is off to Melissa and all the men and women who manage to pull this off! *Back to School It seems as though school begins earlier every single year! IMS goes back August 15! The ICCSD, Regina and College Community start August 16! That seems extraordinarily early to me! Lone Tree begins the 20th, while Mid-Prairie, Solon and Clear Creek Amana kick off on the 21st. This might sound like a contradiction in light of what I just said, but personally, I favor a move to year round schools. I have a friend who teaches at Taylor Elementary in CR, and they have a wonderful schedule! There are more short breaks, and the school offers fun and educational programming for kids whose families do not have time off during the breaks. And the summer break is still a full 5 weeks long. Kids in year round schools maintain more of what they learn, and are creatively engaged more days per year. Studies show this type of arrangement gets very good results. Of course, there are downfalls. Older buildings must be air-conditioned. Teachers would work longer and get paid more. Their contracts need to be altered to allow them more flexible work schedules. More support staff are required. All of this costs money. A lot of money! In addition, I think we should add another 10 days or so to the school year. Yes, this too would be expensive. But is it a greater cost to our future than having kids sitting around playing video games? Doing something right is rarely the cheapest option. I’d like to see us suck it up and pay what it costs to do education right. Meanwhile, good luck to all the families out there who have students headed back for another year! Keep up the good work! *UI Students Return Over 30,000 UI students are descending upon Johnson County. Yes, this means no parking, longer lines, more litter, and late night hijinx. As a Johnson County resident, you need to alter your driving habits. You’ll need to allow more time for pretty much every endeavor. Plain and simple – you’ll need to be more careful. Those are a few of the downsides. But the upsides are too great to measure! We are blessed to live in an intelligent, caring, diverse, and wealthy community! The pros most certainly outweigh the cons! In addition, I love the rhythm that comes from living in a University community. Go Hawks! *Good Bye Jordan! As college students pour in to Iowa City, at least one college student is headed out. My daughter Jordan begins her freshman year at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois on Friday, August 17. Macomb is pretty similar to Cedar Falls, and WIU is much like UNI. It is a Division I school of about 13,000 students, located about 45 minutes southeast of Burlington. Jordan is majoring in psychology and received a scholarship for running on the track team. I could go on and on. Just let me say I am so very proud! Though this is not my first child to leave the nest, it is my first headed to college. If you see me bawling my eyes out in the next few weeks, this is probably why. Good luck, Jordan. Daddy loves you! *Lone Tree Fall Festival The last of the small town summer festivals is this Friday and Saturday, as Lone Tree hosts its annual Fall Festival. This is a family-friendly event with lots of different fun activities. For more info, please see: http://www.lonetreeiowa.com/cc_fallfest.htm *DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County is home to about 25,000 people under the age of 18. (Source: US Census Bureau.) 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

August 4, 2012

Sullivan’s Salvos 8/7/12 In this edition: *Iowa State Fair *Heritage Farm *Campaign Finance *”Uncertainty” *Did You Know? *Iowa State Fair The Iowa State Fair runs August 9-19 this year. Despite the hot weather and over abundance of cheesy distractions, I love the State Fair! If you visit, be sure to look for the many Johnson County exhibits that qualified for the big event! I hope you get the opportunity to attend this year! *Heritage Farm Another neat thing happening at the State Fair this year – Johnson County is being recognized as the proprietor of a Heritage Farm! Heritage Farms are farms that have remained under the same family ownership for 150 years or more. Farm families that meet this standard are honored at the State Fair each year. I am extremely fortunate, having been involved in two of these ceremonies. Both my maternal grandmother’s and maternal grandfather’s Heritage Farms remain in our family. It was really cool to have the State of Iowa acknowledge these amazing feats! Johnson County’s farm began as the County Poor Farm – those no longer exist, obviously! Yet about 145 acres plus the Poor Farm buildings remain under Johnson County ownership after over 150 years. I wish I could be in Des Moines on the day of the ceremony. Meanwhile, congrats to the people of Johnson County – this is your farm! *Campaign Finance I recently got a bit of egg on my face, and was slapped with a $20 fine by the Iowa Campaign Ethics and Disclosure Board. During an election year, County candidates are required to file four separate reports (May, July, October, and the following January). These reports give a detailed look at every aspect of the campaign’s finances: how you spent your money, each person who gave you money, where they are from, how much they gave, etc. The reports are online in a searchable format. Compared to other states, Iowa has a fairly robust system of reporting for candidates for local offices– and that is great! I would even prefer to see campaign finances regulated to a greater degree than they already are. So what happened in my case? Apparently the filing deadline is now 4:30 pm – that law changed January 1 of 2011. We had been working on the assumption that it was still 11:59 pm. As things played out, my report was filed at 9:08pm on the 19th. So it was about 4 and a half hours late. Please understand – I totally understand that ignorance of the law is no excuse. I have no problem paying my $20 fine; I am guilty as charged. The check has already been sent. Still… there is a part of me that says, “Really?” Sheldon Adelson can give $100 million dollars to influence a national campaign, but I get a $20 fine for being a few hours late? Corporations can donate millions to PACs anonymously, but I get a $20 fine for being a few hours late? Political donors tend to receive tax and regulatory benefits that outweigh their contributions by 1,000 to 1, but I get a $20 fine for being a few hours late? Like I said, I am guilty as charged. I paid my fine. But it is hard for me to understand how these scenarios can coexist. *”Uncertainty” In discussions of the slow economic recovery, CEOs and Wall Street types often blame the slow recovery on “uncertainty”. This REALLY makes me angry! They claim that they cannot predict what will happen in a year from now. Well, I have news for them – they never could! Hurricanes, droughts, Pearl Harbor, 9/11… we cannot predict the future, and we never could. That excuse is crap! Obama has not raised tax rates on any American during his years in office. There have only been cuts. You don’t hear that much, do you? Yes, he is now talking about the need for more revenues. But can’t these captains of industry do a little math? If Romney and a bunch of Republicans win, you will pay far less. If Obama and lots of Democrats win, you could pay a bit more. Plan accordingly. We are forced to do this every year in Johnson County, and we have been successful. Our budget is due every year by March 15, even though the Legislature can spend until May changing all the rules. It is frustrating. It is UNCERTAIN. But we get by. In addition, I cannot stand the fact that these wealthy people talk about “uncertainty”. Here is one thing of which I am certain: EVERY person who earns a million dollars per year can lose his/her job tomorrow and still be rich! These folks do not know THING ONE about “uncertainty”! Try working 40 hours/week at $7.50/hour and no insurance nor sick leave with an unreliable car for which you cannot afford insurance. Every step you take is uncertain! The poorest 80% of Americans (about 240 million people!) own 15% of the wealth. The top 1% has about 36% of the wealth. For 80% of Americans, uncertainty is a way of life. Uncertainty means one thing for the wealthy, and something very different for the rest of us. Frankly, I’d like to work toward ending uncertainty for the 250 million or so Americans who really understand what uncertainty means! *DID YOU KNOW? Campaign reports may be viewed at: http://www.iowa.gov/ethics/ 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