SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 6, 2014
Sullivan’s
Salvos 4/8/14
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday, Jordan!
*Haiti
*Cities Paralyzed
*Pancake Day
*Did You Know?
*Happy Birthday, Jordan!
Happy
20th Birthday to my daughter Jordan on April 8th! Jordan is a sophomore at Western
Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois.
Jordan has certainly
done a lot to make us proud in her 20 years! She is a really good girl, who has
overcome many obstacles. In many ways, she is a hero to me. And I love her more
than I could ever explain here. Happy Birthday, Honey!
*Haiti
As
you may recall me mentioning, Melissa and I just returned from a mission trip
to Haiti. We went with Community Health Initiatives (CHI) based out of
Coralville, and we thank Dr. Chris Buresh and CHI for an incredible experience.
So
– where to begin? As I wrote before we went there, Haiti is desperately poor,
and the needs are enormous. I quoted all sorts of statistics, but statistics
really fail to do the situation justice.
Frankly,
I was surprised and disappointed at how many of my friends thought we were just
going on a Carribean vacation. The lack of knowledge about conditions in Haiti
shocked me. We have a lot of education to do.
Haiti
needs so many things, it is difficult to know where to begin. How about this: What
they REALLY need is a stronger business lobby! Haiti desperately needs lower
taxes on the wealthy! That would really get their economy going!
For
those of you who didn’t catch my attempt at irony: government in Haiti is
virtually nonexistent, except for the top federal level. There is a National
Assembly, a President, and a military, but almost no local government services.
So it is a Libertarian’s dream. No taxes, no government. How’s that working for
them?
In
all seriousness, we take local government – especially county government – for
granted. County governments track the ownership and sales of property. County
governments assess property, levy taxes on the property, and collect the taxes.
County governments register voters and administer elections. County governments
fund roads and bridges. County governments inspect wells and septic systems.
County governments vaccinate people and work to prevent the spread of disease
in animals and humans. County governments provide police and jails, along with court
services. County governments track births, deaths, marriages, and divorces.
County governments assist the poor and people with disabilities. County
governments register vehicles. County governments investigate deaths.
Basically
NONE of these things happen in Haiti. And the result is unmitigated disaster.
Government MATTERS, and until you have actually spent time in its’ absence, you
do not appreciate the role government plays in our lives.
I’ll
write much more on our trip for the next edition of Salvos.
*Cities Paralyzed
We
often hear the public say that they would like to see local governments
cooperate more.
Some
of this is due to the fact that Iowans are extremely conflict averse. In many
cases, voters would prefer to see their elected officials get along with each
other rather than stand up for what is right. (You will NEVER find me in this
camp!)
In
other cases, however, voters simply see the value in working together and
streamlining services. I am very sympathetic to this viewpoint.
It
makes a lot of sense to have similar rules and regulations. In most cases, it
makes things simpler, easier, and cheaper for most citizens and most
businesses.
Building
codes are a good example. Johnson County, Iowa City, Coralville, and North
Liberty all have building inspectors. Those entities meet frequently to make
sure they are using similar standards. This helps electricians, plumbers, etc.
by creating a single set of rules for the whole region. This is a good example
of an area in which we work together well, to the benefit of the larger
community.
I
fear, however, that we have now reached a state of self-induced paralysis. Now
elected officials seem to feel we cannot do ANYTHING unless we all do the SAME
thing.
Iowa City is terrified to make any type of change, for fear that
Coralville and North Liberty will not follow suit. Similarly, North Liberty and
Coralville claim they cannot act without Iowa City on board. Every entity fears
being put at a “competitive disadvantage” if they are different in any way.
Where
does that leave us? It creates a state of paralysis. It leaves us with policy
makers doing nothing, latched onto a single excuse: others refuse to act, so
neither can we.
Obviously,
we know this is not REALLY the case. This faux idea of creating a “level
playing field” is more commonly used as an excuse to avoid challenging
situations.
I
am going to focus on Iowa City here for four reasons: First, I have tried to
lead on these issues as a County Supervisor. I have not gotten very far.
Perhaps that means I am bad at my job. Perhaps it is the nature of county
government. Perhaps the issues are just too touchy for most elected officials.
Perhaps it is a bit of all of the above. Whatever the case, county leadership
has not taken hold. I’ll accept the blame for that. Meanwhile, the issues do
not go away. Someone else needs to do it.
Secondly, I have lived in Iowa City for 30 years. Iowa City is my
home. I am not out of line in having expectations for the people who represent
me.
Thirdly, Coralville and North Liberty feel I pick on them too
much. (I’d argue that I’m harder on IC, but since I don’t live either place, I’ll
concede the point.)
Finally, I think Iowa City has a long history and reputation as a
progressive community, and I believe the Council should embrace that.
There
are several issues where Iowa City needs to lead. Affordable housing,
homelessness, environmental issues, transportation, municipal finance, sharing
services, disproportionate minority contact with police, the approach to drug
laws… these are just a few of the controversial topics facing our local
governments.
Every one of these topics would be best addressed by a coalition
of Johnson County, Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty. And every one of
these topics is too important to ignore. We simply cannot allow the refusal of
a single entity to bring all discussions to a halt. If one entity refuses to
cooperate on a given topic, the other 3 should move forward. If two refuse, the
other two go forward.
Many folks reading this are parents. Think about this situation in
terms of your kids: your daughter knows what is right, but she is reluctant to
do so because no one else is acting. What do you tell her? The answer is easy –
you tell her to do the right thing, regardless of what others are doing. That
is the message local governments need to get from the voters.
It is simply irresponsible to ignore these important issues. We
must address them. Iowa City should adopt a position of leading on these
issues. Hopefully, the other entities will follow. If not – better to be a leader
and do what needs to be done.
I’m
willing to go to work on these issues. I don’t want to hear more excuses. I
hope the cities will work together as partners; more importantly, I hope
someone will step up and take the lead.
What
are your thoughts?
*Pancake Day
The Iowa City
Booster Club holds an annual Pancake Day fundraiser for the purpose of
supporting the athletic programs at North Central Jr. High, Northwest Jr. High,
Southeast Jr. High, City High, and West High Schools. All money raised by the
Booster Club helps to purchase or improve athletic training equipment,
uniforms, and facilities for all sports at each of the schools. This year’s
date is Saturday, April 12, 2014, from 6:30 AM- 3:00 PM in the West High
cafeteria.
*DID YOU KNOW?
The name Haiti comes from the Taino Indian word for the entire island of
Hispaniola – Ayiti, which means “mountainous land.”
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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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 @ 7:29 PM
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