rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 27, 2013
Sullivan’s
Salvos 10/1/13
In this edition:
*North Liberty Book Talk
*Poor Farm
*Did You Know?
*North Liberty Book Talk
The
UNESCO City of Literature organization is hosting another series of Book Talks,
this time in the newly renovated North Liberty public library. The event will
be Wednesday, October 2 from noon-1pm.
The list of Book Reviewers includes Mayor Tom Salm; local
children’s author Dori Butler; State Representative Sally Stutsman; Assistant
Hawkeye Wrestling Coach Luke Eustice; local publisher Steve Semken; and the
North Liberty Leader’s Lori Lindner.
The
event is free and open to the public. Call 356-5245 for more info.
*Poor Farm
Johnson
County has been talking about redevelopment of the County Poor Farm for several
decades now. Recent discussions lead me to believe that things may start
happening there sooner rather than later. But first, some background:
The county has owned this property since 1855.
Every county had a poor farm; Johnson County’s is the last one standing. It
originally had around 200 acres and now has 160, of which about 130 acres are
still farmed. The property also includes land that is home to the Joint
Emergency Communications Center (JECC) and Chatham Oaks, a residential care facility
for people with mental illness. The property is now completely within the Iowa
City city limits, and is completely bordered by houses on the south side.
The
Poor Farm initially had two functions. One was as a residential facility for
people living in poverty who would work the land in return for food and shelter
on a temporary basis. There also was an asylum for the mentally ill, who were
expected to work to the best of their abilities. The asylum building is already
on the National Register of Historic Places; we have recently applied for this
status for the whole farm.
Unfortunately,
the county allowed the buildings to fall into disrepair over the years. We are
now faced with either paying to fix them up, or tearing them down altogether.
It seems that the whole Board is in favor of preserving the buildings.
This
may be where our agreement ends, however.
Most
Supervisors have expressed interest in some type of a west side park. We do not
necessarily agree as to what type of park, how large, county or city, and other
details. One Supervisor talked about a Living History Farms-type of park;
others feel that is unrealistic in terms of costs. But there appears to be
support for some type of park. There also appears to be agreement on running a
trail along an existing path from the southeast portion of the property up to
the northwest.
There
has also been talk around using a portion of the property to support the local
foods movement. We have had discussions with a couple of entities that are
interested in doing some farming at this location. Each has a slightly
different twist; I’m not certain there is agreement as to whom we’d like to
work with and what we’d allow them to do.
Supervisors
have discussed keeping a portion of the ground in production agriculture. This
can get complicated; the more land we commit to parks and other uses, the less
likely someone will continue to farm it. It may simply become too much of a
hassle. There may also be conflicts between groups who want to raise vegetables
organically and a renter who applies chemicals.
We have discussed the possibility of selling off a portion of the
farm for housing. At least one Supervisor has said no to this idea. Other
Supervisors point out that selling off some residential lots would help fund
the other plans for redevelopment.
Additionally, Supervisor Etheridge has expressed a desire to move
most of County government to this location. That would undoubtedly squelch any
plans for a park. Frankly, this plan would be prohibitively expensive, and I do
not sense anyone else being supportive of that plan. It does, however, make it
more difficult to find the three votes necessary to do anything else.
So,
you ask… Rod, what is your suggestion?
*I
think maintenance of the buildings is a must. I want to see them fixed up to
historic standards and used. The buildings need to be surrounded by
interpretive panels that explain the history of the place. This WILL cost
money!
*I
want to see a portion of the ground (and perhaps some buildings) used in
support of local foods. Whoever we contract with should provide jobs to people
in need; that is in keeping with the history of the place.
*I
like the idea of some continued row crop farming, but the Board needs to
understand that other commitments may make this economically unfeasible. If
that is the case, we should convert the row crop ground to prairie.
*I
am in favor of significant housing development in the area. These would be
attractive lots, much like the lots that surround Hickory Hill. By selling some
lots, the County could help to fund the repair and maintenance of buildings,
the building of a trail and restrooms, and set up a fund to support these
efforts into the future. I don’t see a major difference between a 130-acre park
and a 100-acre park. But the money that could be made from the sale of 30 acres
would make a HUGE difference in the future of this place!
