SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 12, 2014
Sullivan’s
Salvos 9/16/14
In this edition:
*Soul Fest
*United Way
*Calling All Environmentalists!
*Jackson County Shooting
*Iowa Workforce Development
*Democratic Party Fall BBQ
*Did You Know?
*Soul Fest
The
second annual Soul Fest is the weekend of the 19-21 in downtown Iowa City. And
I am pumped!
Last
year’s inaugural event was a huge success, and this year looks to be just as
good. For more info, see: http://www.summerofthearts.org/festival-menu/iowa-soul-festival/schedule.aspx
*United Way
The 2014-15 United Way campaign is underway. I mention it
frequently, and I’ll say it again: I’m a huge supporter of the United Way!
The
United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties has been using a three-word call
to action. It is simple, and I love it!
Give.
Advocate. Volunteer.
Short,
simple, and yet SO poignant! Far too many people do none of these three things.
Others do one, or even two. But it is a three-legged stool. To truly affect
change, we need to do all three.
Give.
Advocate. Volunteer.
*Calling All Environmentalists!
One
of my proudest accomplishments as a Supervisor is the passage of a Sensitive
Areas Ordinance. Under our existing ordinance, whenever streams, wetlands,
slopes, woodlands, prairies, and other environmentally sensitive areas are
identified, they have to be protected. It has worked very well, and we have
protected several areas because of it.
Unfortunately,
the ordinance has a loophole. It only applies to subdivisions of more than
three lots. So we are seeing an inordinate number of applications for 3 lot
subdivisions. When asked, Glen Meisner from MMS Consultants simply stated that
they were doing 3 lot subdivisions because they were cheaper for their clients.
Needless
to say, I’d like to close this loophole. I’d like to see every application go
through the process. (I might consider an exception for two lot farmstead
splits.)
The
problem is, we have voted on this and I lost. Supervisor Rettig joined me in
trying to close the loophole; Supervisors Neuzil, Harney, and Etheredge voted
to keep the loophole in place.
We
just had another three-lot subdivision in a critical piece of habitat off Sugar
Bottom Road. We really need to fix this. And time is of the essence. But I need
your help.
Please
contact the three Supervisors who refuse to amend our Sensitive Areas
Ordinance. Show up at a Board Meeting. Write a letter to the Editor. Let them
know you support a change! This is important!
*Jackson County Shooting
My
prayers go out to everyone affected by the recent shooting at the Jackson
County Board of Supervisors meeting.
From
the early reports, it appears Jackson County Supervisor Larry (Buck) Koos was
unbelievably heroic, stepping in and tackling the shooter.
I
know Buck through our Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) meetings. I
cannot say I know him very well, but he has always seemed like a good guy. I
guess that was an understatement!
This
incident hits home. When you serve in elective office, you get used to angry
constituents. There are people out there whose hatred of me runs deep. Very
deep. I can hear the hatred seething in their voices. Would one of them do
something similarly violent? I wish I could definitely tell you no, but I
cannot be sure.
I
know that I am tired of those who stoke the fires – the talking heads like Glen
Beck who warn that government is evil. They tell impressionable listeners that the
jackbooted thugs of government are coming for your property, so stockpile an
arsenal! Get them before they get you!
Most
people ignore this type of talk. But a select few take it to heart. And they
act.
Meanwhile,
county buildings are public buildings. I do not want to see public access
limited in some way. But I can understand why others in elective office might
feel differently.
We
could station a Sheriff’s Deputy at every meeting. But we don’t have enough
patrol deputies as it is. To bring someone on board just to monitor Board
Meetings seems like a very expensive solution to something that may never be a
problem.
I
just don’t have an answer for this. I really don’t.
*Iowa Workforce Development
The
Iowa Workforce Development office recently put out a report on our Region,
which consists of Benton, Iowa, Linn, Johnson, Jones, Cedar, and Washington
counties. (This mirrors the Kirkwood Community College region.)
The
report is good. There are many good things happening in our Region. I find it
particularly interesting to see how Johnson County compared to our neighbors.
Here are a few tidbits:
Johnson County
experienced the biggest population growth at 2.0%.
Johnson County
had the highest net in-migration at 6,433 residents.
Johnson County
had the lowest median age at 29.3.
Johnson County
had the shortest commute time at 17 minutes.
Johnson County
had the lowest unemployment rate at 3.3%.
Johnson County
had the highest % with a Bachelor’s Degree at 52%.
Johnson County
had the most job creation at 5.8%.
Johnson County
had the highest average ACT score at 24.8.
What
does all this mean? I’d say it means Johnson County is a darn good place to
live and work. It is interesting to see how Workforce Development tries to spin
this report. Clearly, having the University of Iowa in our Region is manna from
Heaven. Given that, how can the Regents and the Governor justify the attacks on
the UI?
*Democratic Party Fall BBQ
Save
the date! The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding its annual Fall BBQ on
Sunday, October 4th from 3-7pm at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.
Special
guest speakers include Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Senator Bernie
Sanders of Vermont. Tickets and more info are available at: http://jcdems.org.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Just 146 counties contain half of the US population. The other 2,998
counties hold the other half.
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.
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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 @ 3:02 PM
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