Rod Sullivan, Supervisor, Johnson County, Iowa

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SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

November 29, 2013

Sullivan’s Salvos     12/3/13




In this edition:


*The Best Government Money Can Buy
*Obamacare Info
*Recall Elections
*Did You Know?




*The Best Government Money Can Buy
         Johnson County recently considered a controversial zoning matter. A wealthy local businessman wanted to rezone some property. His proposal went against our adopted Land Use Plan. He was told no by a 3-2 margin.

         As he left the room, the gentleman complained about how much he pays in taxes. I did not say anything at the time, but I have thought about it ever since.

         He has no interest in speaking to me, I’m sure. And I do not want to rub salt into a wound. But I’d honestly like to hear more from this guy. I am sincerely interested in the thoughts he expressed.

         I want to know if he really believes we should consider the amount an applicant pays in taxes when making our decisions. Should he get treated better because he pays more? Should the government favor him over someone who does less to fund that government?

On the other hand, some governments are creating “express” services for people that can afford them. Just like the “express pass” at Disney – if you pay enough, you cut to the front of the line. Governments who have adopted this stance argue that they are simply following the lead of the private sector. Plus, the ability to charge extra fees is attractive in an age of tight budgets.

         Some might argue this gentleman already receives this type of favoritism. After all, two Supervisors were willing to go against our Land Use Plan to give him what he wants; would they do that for someone who was poor?

I’ll admit - I myself have given this gentleman what I would consider to be better than average service simply because of his status. Twice when the County was considering ordinance changes, I preemptively reached out to him to solicit his opinion. I did not do that with random poor people!

         I’m certain that I am viewed as insufficiently “pro-business” by this gentleman and several others. Sometimes I find this frustrating, as I would argue that I have been a bigger advocate of “buying local” than any other elected official. I truly want to see him and all our local business owners do well.

But I often wonder – do they REALLY want a government whose decisions are for sale to the highest bidder? Like many locals, this guy is a big fish in a small pond. What if the next thing he wants is opposed by MidAmerican? What if it is opposed by Microsoft? Does he really want governmental decisions made on the basis of who pays the most taxes?

         Meanwhile, what are your thoughts? Should government services/decisions depend upon how much one pays in taxes?




*Obamacare Sign Up
The following came from Lynette Jacoby, Johnson County’s Social Services Director. (We are lucky to have her, by the way!)

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will allow many uninsured and under-insured Iowans the opportunity to obtain free or low cost healthcare. The trick now is ensuring that everyone is informed on how to accomplish this and assisting them in making it happen!

The Johnson County Healthcare Outreach Group (representatives from local health and social services agencies, Johnson County, United Way, UIHC, and insurance brokers) has developed strategies to build awareness and offer assistance on accessing health insurance through the Healthcare Marketplace.

1.) Individual service providers working directly with families earning below 400% federal poverty level are critical to outreach efforts and informing consumers about the ACA. Tara Clark, UIHC Social Worker, will provide a training on the Affordable Care Act/ Healthcare Marketplace for social services and healthcare providers on Friday December 6, 10:00 -11:30 in room 203 of the Health and Human Services Building. Providers will learn the nuts and bolts of the Healthcare Marketplace available in Iowa through the Affordable Care Act and the role they can play to assist consumers with enrolling in a healthcare plan.  For those unable to attend the training the Iowa Insurance Division has a variety of webinars available for targeted audiences. These webinars can be accessed at: http://www.shiip.state.ia.us/cab/cabwebinars.asp

2.) The attached brochure identifies access points to assist consumers in applying for assistance. Please distribute the brochure widely.

3.) UIHC will be hosting enrollment fairs on January 11, February 1, and March 1. The locations and times of the fairs can be found at http://www.uihealthcare.org/enroll// <http://www.uihealthcare.org/enroll/> . UIHC will also offer healthcare enrollment assistance in the community room of the Coral Ridge Mall December 2- 15.

