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SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 31, 2013
Sullivan’s
Salvos 11/5/13
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday Rachel!
*City Elections
*Tough Kids!
*Politics Becoming More “Polar”?
*Did You Know?
*Happy Birthday Rachel!
My
oldest daughter Rachel turns 22 on November 6th. Rachel has always
been fun to be around; her smile can light up a room. I am proud of the fact
that she is maturing and really starting to figure things out.
If
you should happen to stop by the Jimmie John’s in downtown Iowa City, you’ll
know which one is Rachel by the bubbly personality!
Happy
Birthday, Honey! I love you!
*City Elections
Municipal
elections are today. Please exercise your right and get out and vote! Polling
places are available by calling 356-6004 or on the Johnson County Auditor’s web
page at: http://www.johnson-county.com/auditor/voter/2013citysamplepoll.htm.
A
reminder: I support Cole, Botchway, and Porter in Iowa City.
*Tough Kids!
As
you may know, local high school football teams are once again having
outstanding seasons. Regina is on an unprecedented run. City is ranked. West’s
only loss is to City. Solon is having another fine year, as is West Branch.
Mid-Prairie, Lone Tree and Clear Creek are also playoff bound.
This
incredible success led a friend of mine from the Des Moines area to comment,
“You sure do have some tough kids in Johnson County!” I think he is absolutely
correct. But I think it is a different group of kids who should be praised for
being tough.
Kids
who do not get three daily meals? Those are tough kids. Kids who absorb the
slings and arrows from peers who tease them about their sexual and/or gender
identities? Those are tough kids. Kids whose parents beat them? Those are tough
kids. Kids whose families are homeless, going from place to place? Those are
tough kids. Kids whose parents struggle with drugs or alcohol? Those are tough
kids. Kids whose families have been disrupted, and now live in foster care?
Those are tough kids. Kids who deal with disabilities? Those are tough kids.
Kids whose parents suffer from mental illness? Those are tough kids. Kids who
have to work to support their families? Those are tough kids. Kids with cancer?
Those are tough kids!
Yes,
we have great high school football teams in Johnson County. I am proud of the
efforts of those kids. I am even MORE proud of the efforts of the many kids in
Johnson County who struggle against incredible odds. They will not be getting
any pep rallies in their honor, but they are our real heroes.
*Politics Becoming More “Polar”?
If
you listen to any kind of news analysis, be it from the left, right, or center,
you will hear some version of the following meme:
“Our
politics have become extremely polar, and few moderates now serve in elected
office.” You have heard this before, haven’t you? Well, I happen to believe
that this analysis TOTALLY misses the mark.
There
are actually LOTS of moderates in both the US Congress and Iowa Legislature.
The issue is that virtually all the moderates are Democrats.
Here
is the deal - the GOP has moved VERY far to the right. They have run the
moderates in their party out of office. But they have also dominated the
conversation. Over the past 30 years, Republicans have successfully defined the
terms of the debate.
What
does this mean? It means the debate is too often between the far right and the
moderates. Liberals, progressives – whatever you want to call them – are not
even part of the conversation.
Here is an example: people think Social Security is in financial
trouble. It is not. Very small tweaks will make it solvent for another 100
years. But we continue to hear that cuts are necessary.
If progressive voices were part of the debate, we would be
discussing different things. Rather than cuts, we’d be discussing the
elimination of the wage cap and increasing benefits. But that is simply not a
part of our public discourse. The choices are two: maintain Social Security as
it is, or make cuts. Adding the progressive voice to the conversation would
point out that there are other options.
On
the State level, last Legislative session we had Democrats falling all over
themselves to give tax cuts to owners of commercial property, particularly
owners of mobile home parks and apartment buildings. There was no real debate
as to whether or not these folks should be taxed MORE. The debate was simply
how big a cut they should receive. This was a one-sided debate, and a huge
mistake!
Perhaps the best example of this is our current debate over the
Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). The archconservative Heritage Foundation
developed virtually exactly this same policy in the early ‘90s. Republican
Governor Mitt Romney pushed the exact same plan in Massachusetts in the early
‘00s. Today, ZERO Republicans in Congress can support the policy. The policy
has not changed; the GOP has.