*Finally, and in my mind, most importantly, I think the County
MUST seize this opportunity and create some low income housing as part of a
housing mix. I firmly believe that the number one issue facing Johnson County is
the lack of affordable housing. We have an opportunity here to help address our
number one problem – we should not let it pass!
This area is within walking distance of Webber Elementary, which
is a fairly low FRL school. City bus service already exists in the area. The
housing that in this part of town is NOT diverse; we could assist with that. We
should develop some of the land into housing for a very diverse mix of incomes,
including people who are very poor.
My plan has not been discussed with the City of Iowa City. Even if
I can get two additional Supervisors to agree with me, Iowa City could scuttle
the idea. This is because as I noted earlier, the whole Poor Farm is within the
Iowa City corporate limits. I hope this will not happen – as I noted, I believe
affordable housing to be our number one challenge. Hopefully two more
Supervisors and Iowa City will agree.
We talk about the Poor Farm, and our focus is always on the “Farm”
part of the equation. I think we need to put more focus on the “Poor” part of
the equation.
Our forefathers had a way, albeit crude, of housing the poorest
among us. Over 150 years later, affordable housing is the number one problem in
Johnson County. We should not lose sight of this.
I simply cannot support any type of redevelopment at the Poor Farm
that does not include a healthy dose of low-income housing.
So
– what are YOUR thoughts? What should the Board do with the Johnson County Poor
Farm?
*DID YOU KNOW?
Iowa City recently did an “Affordable Housing Market Analysis”,
available here: http://www.icgov.org/site/CMSv2/file/planning/commDev/hsngAnalysis.pdf
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"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
September 21, 2013
Sullivan’s Salvos 9/24/13
In this edition:
*Congrats Mike Quinlan! *Apples! *Northside Oktoberfest *FUSE *Political Pet Peeves *Did You Know?
*Congrats Mike Quinlan! Congratulations to Mike Quinlan of the Department of Corrections on his retirement after 20+ years.
Iowa’s Sixth Judicial District is more than just a probation and parole office. And Mike Quinlan is more than just another corrections officer.
For several years, the 6th has embraced a “restorative justice” philosophy. The idea is pretty simple – if you made a mess, you need to clean it up.
This can take several forms. In some cases, offenders actually apologize to victims. (In other cases, that is neither appropriate nor desired.) In many cases, offenders “pay back” their debt to society by doing work in the community. This is the program Mike Quinlan has supervised for several years.
Not only do these offenders do thousands of dollars worth of work, they also learn valuable job skills. Perhaps most importantly, they often develop empathy for others in our community.
The program is great, plain and simple. But it will never work without the right person in charge – someone who is tough but fair. Someone who treats people with respect but holds them accountable. Someone who is willing to work hard and lead by example. Someone who cares about the community and believes in giving back.
That someone is Mike Quinlan. A truly great guy doing truly great work. Congratulations on your retirement, Mike – you will be missed!
*Apples! We have apples! Please feel free to take all you want! Just e-mail me and we’ll arrange a time. We have a picker; bring your own bucket (BYOB)!
*Northside Oktoberfest Northside Oktoberfest is Saturday, September 28 from 10-6 in Iowa City’s historic Northside Marketplace.
There will be food, drink, games, music, and events for all ages. This is also your opportunity to partake in BrewFest 2013!
For more info, see: http://www.northsideoktoberfest.com
*FUSE Johnson County spends a great deal on human services. Though we get relatively good outcomes, there are folks out there who are difficult to serve.
Johnson County recently received a presentation on the “frequent user” model of addressing the needs of our most difficult to serve clients. This presentation is timely, as Iowa City has recently decided to criminalize several additional behaviors downtown. That will only increase our problems with this group of folks.
A better approach would be the FUSE model presented by Shelter House. FUSE refers to Frequent Users of Service. This could refer to many different services – ambulance, jail, emergency room, detox, shelter, courts, police, etc. All of these services cost money to provide.
