SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 18, 2014
Sullivan’s
Salvos 7/22/14
In this edition:
*Johnson County Fair
*Community Health Initiatives (Haiti)
*ADA Celebration
*Sixth Judicial – By The Numbers
*Lessons From Little Rock
*Best. Headline. Ever.
*Did You Know?
*Johnson County Fair
The
Johnson County Fair runs from Monday, July 21 through Thursday, July 24. This
is a great opportunity for the whole family to take a step back toward our
agricultural roots!
I
love the way the Johnson County Ag Association manages the County Fair. I am
particularly fond of the fact that there is never an entry fee, and parking is
free. In many counties, you would pay $10 to park and $5/head admission, if not
more. That is $30 minimum for a family of four before you have even done
anything!
The
Board of Supervisors started a “tradition” three years ago of holding our
weekly Thursday meeting on the main stage at the Fair. While we have yet to
draw a big crowd, it has been a fun change of pace.
Yes, it is typically hot out there. But that is why they sell ice
cream! So, please stop out and enjoy the Fair. You’ll be glad you did!
For the full daily lineup of events, see: http://www.johnsoncofair.com/entertainment.html
*Community Health Initiatives (Haiti)
As
many of you know, Melissa and I went to Haiti in April with a group called
Community Health Initiatives (CHI). The work this group is doing is beyond
description here. So we want to continue to help.
With
that in mind, we would like to invite you all to this fundraiser. It just so
happens that it is our anniversary the day before, so we would love to spend
the night with old friends and CHI friends, all helping a great cause!
We'd
be honored if you would join us! Details are below; you can buy tickets at www.chihaiti.org. Feel free to call Melissa or I with questions.
Saturday,
August 2nd 6:00-10:00P (Dinner served at 6:30P)
2nd Floor Hotel Vetro.
Dinner,
live music, silent auction and cash bar. $50 investment per ticket ($20 is tax
deductible). Open to the public. Formal attire suggested
*ADA Celebration
Johnson
County is hosting its’ 24th Annual ADA Celebration on Saturday, July
26th from 11am-2pm on the Ped Mall in downtown Iowa City. A special
keynote address will feature Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, the author of the Act.
The festival will also feature art, games, and a variety of performances.
ADA
stands for Americans with Disabilities Act, and you see the impact of this law
everywhere you turn. Whereas public buildings used to be off limits to people
with mobility issues, public places are now largely accessible.
It
is interesting - President George Herbert Walker Bush considered the 1990 signing
of the ADA as one of his greatest achievements. But in early 2013 the Senate failed to ratify the Convention on the Rights of
Persons With Disabilities, an international treaty that would have urged other
countries to adopt similar laws. Obviously, much has changed in the GOP since
1990.
The ADA has been an incredible piece of civil rights legislation!
Please join in the celebration!
*Sixth Judicial – By The Numbers
I
serve on the Board of Directors for the Sixth Judicial District. The Sixth
provides probation, parole, work release, batterer’s education, victim
services, and other services for Tama, Benton, Iowa, Linn, Johnson, and Jones
Counties. The Board consists of one Supervisor from each county, plus law
enforcement and judicial appointees.
The
Sixth Judicial District is a big operation, with offices in each county. In
Johnson County, there are offices at the John Stratton Center in Coralville;
Broadway Neighborhood Center; Kirkwood Avenue; and the Hope House in
Coralville. District wide, there are just under 300 employees.
Services
are state funded, and employees receive checks from the State. They are covered
by the State AFSCME contract. Yet debate remains as to whether they are State
employees or not. The Sixth (and other Districts) are viewed as
“semiautonomous”, which leads to many questions.
Over
time, the Sixth Judicial gained a reputation as a leader in innovative
programming. The District has won numerous national awards for excellence –
most recently Johnson County’s own Valerie Kemp being named the National
Probation/Parole Officer of the Year.
I thought readers might find the following statistics interesting.
These are “point in time” from late June of this year, so they are unlikely to
be exactly the same now. That said, most of these figures are pretty average
for each category:
Johnson
County has 67 parolees, 94 people on pretrial release, 372 people on probation,
and 40 sex offenders. There were also 56 people living at the Hope House in
Coralville.
Have
more questions about the Sixth Judicial District? Let me know!
*Lessons From Little Rock
My family and I just
returned from a conference (and some vacation time) in the deep south. One of
our stops was Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas. If you have never been
there, go! The National Park Service has done a great job.
The events of 1954
were the closest the US has been to civil war since the Civil War. That time
was critical in the history of our nation, and the museum captured it. It was
an intensely moving experience.
Little Rock Central
is still in operation, and is widely viewed as the top high school in Arkansas.
The student body is now 48% white, 48% black, 2% Latino, and 2% Asian.
As I wept my way
through the exhibits, my mind kept returning to our current situation in the
ICCSD. Our issues are so small compared to what they faced. When challenged,
folks in Little Rock chose the hard road and did the right thing. Do we have it
within us to do the same?
*Best. Headline. Ever.
I
have served as a County Supervisor for ten years, but this is the first time
something like this has EVER been written: http://thegazette.com/subject/opinion/blogs/lynda-waddington/sullivan-botchway-got-it-right-20140705
While
the headline made me smile, the issue at hand is quite unfortunate. Far too
many people in our community are food insecure. And if we wish to actually
address the issue, we must begin by ending our demonization of those who access
SNAP (Food Stamps) and other public benefits.
Thanks
to Johnson County’s food panties for holding this important event!
*DID YOU KNOW?
From Wikipedia: Many members of the business
community opposed the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Testifying before Congress, The US Chamber of
Commerce argued that the costs of the ADA would be
"enormous" and have "a disastrous impact on many small
businesses struggling to survive." The National Federation
of Independent Businesses, an organization that
lobbies for small businesses, called the ADA "a disaster for small
business." Pro-business conservative commentators joined
in opposition, writing that the Americans with Disabilities Act was "an
expensive headache to millions" that would not necessarily improve the
lives of people with disabilities.
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.
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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 @ 1:41 PM
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