I
think we need more progressive voices in the debate. But that requires
Democrats being willing to push their elected officials on issues, run
candidates in primaries, and generally raise expectations. Doing so will not
only improve the debate – it will improve our country and state!
There
is also a fallacy that the more moderate (or compromise) position is always the
best. This is simply not true. Sometimes the hard right position is the best
way to go. Sometimes hard left makes the most sense. Just because compromise
was involved does not make the product better. Sure, compromise often results
in a better product; just not always.
So
don’t believe the pundits. The middle is well represented. It is the left that is
not being heard.
*DID YOU KNOW?
According to the National Journal, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) is the
most conservative Democrat in the US Senate. All Republican Senators rank as
more conservative than Manchin.
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
October 25, 2013
Sullivan’s
Salvos 10/29/13
In this edition:
*Thank You Don Saxton!
*Iowa City Human Rights Awards
*Jail Population
*Jail/Courthouse Future Plans
*A Lighter Jail Note
*Did You Know?
*Thank You Don Saxton!
An
era is coming to an end. In a week, voters in Oxford will go to the polls. And
for the first time in forever, Don Saxton will not be on the ballot.
Don
Saxton is winding down a truly remarkable career in elected office. Six years
on the City Council and 38 – that is correct, 38 – years as Mayor. To three
generations, Don Saxton IS Oxford!
While
Mayor Saxton’s career is impressive in terms of quantity, it is even better in
terms of quality. No mayor has worked harder. Power outages, fires, cars that
won’t start, snowstorms, stray dogs … Don responds to everything. No complaint
is too small for Don. He listens to them all. And he does so in that kind,
gracious, manner that is Don’s alone.
Don has served on every imaginable committee, most for several
decades. Emergency Management, MPO, Conference Board... whenever the committee
called for a Mayor, Don responded.
It
is kinda funny – you all know of Oxford resident Peter Feldstein’s outstanding
work, “The Oxford Project”. Feldstein photographed every single resident of
Oxford, first in 1984 and again in 2005. Folks laugh that Don’s photos look
almost identical; I’ve heard people joke that he’s probably wearing the same
shirt.
While
this is funny, it also gets to the heart of what makes Don so wonderful –
consistency. The sun will rise in the east, and Don Saxton will do his job as
Mayor. It is CLASSIC Iowa. Nothing fancy, just get the job done and refuse to
accept credit or thanks.
To top it all off, you will not find a finer human being. Don
Saxton is a true gentleman. Oxford has been blessed – for over 40 years!
Congratulations, Don, on a well-deserved retirement!
*Iowa City Human Rights Awards
I
have said it before, and I’ll say it again: Iowa City’s historic commitment to
Human Rights is one of my favorite things about that city. It was a huge factor
in my decision to live there.
As
I have noted in Salvos many times, the current Iowa City Council risks throwing
all this away. The cavalier disregard for human rights demonstrated by this
Council should be a deep cause for concern. It should be an issue in municipal
elections.
With
this concern as the backdrop, I attended the 30th annual Human
Rights Breakfast. I go every year, but this was a very special event, as it was
also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Human Rights
Commission.
Award
winners were: Kafi Dixon (Linda Severson Award); Working Group Theater (Rick
Graf Award); Misty Rebik (Kenneth Cmiel Award); Yashar Vasef (International
Award); Bob Welsh (Isabel Turner Award); Center for Worker Justice of Eastern
Iowa (Bill Reagan Community Award); A. Mori Costantino (Lifetime Achievement
Award); Jean Lloyd-Jones (Lifetime Achievement Award).
A special nod to my friend Bob Welsh, who won for his 50 years
of advocacy for - well- just about everyone who is disadvantaged in any way!
You will never find a kinder gentleman. Bob Welsh is simply amazing!
The Center for Worker Justice
and Misty Rebik rocked my world! Fantastic example of how to walk the walk!
And how cool that every
speaker touched on either racial issues and/or affordable housing? Those are
the issues we are facing, folks!