Perhaps some of you have heard the story of “Million Dollar Murray”. Murray Barr was a homeless man in Reno, Nevada. Over the course of 10 years, the City of Reno, Washoe County, and the State of Nevada spent over a million dollars locking him up, treating him in emergency rooms, putting him through detox, etc. Unfortunately, Murray’s story is not unique. A study in Denver showed that 5% of the social service clients used 55% of the resources.
So, many cities and counties have turned to the FUSE model. Providing housing for folks in this situation is the most cost-effective treatment available. Some folks blanch at this approach. We have poor folks who are “more deserving”; why should this guy who causes so much trouble get served ahead of them?
I certainly understand that argument. My response would be: serve him, save a lot of money, then serve more folks with the savings.
The biggest obstacle to making the FUSE model work is the lack of affordable housing. The lack of affordable housing is at a crisis level here in Johnson County, so this might make beginning such a program unfeasible.
I actually think Johnson County may be able to provide a key piece to the puzzle. As you may know, Johnson County owns the houses across from the jail. We rent most of them out right now. One of two of these houses could easily be adapted to start a FUSE program. Sure, that particular house might not be there forever. But we could help get things started.
There are things we can do to help our most difficult to serve clients. That does NOT include criminalizing more behaviors. I hope we get the chance to see the FUSE model in action!
*Political Pet Peeves I have several pet peeves around politics. Many of those pet peeves cut across political party and ideology. You’ll hear the same series of complaints, whether the President is a Democrat or Republican. Here are just a few:
Peeve: This President takes too many vacation days. Response: This is easy to judge. Records are kept. Just compare the numbers.
Peeve: Presidential trips cost too much. Response: Yeah. They cost too much whichever party is in power. And?
Peeve: This particular Presidential trip is political, not public business. Response: Again – and?
Peeve: The other political party is taking our yard signs. Response: They took 10% of yours. And you took 10% of theirs. Both parties lost most signs to drunks and mischievous teens.
Peeve: Hitler/Nazi references. Response: Really? Because they are RARELY a good comparison!
Peeve: This President is stupid. Response: He went to the Ivy League just like all the rest.
Peeve: We need to impeach this President. Response: How are his actions any different than those of any other President?
There are many more, but you get the idea. These superficial arguments do not do anything but create more division. We have REAL issues about which we disagree. Let’s focus on those, and not this extraneous crap.
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County has 1146 homeless people. This does NOT include “couch surfers” or doubled up families. The 1146 total only includes people at shelters or sleeping outside.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"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
September 13, 2013
Sullivan’s Salvos 9/17/13
In this edition:
*School Election Results *Air Conditioning in Schools *ICCSD Public Speaker Policy *Reasons For Votes *Thank You, Sarah! *Hatred *Did You Know?
*School Election Results Voters have spoken, and PPEL and Kirkwood levies passed overwhelmingly. A few new faces will be joining our local school boards. Turnout was much better than normal (about 18% in Solon; 10% in the ICCSD; 7% in CCA; 5% in Lone Tree) but still awful!
Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all the candidates. Your willingness to step up deserves a round of applause!
*Air Conditioning in Schools Now that we know who won the election, I hope ALL voters in the ICCSD will pressure the Board to add air conditioning to EVERY classroom as soon as is practicable!
Frankly, I’m disgusted by parents who say, “I never had AC, and I turned out fine.” (I did not have AC, by the way.)
My dad was born in a house with no electricity, no running water, and a dirt floor. Thank goodness he didn't adopt the attitude, "It was good enough for me..."
Times change. None of us had computers in school; that doesn't mean computers aren't important for schools today.
I happen to believe air conditioning will improve the environment, allowing for the focus to be on learning. (Studies show this to be the case.) It also allows for a future that may include a different school calendar.
So – regardless of whom you voted for – contact the ICCSD and ask them to get busy on air conditioning!
*ICCSD Public Speaker Policy Continuing with the ICCSD, I have heard that the Board has instituted a policy of only allowing members of the public to speak at every other meeting.