4.) Check the United Way website; http://www.unitedwayjwc.org for up-to-date information on enrollment fairs offered throughout the county.

Thanks, Lynette, for this important update!




*Recall Elections
         I think recall elections are extremely bad policy. When a person gets elected, she/he deserves to fill out the term of office, no matter how badly she/he performs. I feel strongly that recalls are bad at any level of government.

         I do think every level of government needs a provision for impeachment. If an elected official is convicted of a felony, fails to fulfill the duties of the office, or commits some other high crime, there should be recourse available to remove that person from office.

         Note, however, that impeachment should not EVER be used because elected officials disagree. It should ONLY be used when the law and/or oath of office has been violated.

         Eight states allow recall elections, but only when laws have been violated. 11 states allow recalls with no reason necessary. Iowa is one of the 31 states with no provision for recall elections.

         I am very glad Iowa does not allow recall elections without cause. That probably means the Legislature will pass it this year!




*DID YOU KNOW?  Clarion (Wright County) is the only Iowa county seat in the exact center of the 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 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





November 22, 2013

Sullivan’s Salvos     11/26/13




In this edition:


*Thanksgiving
*RIP Dennis Ryan
*Save PATV!
*Zoning/Land Use Plan
*A Tale Of Two Counties
*Did You Know?




*Thanksgiving
         Happy Thanksgiving to all Salvos readers! I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday!

         I have many things for which I am thankful. Family, friends, health, relative wealth… I am a pretty lucky guy! One thing that I do not acknowledge enough, however, is the Salvos audience! I really appreciate the fact that you take the time to hear what I have to say. It is humbling, and I truly am honored to have this soapbox.

         So thanks for reading, and have a great holiday!




*RIP Dennis Ryan 
Johnson County is well-known for colorful characters. We recently lost one of those characters in Dennis Ryan. Dennis was a labor stalwart, a peace activist, and a firm believer in equality and economic justice. He never gave me any passes when it came to being progressive - not once!

More than any person I know, Dennis was always "fighting the man." Even small issues that caused most of us to roll our eyes - those were the fights Dennis accepted with glee. Just try to tell him how often he needs to mow his lawn!

My Dad once told me about Dennis nominating himself for Union President, then arguing with the bylaws committee - basically pissing off everyone in the room. After winning that argument, he lost the election - the only vote he got was his own. But that was Dennis; proving a point was worth it.

But despite his willingness to fight a fight, Dennis was funny and pleasant. He was always willing to lend a hand to friends and strangers alike.

RIP, Dennis.




*Save PATV!
         Mediacom would like to eliminate PATV. The Iowa City Council needs to be encouraged to fight for this valuable community asset! For more info, see:
http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20131120/OPINION02/311200009/Help-keep-PATV-serving-Iowa-City-community




*Zoning/Land Use Plan
         Remember how I told you that our Land Use Plan was going to be challenged? Remember how I asked you to show up if the Land Use Plan was important to you?

         Yeah. Well, nobody showed up. Including the media. Typical. The Gazette now does economic development instead of news, and the Press Citizen doesn’t even do that. Neither has regularly covered the Supervisors in a few years.

Luckily, three Supervisors held firm. Thanks to Supervisors Neuzil and Rettig for doing the right thing. Shame on all of you who claim this is important, but cannot get your hands dirty. Where were all the people who have complained about Newport Road? Where was ANYONE?

         Folks, you WILL get exactly the government you deserve! This is why you get crappy laws! We just dodged a bullet by a 3-2 vote. We might not be so lucky next time. We all need to do a better job of being engaged citizens!




*A Tale Of Two Counties
         I frequently write about issues of wealth and poverty. Thanksgiving offers me the opportunity to do this to an even greater extent.

         The country as a whole is becoming more and more unequal. The same phenomenon is taking place in Johnson County. It really is a “Tale of Two Counties”, with a small but growing wealthy population, a shrinking middle class, and a huge and growing population of poor people. This is not hyperbole – it is fact. There are all kinds of statistics backing this up.