Thanks to the Iowa City Human Rights Commission for its efforts,
and for putting together this event. And congratulations to this outstanding
group of honorees! Keep fighting – we need you now more than ever!
*Jail Population
I
have been doing some thinking about the population currently housed in the
County jail. Deputy Brian Kahler works overnights at the jail, and he has been
doing “snapshots” of who is in the jail on any given day. The results are
interesting, and I commend Brian for all his extra effort.
He
has done the statistics for a couple of different days, the most recent being
September 28. There were 140 people held that night, about 90 here in our
facility and 50 shipped out to other counties.
Perhaps the most interesting bit of information is the fact that
the average number of prior arrests for that group was about 5.5. I want to
spend some time dissecting this number. (I did not check with Brian, so I’ll be
making some assumptions. Please bear with me.)
If
we take 5.5 times 140, we get 770 previous arrests. I think it is probably safe
to assume that several people are there for the first time. My previous work in
this field taught me that many folks change their behavior after a second
arrest; they felt the first was some type of fluke, etc. So prisoners who have
zero and one prior arrest are probably going to be a fairly large percentage of
this group.
Let’s
assume that 30 people are in for the first time, and another 30 for a second.
That amounts to 60 people with 30 previous arrests. That means the other 80
prisoners had 740 previous arrests – an average of better than 9 apiece!
My
guess is that if we really dig into this, there were a handful of individuals
who were arrested that night who have been arrested 20 or more times each.
These are the folks who really skew the numbers.
Let’s
keep my first and second time numbers, and also assume there are 10 people who
have been arrested 20 times each. Now you have 70 people remaining that have 540
previous arrests – an average of 7.7 apiece.
Granted,
this is all speculation on my part. But it is informed speculation. There are
both very low users and very high users contributing to our average.
More
importantly, these people with 20+ arrests are the “frequent users” we talked
about a few weeks ago. We desperately need to address this group of people who
take up so many resources. We are not serving them well. I look forward to
continuing to work with Shelter House to adopt the “frequent user” model here
in Johnson County.
*Jail/Courthouse Future Plans
The
Johnson County Board of Supervisors, Sheriff, and County Attorney met on
Monday, October 14 to discuss future plans for the jail and courthouse.
I
left the meeting extremely frustrated. I really encourage folks to listen for
yourselves. I think you’ll find it enlightening. Audio from the meeting can be
found at: http://www.johnson-county.com/auditor/min/min.htm#Board%20of%20Supervisors%20Minutes%20and%20Agendas
The
first 90 minutes of the meeting is rehashing the past two elections. The final
115 minutes is where the real discussion occurs.
Another
meeting was held 1:15pm on Thursday, October 24th. Still, nothing
was decided. Now we move to Wednesday, November 6 at 4:30 pm. Stay tuned!
*A Lighter Jail Note
Lori
Lindner and her husband Doug do a great job covering County news through the
two papers for which they work – the Solon Economist and the North Liberty
Leader.
As
you can see, the idea of a new jail was controversial then as now. Thanks,
Lori, for sharing this piece of our history!
*DID YOU KNOW?
Mayor Saxton lived his whole life in Oxford, with the exception of a
couple years being away at college.
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
October 17, 2013
Sullivan’s
Salvos 10/22/13
In this edition:
*Coralville Elections
*Ease of Accessing Public Records
*Did You Know?
*Coralville Elections
Before
I even begin discussing Coralville elections, I need to be preemptive. I can
hear it now – “Sullivan doesn’t even LIVE in Coralville!” That is true. But
almost everything Coralville does affects me; I represent every single citizen
of Coralville. So I am impacted - primarily professionally, but personally,
too.
Coralville
Democrats… if you accept campaign funds from other jurisdictions; if you think
we need to cooperate to improve the lives of all our friends and neighbors; and
if you really believe we are “all in this together”, then you shouldn’t get too
upset with a guy who lives 5 miles away weighing in.
It
is also safe to say that no one involved in this election wants my endorsement.