Seriously? Come on, ICCSD Board! You can do better! What kind of message does cutting off public discussion send? You appear petty.
Besides, you are getting the exact opposite effect; you are turning your most persistent critics into martyrs, heaped with public sympathy.
Yes, elected bodies have no legal obligation to allow the public to speak. And yes, elected bodies may set limits on public speech. But this was a bad decision. You should repeal it.
*Reasons For Votes This ICCSD election had some interesting dynamics. Democratic Party leaders voting for people who are not Democrats. Union members voting against labor and for management. Incredibly orchestrated use of bullet voting in Coralville and North Liberty. People backing an elementary versus the high school that elementary feeds.
So – how do I decide for whom I am going to vote? There are several factors. Those are, in order:
1. Character 2. Ideology 3. Personality 4. Other
Numbers one and two outweigh everything else several times over. I seldom get as far as factor #3.
Other considerations (race, gender, home town, etc.) rarely come into play for me, because they are much less important.
How about you? What makes you vote for or against a specific candidate?
*Thank You, Sarah! I would be remiss to let the school stuff pass without saying a heartfelt thanks to outgoing ICCSD Board Member Sarah Swisher.
It seems that Sarah is a very polarizing figure. She used to be a “big shot” in Democratic Party circles – until she left a position of power. That freed up many of her so-called “friends” to abandon her. Which many have done more than once.
I’ll leave it at this – we have done many things since her election that were long overdue.
Thank you, Sarah. Your work is appreciated!
*Hatred I mentioned Sarah Swisher earlier, and noted that she is “polarizing”. I’ll go a step further – there is a group of people out there that hates her. I’m sorry to say that, but I know it is true.
I can empathize; there is a group of people that hates me, too. (Those groups probably overlap a lot.) It got me thinking… I wonder why there is so much hatred toward political figures in Johnson County?
“Hate” is a strong word. I get that. But it is not too strong in this case. When someone calls or e-mails and says, “I hate you,” it seems pretty legit. There are people out there who would love to see me dead. Some have said as much. I’ve not had many actual threats, but I have been told by people that they wish me dead.
What brings on this level of dislike? Support for human services? Support for the environment? Support for organized labor? Support for TIF reform? Support for Civil Rights?
The hatred certainly seems to be policy-related. It can’t just be political party, because not all Democrats catch this same flack. I have colleagues who serve in the same position who do not get this response. (Others do.) All are Democrats. So it is not a matter of party.
It is really too bad, because I have many very good Republican friends. We agree on many things, and we can almost always compromise when we don’t. I wish the haters would try to work with me. It would be better for us all.
Several years ago I was in Des Moines, and I heard a lobbyist sneering to a group of Legislators. He said, “Mary Mascher” in a way that would blow your mind. It was if the words “Mary” and “Mascher” were the two biggest epitaphs in the English language. I was surprised. I told Mary later, and she laughed. But the feeling behind his words stuck with me. I had hoped those feelings were limited to Des Moines. Clearly they are not.
Similarly, I heard the hatred in the voices of the people in 1998 that could not accept that Johnson County would elect a lesbian to the office of County Recorder. Perhaps this is the best hope for the future – I don’t hear much vitriol hurled toward Recorder Painter any more.
I am a huge fan of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I think he is one of the top 5 most important Presidents, and one of the top 5 best Presidents. Whatever you think of him, FDR was a lightning rod.
Referring to “powerful forces” that opposed his every effort, FDR once said, “They are unanimous in their hatred of me, and I welcome their hatred.”
I guess I need to buck up and go the FDR route. But I wish things were different.
*DID YOU KNOW? Knitting together two of today’s topics – Theodore Roosevelt Elementary in Iowa City and the “new” City High were both projects of FDR’s Public Works Administration.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"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
September 6, 2013
Sullivan’s
Salvos 9/10/13
In this edition:
*School Board Elections
*Soul Festival
*Thanks, Senator Dvorsky!
*Credit Unions
*Did You Know?
*School Board Elections
School
Board elections take place today in Johnson County.