         Some people honestly believe this is good. Social Darwinism. Survival of the fittest. Free markets. Invisible Hand. Call it what you want; we can see the results. I happen to believe these results are unacceptable. I also believe that a proper role of government is to help regulate in areas where the unregulated results are unacceptable. In my mind, our economic results are unacceptable.

Last year, Ohio Senator Rob Portman changed his view on same sex marriage after his own son came out as gay. I heard a few comedians remark, “Too bad his son didn’t come out as poor.” Not sure who first said this, but I love it! We need an awakening!

         So, what governmental interventions do I suggest? Most of the best anti-poverty programs are federal. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, school lunches, Section 8 housing and many other federal programs are proven to be effective anti-poverty measures. Sure, each of these programs has had its problems, but the successes number in the hundreds of millions! The national media likes to pretend these programs do not work. Nothing could be further from the truth. We should support these programs – not just their maintenance, but their expansion.

         There are also things can and should be done at the local level. One that I have mentioned frequently is inclusionary zoning. Developers do NOT build affordable housing without being forced to do so; local governments should simply require it. Done. It is that easy, and it would really help poor people.

         We are working on the FY15 Johnson County budget. Some time in January, there will come a day where we see what county government will cost the owner of a $100,000 property. And once we see this amount, the Board will begin to cut programs and services.

         It happens the same way every year. Supervisors will want to prove their fiscal bona fides, and make indignant comments such as, “How much more can people afford?” It is all great theater.

Yet we will be discussing $3 per $100,000 assessed value. $3. And believe me, much of that $3 will be cut. So the owner of a million dollar house will not have to spend that extra $30. And we Supervisors will pat ourselves on the back and talk about how frugal we are.

         But few people ask about what was cut. Who is not helped? What service was cut? What position was not funded? What agency cut back on staff?

         Yes, we have a Tale of Two Counties. We are living it. If you are reading this, you are likely one of the fortunate people. This is a great time of year for you to count your blessings. Trust me – many folks in Johnson County do not share in your good fortune.




*DID YOU KNOW?  Most Iowa Counties now have some sort of zoning. Washington County rescinded zoning last year.



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.

November 15, 2013

Sullivan’s Salvos     11/19/13




In this edition:


*Elected Officials & Affordable Housing
*General Assistance
*JFK Assassination 50-Year Anniversary
*TIF Pot, Meet TIF Kettle!
*Did You Know?




*Elected Officials & Affordable Housing
         Now that City Council elections are over, it is time for us to get to work on affordable housing. As I have said many times, I am firmly convinced that a lack of affordable housing remains our number one challenge.

         The Public Policy Center at the UI just finished a report on inclusionary zoning. Jerry Anthony, local housing expert and UI Professor of Urban and Regional Planning is the main author. (Inclusionary zoning is a key missing piece to the affordable housing puzzle.) You can find this report at http://ppc.uiowa.edu.

         In Iowa City, all the election winners listed affordable housing among the issues upon which they wanted to work. Now is the time to make those campaign promises come true!

         In Coralville, Councilors Mitch Gross and Jill Dodds have agreed to work on this issue; hopefully, they can bring their city to the table. North Liberty is already interested in talking. Tiffin might be.

         School Board member Jeff McGinness has spoken out in favor of addressing affordable housing, and Director Tuyet Dorau told me she favors inclusionary zoning. We will need the support of the ICCSD!

         The issue is at crisis level; we simply must get to work on this! Elected officials – we were elected to lead! We have talked the talk – now we need to walk the walk! Let’s do this!




*General Assistance
         Below is a portion of the FY13 General Assistance (GA) report. GA provides short-term monetary help to Johnson County residents in extreme financial crisis. GA offers a safety net for those not eligible for other government programs and promotes community strength by encouraging individual stability, self-sufficiency and responsibility.

Financial assistance is available to address the following needs: rent, utilities, prescriptions, food/provisions, and burial/cremation to eligible applicants. As per the Code of Iowa, Chapter 252.25, counties are required to provide General Assistance for poor persons in need. The code directs the Board of Supervisors in each county to establish general rules and eligibility requirements for the program.