Each would probably prefer I endorse her/his opponent! They just don’t want me
bringing up certain issues. Now, about this election…
City Council and Mayoral elections in Coralville have the town
abuzz. Matters of finance, TIF, and debt have created two slates of candidates
with polar views.
Unfortunately,
I think this election is going to be a big loser for the people of Coralville,
when it could have been an opportunity.
On
one side, you have incumbents and way too many of their supporters claiming
that Coralville has never EVER done anything wrong, and if you dare criticize
anything, you are jealous and/or a Coralville hater.
On the other side, you have challengers and way too many of their
supporters claiming that everything Coralville has EVER done is wrong, and that
bankruptcy is just around the corner.
Both
of these groups are wrong. Coralville is a great city with a bright future. It
also needs to make some changes. Middle ground exists. I’m just not certain
either group is interested in finding where that middle ground lies.
Instead,
we are being treated to a debate that goes something like, “Did too.” “Did
not.” “Did too.” “Did not.”
One of my biggest frustrations over my almost 9 years in office
has been the refusal of the cities of Iowa City and Coralville to meet with
Johnson County. I understand why – the County will air grievances, and the cities
don’t want to talk about it. It is easier to ignore issues and pretend they’ll
go away.
But the public deserves better. The public deserves a conversation
between elected bodies. That is how we create understanding and reach
agreements.
I met with challenger Matt Adam, and I came away impressed. While
we are not from the same party, we agree on many fiscal/budget/TIF issues. I
would even go so far as to say I found him “refreshing”. (Yes, the use of that
word is purposeful.) We really did see eye to eye on several things. He seems
to be smart and committed. I hope Mr. Adam will stay involved in local
politics.
There
are other candidates in the field. David Fesler is a legacy – his father served
as the Mayor of Coralville back in the ‘60s. David is a real gentleman who
loves his hometown deeply. The guess here is that Mr. Fesler takes some votes
from both sides, but not enough to alter the outcome. Also, 18-year-old Logan
Strabala has demonstrated a lot of moxie while throwing his hat in the ring; perhaps
we will hear more from him in the future.
So, what are voters to do? I would urge them to vote John Lundell
for Mayor. Here is the deal – John and I have had our disagreements. On several
issues, frankly. But if I were a Coralville voter, I’d choose John.
I wrote in Salvos about a month ago that I vote for candidates
based upon 1.) character; 2.) ideology; 3.) everything else. I have known John
long enough and well enough to tell you that you aren’t going to find a better
guy. He loves Coralville, he knows Coralville, and he is a really good person. Character
counts.
I have spoken to John Lundell, and he agrees that Coralville and
Johnson County should meet. That is absolutely critical, in my estimation. It
shows that John is willing to listen and perhaps embrace at least a bit of change.
I am going to push for joint meetings no matter who wins this
election. I’d love to see the Press Citizen, Gazette, League of Women Voters,
and others push Coralville (and Iowa City) to meet with Johnson County. And I
hope I’m wrong – I hope both sides change their approaches, and recognize the
people of Coralville deserve open-minded governance.
*Ease of Accessing Public Records
The
Board has recently decided to maintain a policy of keeping names off of our Geographical
Information (GIS) database. That means you can look things up by address or
parcel number, but not by the owner’s name.
This
is a frustration to several people who regularly utilize the GIS site. The GIS
employees, Assessors and Treasurer have all heard complaints from members of
the public who would like to have the ability to search by name.
The Board made this decision several years ago, after concerns
were raised about the ability of stalkers to use GIS to easily look up
information on their victims. I disagreed then, and I disagree now.
I
am not unsympathetic to victims of domestic violence. I am a supporter
(financial and otherwise) of DVIP, and have been for years. I understand
domestic violence better than most – I taught Batterer’s Education classes for almost
15 years. I have family members who have been victims of abuse. I understand
the concerns.
Still,
I think the approach this Board has taken is wrongheaded. Deed holder
information is a matter of public record. If a person comes into the office, we
give him the information. But we do not allow him to get it online.
This
makes no sense to me. Why are we making it MORE difficult to access public records?
