SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 20, 2013
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/23/13
In this edition:
*Technical Difficulties
*Supervisor Districts
*NAMI Walk
*Kites for Kids
*Take Back the Night
*Did You Know?
*Technical Difficulties
Unfortunately, I am having a very difficult time getting my weekly Salvos out. Problems with Blogger and Mediacom are creating headaches that I cannot seem to fix.
Please bear with me. And if you know anything about mass e-mails and want to donate some time, please let me know.
Meanwhile, I am going to repeat a portion of last week’s Salvos in the hope you get it this week. I apologize for the difficulties!
*Supervisor Districts
The issue of County Supervisor Districts has reared its ugly head in Johnson County. This is a lousy idea. For starters, Districts cost taxpayers more money! Plus, I do not believe geography matters nearly as much as people think.
One high-profile example - Supervisor Harney lives in Newport Township, yet disagreed with the vast majority of Newport residents over the road.
Personally, I voted to vacate a road that is home to one of my friends, very near where I grew up. That was not fun, but I felt I needed to ignore the geography.
Geography is but one thing that binds people together. Despite the immigration of the past two decades, we remain a small community in many ways. Frankly, most elections are won because of who your Mom and Dad are/were. There are old friendships to take into account. Every election has issues of gender, race, religion, occupation, education, political party, and income level, just to name a few.
These issues aren't usually well publicized, but it is clear that many farmers vote for farmers, many UI folks vote for UI folks, many Catholics vote for Catholics, and so forth. This does not even take into account the actual issues of the day - public safety, roads, social services, taxes, and the like. Does geography matter? Yes, but not nearly as much as people think.
This leads to the issue of Supervisor districts. Linn and Washington Counties recently adopted a district system, where the county is divided into 5 districts and only the people in that district vote for that Supervisor. Sups must live in the district they represent. I have several issues with a district system.
First, as I pointed out, geography is often less important than people realize. (See my arguments above.)
Secondly, we have a system of one person, one vote. Iowa City, with 68,000 residents, will always have more voters than Oxford, with 800. Law would not allow a district to be gerrymandered in such a way to guarantee a Supervisor from Oxford. If we had districts, each would contain about 27,000 residents. A district that included Oxford, Tiffin, Swisher, Shueyville, and lots of rural residents would still only amount to 7,000 people. Even if you added North Liberty to the mix, the district would be 7,000 people short. So the idea that you are going to get an Oxford-based Supervisor is still slim.
The best bet for someone wanting a Sup from Oxford is to find a good candidate in Oxford, work with her on issues, and urge her to run. Good candidates CAN win regardless of where they live; it is difficult to win BECAUSE of where you live.
Thirdly, districts actually eliminate good candidates. It is entirely possible that the two best candidates live next door to each other. Why eliminate one from holding office? If it was a job interview in the private sector and you were determined to hire the two best people, you wouldn’t even look at where they lived.
Fourthly, districts add inefficiency to government by creating a patronage system. If Swisher gets a road repair one year, Lone Tree will get one the next, whether it is needed or not. Because rather than looking out for the best interests of the entire county, you have created a system that rewards “bringing home the bacon.” This WILL increase the cost of government!
It also adds expenses to elections. Supervisor Districts create additional ballot types, driving up the cost of elections while adding to voter confusion. That does not even take into account the fact that you need to hold an $80,000 special election just to vote on the change!
Fifthly, districts eliminate some of the representative nature of government. All 5 Sups vote on ordinances, the budget, and everything else. If a Sup is going to spend my tax dollars, I want to have a say by being able to vote for or against her. And the Rural Fund makes up only $3 million of the $84 million dollar county budget.
In Polk and Linn Counties, there are multiple Supervisors who do not have a single county road or rural resident in their Districts. This would likely occur in Johnson County, too, if a District system was in place. This creates an incentive for the urban representative to push all the expenses of County government to the rural side of the budget.
Rural people – you think you want this? Think again! You might well end up with 3 out of 5 Supervisors who represent NO rural residents. Why would those three continue to tax their residents (all city dwellers) for things such as rural patrol deputies? I think districts will lead to additional expenses for rural people.