According to the 2010 census, 18.2% of residents lived in poverty compared to 11.6% statewide. The FY13 Fair Market Rent for an efficiency apartment was $559 per month and $670 per month for a one-bedroom apartment. The 2013 estimated average wage of a renter household in Johnson County was $8.03/hour, while the estimated housing wage (that wage which is needed to afford to rent a two bedroom home at the Fair Market Rent) was estimated at $16.40/hour (National Low Income Housing Coalition, 2013).

The maximum rent benefit in the Johnson County General Assistance Program in FY 2013 was $350 per month for a one-person household and $450 per month for 2 or more persons in a household. The vast majority of assists, 73%, went to rental assistance followed by other (prescriptions, health supplies and groceries) 16% and assistance with utilities, 11%. 

Services rendered are paid directly to the landlord or other applicable vendor. Persons seeking assistance must submit an application for each month in which help is requested.

There were 1330 applications submitted for General Assistance, and 1073 or 81% were approved in fiscal year 2013. The number of applications received decreased slightly while the number of households receiving assistance increased over last fiscal year.

Providing information and referrals to other resources is also an important component of the General Assistance program. This fiscal year 556 referrals were made to additional local resources.




*JFK Assassination 50-Year Anniversary
         November 22, 1963 is one of those dates in American history that is burned into our brains. I was not quite born yet, but for people who were old enough, they will never forget where they were when they heard the news.

         Local writer Larry Baker is organizing an event to commemorate the 50-year anniversary. The event will be Friday, November 22 at noon in Room A of the Iowa City Public Library.

Though I was not around for the assassination, I have always been fascinated by the events surrounding this dark day in our history. Nothing about it ever seemed right. Go forbid we ever go through a similar series of events!




*TIF Pot, Meet TIF Kettle!
         You may have seen that developers have submitted a plan to Iowa City that would redevelop the former Mumm’s property on the banks of the Iowa River.

         First, a disclaimer. I have spent some time in Mumm’s. I know it was a dump, even when it was open. But towns NEED a dive bar or two, if you ask me! So yeah, I’m a bit sentimental. But setting that aside, this is certainly a good spot for redevelopment. So I will admit this is a good thing.

         My issue is this – the developers for this project are Kevin O’Brien and Hunter Parks. They sued Coralville over that city’s use of TIF and other overly generous business incentives.

         This proposed redevelopment is in a TIF district. Are Mr. O’Brien and Mr. Parks doing this without any incentives? I doubt it! I would LOVE to be proven wrong, but I doubt they are doing this without the assistance of Iowa City.

         If only there was some group of businesspeople working to call attention to these arrangements, pushing cities to stay out of financial deals that should be handled by banks…




*DID YOU KNOW?  People are considered “cost burdened” by their housing if it exceeds 30% of their income. In 2000, 34% of Iowa City residents were cost-burdened by their housing. By 2012, that number had risen to 45%.



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




November 7, 2013

Sullivan’s Salvos     11/12/13




In this edition:


*RIP Nancy Swisher
*City Election Results
*Planning and Zoning
*Green Building Certification
*Homeless Children’s Trust
*Center For Worker Justice
*Did You Know?




*RIP Nancy Swisher
         We lost a real gem a few days ago with the passing of Nancy Swisher of Iowa City. Nancy was a kind soul who really cared deeply about making the world a better place.

         I am glad I had the opportunity to know her. RIP, Nancy.




*City Election Results
         The voters have spoken, and the results are in!

         In Iowa City, the top issues seemed to be diversity, affordable housing, and downtown. The status quo won 2/3 races, with incumbents Susan Mims and Terry Dickens holding their seats. Newcomer Kingsley Botchway II claimed the other position.

         She did not win, but candidate Royceann Porter really set the terms of the discussion. And Rockne Cole and Catherine Champion are unlikely to go away! We’ll see what happens on these issues over the next two years.