We would never tell him at the counter, “Yes, it is a public record. But you’ll
have to find it yourself.” We always attempt to make it EASIER. Why make it
harder online?
In
addition, there are literally thousands of public records under the control of
Johnson County. Why are we singling out name searches on GIS? We could remove
all information from our website – wouldn’t that make victims safer? We could
force folks who come into the office to look info up themselves – wouldn’t that
make victims safer? We could require folks do a Freedom of Information Request
and wait 7 days for every piece of public information – wouldn’t that make
victims safer?
Obviously,
we could go to ridiculous lengths to make public records available, all in the
name of keeping victims safer. But there is absolutely zero data demonstrating
that victims are safer because we limit name searches. It is all anecdotal at
best.
I
think this also ignores reality. Privacy as we knew it no longer exists. We all
have LOTS of info out there. That horse has left the barn. I’m not convinced
that limiting this single bit of the public record is really going to serve as
such a deterrent. If a guy wants info on a victim, there are easier places to
go than our GIS website.
This also overlooks a very important fact – these are PUBLIC
records. The Johnson County Board of Supervisors does not own these records.
The people do. We should make public records MORE available, not less.
Will
some people use this information to harm others? Probably. They can already do
so. A great many more people will use this information to be more effective and
efficient in their jobs. It is not the job of the Board to play God with who
gets the info – it is our job to get it out to people as easily and simply as
possible. With public records, I cannot justify doing anything else.
A
final note – I’m willing to increase the funding Johnson County gives to DVIP
in this year’s budget. I think that actually WILL make victims safer. I’m not
certain all my colleagues will follow through. Let’s see if the “support for
victims” we see in this policy translates into a commitment to greater funding.
I
think the Board is making a mistake here. I hope it changes some day.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Shelter House served 534 adults and 100 children last year. They stayed
a combined 25,326 nights.
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
October 12, 2013
Sullivan’s
Salvos 10/15/13
In this edition:
*Iowa City Elections
*IC Human Rights Breakfast
*Run For The Schools
*Did You Know?
*Iowa City Elections
It
is election season in Iowa City, and as you might imagine, I have some
thoughts.
I
subscribe to the theory that most local governments suffer from a severe case
of groupthink. Elected officials are busy people, who typically hold other
jobs. They simply don’t have the time to dive into the many relevant topics the
way they should. When an elected official lacks information, she/he turns to
the person with the info – in this case, the City Manager.
So
one person – he with the most information – ends up with tremendous power. No
matter how smart your manager might be, he (they are almost always he) needs to
be challenged. Eight heads are better than one. He needs people asking
questions. That simply does not occur in Iowa City today. This council has
decided to just go along.
I also see Iowa City doing many wrong things right now. The city
is moving away from all of its historical strengths. Let’s look at just a few:
AAA Bond Rating: Iowa City seems determined to follow
the rest of our cities down the TIF path. The city now falls all over itself
giving handouts to private businesses – and they aren’t even choosing the
correct businesses! Steve Atkins’ Iowa City used to be “above the fray” when it
came to these financial shenanigans. Let’s return to those days!
Diversity: Iowa City used to value diversity. Now
we have a police force that routinely harasses people of color. The message
people of color get is very clear – we don’t want you here! This Council has
been unwilling to address this in any meaningful way.
Respect for Civil/Human
Rights: You can’t pass
things out downtown. You can’t lie down downtown. You can’t talk to passers by
downtown. Basically, you cannot do ANYTHING downtown – if you are poor, anyway.
They’ll look the other way if you appear to have money. Why isn’t all of this
unconstitutional? I do not understand how the ACLU has not sued and won on
these issues. More importantly, I do not understand how any Council could think
these rules make sense.
Caring: Iowa City used to care about people
with less. Not anymore. In the race to “catch” Coralville, this council decided
the poor need to live in other communities. This Council is going to sell
public housing, even if it makes no financial sense. Despite 30 years of
evidence to the contrary, they will vote against inclusionary zoning. They’ll
say they “prefer incentives to requirements”. And it won’t work – just like it
hasn’t worked for 30 years. They’ll spend tax dollars to subsidize crappy jobs
with no benefits. And yes, Eleanor – the people who are unable to pay your $65
“poor person’s fine” WILL go to jail in the end.