Good
luck to all the candidates, and thank you for your willingness to take on this
daunting task! I wish you all the best!
My
recommendations? Jedlicka and Schwab in Solon; Cook, Tate, and Barron in the
ICCSD. (See last week’s Salvos for more details.)
People
of Johnson County – vote! Schools affect us all, every day. Please go to your
polling place and do your civic duty! (Polling places can be different for
school elections; see www.johnson-county.com to find your polling place.)
*Soul Festival
A new event from our
friends at Summer of the Arts! The Iowa Soul Festival is a celebration that
features the dance, music, food and art of the African and African-American
communities. This event is designed to highlight the positive influences that
the culture has on Iowa City, the Creative Corridor and Eastern Iowa.
The
three-day event will feature locally, regionally and nationally recognized
artists. Activities will engage current residents while inspiring previous and
future residents and students to explore learning, working, living and playing
in Iowa. Enjoy live entertainment, soul food, African-American inspired art, a
FUN Zone for the kids, and much more!
The inaugural Soul
Festival runs Friday, September 13 through Sunday, September 15 in downtown
Iowa City. Friday features the legendary Buddy Guy!
This
is an exciting and much-needed celebration in our County! Hope to see you
there!
*Thanks, Senator Dvorsky!
The
Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) honored Senator Bob Dvorsky of Coralville this
week as their “Friend of Housing”. IFA noted the way that Senator Dvorsky is always
able to get something done in support of affordable housing.
I
started thinking about it, and I realized that there are MANY groups who can
always count on Bob to “bring home the bacon”. Regents institutions, k-12
education, teachers, State and local governments, seniors, people with
disabilities, poor folks, union members, corrections, law enforcement,
libraries, tourism, conservation, elections, civil rights, clean water, health
care… Bob gets it done for all these groups, and many more, every year. And he
has done so for decades.
I
used the term “bring home the bacon” earlier, and some will view this as a
slam. Those who feel government is bloated and wasteful will see it as a
negative. Thing is, state and local governments are actually very efficient.
People don’t get wealthy; they earn fair salaries in exchange for helping their
fellow citizens. Providing the adequate resources to allow these groups to do
their jobs is important, and Senator Dvorsky gets this done.
Just
as important, you can always go to Senator Dvorsky to get a common sense
Legislative fix. It is rarely all about money; many times, we simply need to
change a word or two in the Iowa Code. Bob is the guy you go to when you want
this done.
Congratulations,
Senator, on your recent award. And thank you for doing SO much for SO many for
SO long!
*Credit Unions
There
has been a person walking around downtown Iowa City with a clipboard,
attempting to get signatures to “protect the status of credit unions.”
I
couldn’t let this go, so I began asking questions. She was not interested in my
questions, and quickly walked away. So while I cannot speak directly for her,
here is the scoop as I see it:
Basically, credit unions are classified as nonprofits, meaning
they enjoy several tax advantages that banks do not. These tax loopholes are
coming under fire, and the credit unions are fighting back.
I
understand why these differences existed in the first place. There were areas
of the country where banks were unavailable. There were people banks refused to
serve. Credit unions were small, local, member-operated, and filled that
important niche.
Fast forward several decades, however, and many credit unions are
as large as local banks. Frankly, I cannot understand why large credit unions
deserve any type of tax break whatsoever.
Don’t get me wrong; I HATE the fact that we have banks that are
“too big to fail”. But those are not our local institutions. I think everyone
would be better off if we all banked locally. I believe our local banks deserve
an equal playing field versus credit unions that are just as large.
It
seems to me that an institution’s tax status should be related to the amount of
deposits they control. Otherwise, it is just a big tax loophole. If a small
institution can demonstrate that it fills an underserved niche, give them a
break – whether they are a bank or a credit union.
(In the interest of full disclosure, I bank at MidWest One, but
Melissa uses the UICCU. We are joint owners of each other’s accounts.)
*DID YOU KNOW?
You can renew your vehicle registrations online at: http://www.johnson-county.com/dept_treasurer.aspx?id=923
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
"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
|