         In Coralville, the issue was good versus evil. (Or so I was told.) Record voter turnout gave us the following results: In the Mayoral race, incumbent Councilor John Lundell easily defeated three other challengers. Incumbent Councilors Bill Hoeft and Tom Gill also won, along with former city employee Laurie Goodrich. So Americans for Prosperity went 0-4 in their misguided intervention into Coralville politics. Now we’ll see if we can get a joint meeting!

         A couple other races of note: in University Heights, local elections once again approached Gubernatorial levels of turnout. On Tuesday, over 60% turned out to elect the more “pro-development” of the two slates. This probably means less compromise and more pushing forward on the proposed St. Andrew development.

The race in Tiffin has been quite contentious; the interesting result there is former Mayor and current Councilor Royce Phillips losing his seat. Similarly, newcomer Markus Cannon defeated Bryan Bredman, incumbent Mayor of Shueyville, by just two votes. In Oxford, Gary Wilkinson won the race to replace Don Saxton, who is retiring after 44 years of service. Voters in Oxford took this seriously, voting at a 45% clip.

         I have only touched on a few of the many races that were decided Tuesday; for a complete list, go to www.johnson-county.com/auditor/.

         Thanks again to all who threw a hat into the ring and stood for election. And congratulations to all the winners. You were just hired for some very important jobs! I wish you all luck!




*Planning and Zoning
         Members of the Board of Supervisors often hear that our citizens really care about Planning and Zoning. I believe people when they say this, and there is evidence to back it up – candidates who support good Planning and Zoning principles have won the majority of our elections over the past 20 years.

         Still, when the Board is actually faced with Planning and Zoning decisions, the only people who speak want to subvert, change, or abolish our zoning rules. The Board hears from these folks frequently; supporters of good planning? Not so much.

         One real pet peeve of mine – our Sensitive Areas Ordinance only applies to subdivisions of 3 or more lots. It should apply to all subdivisions of 2 or more lots. This is a loophole that simply must be closed! But right now, only two Supervisors support this change. Until we get three votes, the Sensitive Areas Ordinance is impotent. It would be great to have the public begin to pressure Supervisors to do the right thing in this case.

         You can change the way zoning decisions occur in this County! The Board meets tonight (Tuesday, November 12) at 5:30pm to discuss several zoning matters. Show up. See what you think. Speak your mind.




*Green Building Certification
         Johnson County recently won an Excellence in Action award from the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) for our Green Building Certification program.

         This ISAC award is given annually to a county that comes up with an innovative idea. This is at least the 3rd and perhaps the 4th award Johnson County has won since the award was created approximately 6 years ago.

         The Green Building Certification program is administered through the Building Division of the P&Z Department. Our Building Inspectors work with builders to certify that building elements are done according to the best practices in environmental sustainability. Upon inspection, builders who chose to build their home or business to the higher standard receive a certification. This certification stays with the building, so future buyers will know how it was constructed. Everything is voluntary, but because the public is demanding greater sustainability, the program is growing.

         We will be able to pick this award up next week at the ISAC annual meeting in Des Moines. Congratulations to Johnson County P&Z Department on this well-deserved award!




*Homeless Children’s Trust
         The annual Homeless Children’s Trust Christmas Party is Saturday, December 7th. Volunteers are needed – to help, please call Mary Larew at 338-1212 or 337-2264, or e-mail her at marylarew33@yahoo.com.




*Center For Worker Justice
         The Center For Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa (CWJ) is celebrating its 1st Anniversary with an open house on Saturday, November 16 from 2-6pm.

         This is an opportunity to salute the hundreds of volunteers who have worked for the past year to help the CWJ take root. This has been a year of education, organizing, and social change. People are speaking up, wage theft is being addressed, and good things are happening.

         This event will be held at the new office space recently secured by the CWJ at 940 South Gilbert Court in Iowa City.




*DID YOU KNOW?  The Johnson County Land Use Plan was adopted in 2008.



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