Innovative: Iowa City used to be innovative. This
was a city that tried things. Look at how this Council stressed over urban
chickens. They are so cautious that they are afraid of their own shadows.
Unless Marc Moen has an idea. Then they will throw caution (and money) to the
wind, and anything goes.
Intergovernmental
Relations: Iowa City
used to be very cooperative. Now they are looking to screw Johnson County at
every opportunity. From major issues like JECC, the animal shelter, and SEATS
to smaller slights such as the Trueblood Rec Area and MPO votes, the Markus
administration’s goal seems to be to put the hurt on Johnson County. I’m sure
Coralville feels every bit as warm and fuzzy about the way IC is behaving.
Heck, Iowa City won’t even agree to a joint meeting with Johnson County. 9 of
the 11 cities in the county have already done so. What are they afraid of?
Fun place to be: Iowa City used to be a fun place to
be. This Council wants to be certain no one has any fun. They even want to
screw up things like the Farmer’s Market that run well without their
interference. They want a reputation of quiet, somber solemnity. It is not fun.
I do not like where Iowa City is headed. We need a change. We can
and should do better. So I suggest shaking up the Council.
I support Kingsley Botchway and Rockne Cole in the At Large race,
and RoyceAnn Porter in District B.
I
have seen Kingsley’s work firsthand at Johnson County. He is bright,
enthusiastic, and hard working. He would bring the perspective of a young
person and a person of color – both perspectives this Council sorely needs.
Rockne
Cole has ideas. He is willing to think outside the box. And as an immigration
attorney, he is not interested in stripping more rights from more people.
I
have known RoyceAnn Porter since our daughters first became friends over a
decade ago. RoyceAnn tells it like it is. If the emperor is not wearing any
clothes, she’ll tell you.
This
is not a knock on the other candidates. They are all very nice people. I just
don’t see them changing the way IC does business. And we need a change. Desperately.
Iowa City needs to shake things up. We have an opportunity to do
just that. I urge you to vote Kingsley Botchway, Rockne Cole, and RoyceAnn
Porter for City Council.
*IC Human Rights Breakfast
The
30th Annual Iowa City Human Rights Breakfast will be Thursday,
October 24 at 7:30 am at the Sheraton Hotel.
In
honor of the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the Iowa City Human
Rights Commission (ICHRC), the community is invited to participate in creating
a local human rights/social justice vision for the next fifty years by
participating in the ICHRC’s, “I Have a Dream…. for Iowa City” community
engagement campaign.
A
slideshow featuring these dreams for the future, as well as local human rights
struggles and victories over the past fifty years will be shown at the IC Human
Rights Commission’s Annual Human Rights Breakfast.
The
IC Human Rights Commission was established on September 3, 1963, just days
after the historic March on Washington, August 28, 1963, at which Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., delivered the historic, “I Have a Dream…” speech. As the
nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, the Iowa
City community is encouraged to look back over all that has been accomplished
in the last fifty years and envision what is yet to be accomplished in the next
fifty.
Tickets
for the IC Human Rights Commission’s 30th Annual Human Rights Breakfast on
October 24, 2013 cost $20 and can be purchased at the Cashier’s Desk at City
Hall (410 E. Washington Street, Iowa City). A limited number of reduced price
tickets are also available and can be reserved by calling 319.356.5022.
*Run For The Schools
You
can Run for the Schools on Sunday, October 20. To register or for more
information, see: http://www.runfortheschools.com/2013Brochure.pdf
*DID YOU KNOW?
Current Iowa City Councilor Connie Champion has served 4 full 4-year
terms. She is the first Iowa City Councilor to serve that long since at least
1970.
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
October 6, 2013
Sullivan’s
Salvos 10/8/13
In this edition:
*Housing Crisis
*Johnson County Annual Report
*Book Festival
*Democratic Party BBQ
*Did You Know?