Similarly, when people claim to feel “unrepresented” – you have five Supervisors now. How “represented” will you be when you have one? You just might find yourself at odds with the sole Supervisor that represents you.
Finally, I dislike identity politics. I frequently hear, “We need a couple rural folks on the Board.” I understand the reasoning, but I disagree. Look at all the flaws in this argument:
1. Not all rural folks think alike, and not all rural folks will vote alike. Remember – rural does not necessarily equate to farmer!
2. Johnson County has about 4,000 on-farm residents. (That amounts to 3% of overall county residents, and a little less than one in 5 rural residents.) Johnson County has many more teachers than farmers; why don’t we need a teacher on the Board?
3. In continuing the identity politics, Johnson County is home to 4,300 Latinos; 6,000 African Americans; 13,000 people with disabilities; 6,000 gays and lesbians; 19,000 seniors; 25,000 people with Master’s Degrees or higher. Must we ensure that each of these groups is represented? If so, how do we accomplish this on a 5 person Board?
4. What does it mean “to be represented?” While not African American, I am sensitive to issues of race through having three African American children. While not a farmer, I grew up on a farm, and we still have several in the family. While I do not have a disability, I used to work at The Arc. Each Supervisor could go on similarly as to why she/he represents everyone well.
Several local business leaders have been advocating for governments to think bigger and more regionally. This proposal goes the opposite direction. I hope Chuck Peters, Clay Jones, and others who have been advocating for less government will publically oppose this silly plan!
I hope that Johnson County never heads down the ill-conceived path of Supervisor districts. It only serves to drive up the cost of government, without improving services.
*NAMI Walk
This week is the NAMI Walk of Johnson County, the signature walkathon event of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The event is being held in Iowa City at City Park on Saturday, April 27, 2013.
NAMI is the largest education, support, and advocacy organization that serve the needs of those who are touched by mental illness. This includes persons with mental illness, their families, friends, employers, the law enforcement community and policy makers.
The goals of the NAMI Walk is to fight the stigma that surrounds mental illness, to build awareness of the mental health system, and to raise funds for NAMI so that it can continue its mission. Please join us for the walk or donate to support this great event. For additional information please visit: http://namiwalks.nami.org/Kandy68
*Kites for Kids
11, 474 children were abused in Iowa in 2011. At least 325 children were abused in Johnson County in 2011.
Prevent Child Abuse is an event geared towards bringing together the families in Johnson County to raise awareness about child abuse.
Starting at 12:30 pm there will be kite flying, cupcakes, cookies, and hot chocolate. All food, hot chocolate, and kites will be provided free of charge for the first 50 people who arrive at the park!
Bring your children, moms, dads, grandparents, and neighbors and come fly kites in Lower City Park, Shelter #5, Iowa City.
Cupcakes/Cookies donated by: Molly's Cupcakes, Yummy's Gourmet Cakes, Cookies and More, and Cottage Bakery & Café.
*Take Back the Night
Take Back the Night is an annual march and rally organized by the Women’s Resource & Action Center (WRAC). Historically, this event has recognized sexual and relational violence against women, and this year, the event will be extended to provide the opportunity for all oppressed groups to speak out against sexual violence. We will be discussing the recently reauthorized Violence Against Women Act, and the implications it has for women in our community, as well as a discussion of men’s roles as allies in the fight against sexual violence.
6:30 pm- We'll start the evening with a welcome. Then, five keynote speakers from various campus/community organizations will address sexual violence in their communities
7:30 pm- We will march through downtown Iowa City
8:00 pm- The event will finish on the Pentacrest where we will have an open mic available for those who wish to share their personal experiences and stories with sexual violence (note cards will be passed around for those who wish to share their stories anonymously).
In case of inclement weather, Take Back The Night will be held at the regularly scheduled time in the UI Pomerantz Center, Room C20.
This event is sponsored by the UI Women’s Resource & Action Center, and is co-sponsored by the Domestic Violence and Intervention Program (DVIP) and the Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP).
For information and updates see www.uiowa.edu/~wrac
*DID YOU KNOW? Mediacom stinks.
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 @ 2:33 PM
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