*Housing Crisis
I
keep mentioning the lack of affordable housing in Johnson County as our single
biggest problem. A recent article in the Press Citizen (Friday, September 27)
reinforces this idea.
I
hope local leaders will sit down and discuss this issue. As a matter of fact, I
think we should have an Affordable Housing Summit and invite all the players. I’ll
get to work on that!
Meanwhile,
I have gotten some pushback on my suggestion that the Board use a portion of
the Poor Farm land for affordable housing.
Most of that opposition came from people who felt parkland was too
valuable. I have several responses to this. First, I'm the guy who came up with
the idea for the $20 million Conservation bond. I know we need parkland. My
plan would ADD 100 acres of park that is not there now.
We have $19 million of the $20 million still available for the
purchase of public land. We have the ability to add parks and open space. This
is the Supervisors’ ONLY opportunity to address low-income housing.
The Poor Farm is public land now, yes - that is being row cropped.
No one gives a darn who owns it, because they cannot use it. My plan would
allow much greater public usage.
And while we need more open space, we do not need it as much as we
need affordable housing. We have almost 1,200 people living on the streets. That
does not include all the people who are doubled up! Rents went up 10-15%
despite huge tax cuts for landlords. The vacancy rate is one half of one
percent.
People must come first. Parks second. Period.
The public sector keeps putting its faith in the private housing sector.
And for 25 years, the private housing sector has failed miserably. Rents are
higher than ever. Very little progress has been made. But Iowa City continues
to claim it “prefers” a market-based solution. There IS no market-based
solution! The private sector WILL NOT fix this! You need to act!
And the Iowa City approach, bad as it may be, is much better than
the approach of Coralville. They simply pretend there is no problem. They
should be ashamed.
A former Coralville councilor and I were once arguing about public
subsidies for low wage jobs. He told me that the people who work low wage jobs
(taxpayer subsidized) in Coralville could “just live in Williamsburg”.
Unfortunately, that is the most conversation that has ever been had on
affordable housing in Coralville.
Other respondents supported affordable housing, but wanted to see
it built closer to the core. First, which city “core”? This crisis is not Iowa
City’s alone. Second, there IS bus service to the area. The City bus stops at
Chatham Oaks. Finally, if one wants to harp on the City Councils for lacking
courage and failing to enact inclusionary zoning - I'll join you. We have an
opportunity with municipal elections coming up to ask our leaders to do better.
Want affordable housing downtown? Johnson County does not OWN
those spaces! I'm suggesting we commit the ONLY asset we have available. I'm
calling for Johnson County do what it can to address our single biggest
problem.
I go back to last week’s piece: 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.
*Johnson County Annual Report
We
are trying something new. For the first time in recent memory, Johnson County
is doing an annual report.
Thursday, October 10 at 4pm Elected Officials and Department Heads
will be presenting a report on FY13. From Ambulance calls to bridges, from
property taxes to death investigations – we are going to tell the community
what happened in FY13.
There will be food and drink, as well as some time to chat. The
whole presentation will be quite short, with additional written and electronic
information available. I really have high hopes for this event. I hope that if
you are reading this, you will stop by!
As I noted, we hope to make this report an annual event. I hope
the community supports this effort. We are trying our best to communicate with
our constituents, but that is becoming more and more difficult.
One way that you can help – talk to local media about this. Urge
them to cover it. I can’t get local papers to our meetings, but perhaps with your
encouragement we can get them to this.
*Book Festival
The
Iowa City Book Festival runs from Thursday evening October 10 through Sunday
evening October 13 in locations across Johnson County.
This
year’s event will be the biggest and best yet. For a full schedule of events,
visit: http://www.iowacitybookfestival.org
*Democratic Party BBQ
The
Johnson County Democratic Party is holding its annual Fall BBQ on Sunday,
October 13 from 3-7 pm at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. Speakers include
Congressmen Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack; there is also music, a silent
auction, excellent Neuzil pork, homemade desserts, drinks, and fun!
For
more info call 337-VOTE or visit: http://jcdems.org.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Democrats outnumber Republicans by better than 2:1 in Johnson County.
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
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If you do NOT
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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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