rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 24, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 4/28/15
In this edition:
*All Ag This Week!
*Farmer’s Markets
*Johnson County Agricultural Data
*Statewide Agricultural Data
*Roots
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
*Did You Know?
*All Ag This Week!
Farmers
are out in the fields, and spring has arrived. Time to dedicate an edition of
Salvos to agriculture!
*Farmer’s Markets
It
is almost May, and that means it is time for our local Farmer’s Markets! Pork
from Lois Pavelka, bread from Cephus Yoder, Marv Hotz’ sweet corn, the Miller’s
beets… my mouth is watering!
People
who know me know that I am a farmer’s market fanatic. I can be found at the
Iowa City Farmer’s Market pretty much every Wednesday and Saturday. I love the
food, I love the farmers, I love the customers … I love everything about it!
See you at the market!
*Johnson County Agricultural Data
I
recently received a mailing from the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers that
contained some very interesting demographic data. There are statistics for both
Johnson County and the State of Iowa. Below is some of the data:
There
are 1,342 farms in Johnson County, totaling 328,672 acres. That is an average
of 245 acres per farm. If I had to guess, I’d say these folks are defining a
“farm” quite liberally. I would guess that we actually have something closer to
750 farms at an average of 500 acres apiece, but again, that all comes back to
your definition of a “farm”. We have people who are farming one acre; others own
hundreds of acres but do not engage in what I would consider farming. But that
is an argument for another day.
In
2012, the market value of Johnson County crops was $175.3 million. The value of
livestock sold was $83 million.
Agriculture
and ag-related industries accounted for 3,418 jobs, about 3.4% of the county
total. Ag and ag-related industries accounted for $182 million in wages, and
$916 million in sales.
Johnson
County is a bit better than average when it comes to farmland; our average Corn
Suitability Rating (CSR) is 69, while statewide it is 68. But of the land in
production, the average CSR is closer to 80. We have more woodlands than most
counties, which also affect things.
We think of
Johnson County as an “urban” county, and rightfully so. Yet it is important
that we recognize the huge role that agriculture plays in our local economy.
*Statewide Agricultural Data
Statewide,
the economic impact of agriculture is truly staggering. Ag accounts for one out
of every three dollars in the Iowa economy. One in 5 Iowans works in ag or
ag-related industries. Iowa ranks number one in hogs, corn, soybeans, and eggs,
and in the top 5 for cattle, chickens, and turkeys.
*Roots
Anyone
who has known me long knows that I grew up on the family farm. It is not just
any family farm; both my maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather came
from families that settled in Iowa prior to statehood. We have two family farms
that have been in the family seven and eight generations, respectively. My
family has been on the same land since 25 years before the start of the Civil
War! So yes, I am proud of my family farm roots.
After
growing up out on the farm, on a gravel road, miles from the nearest town, I
moved to Iowa City. And while I love the things city life offers, I often miss
the farm. One small connection that I maintain is my screensaver.
Both
home and at work, my screensaver is a photo of my Grandpa, Ed Jack, winning the
1960 State Corn Picking Championship. I love the photo for a lot of reasons,
but primarily the way in which he holds his hat in his hands. Though he had
become quite wealthy through farming, he was a very humble man. The photo
really captures that. And despite the fact that he had been using a mechanical
combine for several years, he obviously had not lost his touch when it came to
picking corn.
We
used to pick a lot of sweet corn when I was a kid. If you have ever seen anyone
pick corn by hand, you know that it is not easy. And my Grandpa was a
perfectionist – you had to do it right! I knew intuitively why he won that
contest – he had the cleanest row and fewest deductions. Sure enough, that was
true.
My
Grandpa loved to enter contests. He liked to experiment, and he had a
competitive spirit. So his house was full of trophies and plaques. Only one,
however, was first place. That was the State Corn Picking Championship.
Also
on a shelf were about a dozen trophies earned in various statewide competitions.
There were 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd
place trophies – in some cases, multiples. Most of the awards were in yield
competitions.
He
got second in a highest yield contest in the late ‘50s, and once averaged 200
bushels per acre, which was the farming equivalent of breaking the 4-minute
mile. The statewide average now is 189 bushels per acre, so technology has
certainly caught up.
I
remember the importance he placed on watching the markets. The guys who were
working on the farm came into the house every day at EXACTLY 11:55. They washed
their hands with Lava soap, filled their plates, and started to eat dinner.
There was no “lunch” – dinner at noon, supper for the evening meal!
Then they put on the WMT noon news, with the volume cranked,
because years on the tractor (no cab) had ruined my Grandpa’s hearing. (KCRG
showed a soap opera at noon and had no noon news. That was an unforgiveable heresy
in the eyes of my Grandfather!)
They would intently watch the markets, then decide what to do that
afternoon. Maybe you got things ready to go to town and sell. Maybe not. The
whole plan for the next 24 hours depended upon the market.
Nowadays, the commodities are presold on contract. There is no
need to closely monitor prices and react. It is probably a lot less stressful. But
at the time, it certainly seemed exciting to a kid watching it all unfold!
My
Granny played a different role, and we kids were her helpers. Each family had
HUGE gardens – between the 4 families, the garden space (not counting sweet
corn and fruit trees) was probably almost 2 acres. We spent all summer picking
strawberries, asparagus, beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, apples,
pears, lettuce, cabbage, radishes… then Granny showed us how to clean them, cut
them, and store them.
Farming has changed a lot since I was a kid. I was recently asking
my Mom who was renting the family’s various plots of land. She reported that
there are only 3-4 people farming in the whole area, and that these operations
have become so large that what used to be considered a sizeable farm (say, 250
acres) is barely worth their time to rent!
I never wanted to go into farming – I realized right away that I
was a people person, and agriculture could get lonely. But I miss those days, and
remember them fondly.
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
Save
the date! The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding our Annual Hall of
Fame Awards event on Saturday, May 16 at 7pm at the Coralville Marriott.
Please
join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be
available. Parking is available for a small fee on either end of the building.
The
Hall of Fame inductees for 2015 are: Gary Sanders, Ro Foege, Pat Ikan, and
Dennis and Robin Roseman. We hope you can join us in recognizing this
remarkable group!
Tickets
are available for a $25 suggested donation. People who cannot afford that
amount should still feel welcome, but please call 354-7199 so we can get a
count.
Sponsorships are available
at the following levels:
$100 includes
two tickets
$250 includes
4 tickets
$500 includes
a whole table (8 tickets)
Checks can be mailed to:
Johnson County Democrats
PO Box 1773
Iowa City, IA 52244
If
you have any questions, please contact Rod Sullivan at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. We hope you will join us for a fun evening, and
lend your voice to those who are honoring these very deserving people. We look
forward to seeing you!
*DID YOU KNOW?
The average cost for one acre of farmland in Johnson County is $9750;
the average rent paid is $250/acre.
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
April 17, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 4/21/15
In this edition:
*Newport Road Rezoning
*Education = Cure For Poverty?
*NAMI Walk
*Shelter House Gala
*Did You Know?
*Newport Road Rezoning
The
Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 last Thursday to approve a
rezoning on Newport Road. There is a great deal of misinformation out there
regarding this area of the county. Please allow me to set the record straight.
The
applicants (Jeff and Judy Stevens) own a 14-acre parcel, which includes a
house, some outbuildings, and a hay field. The Stevens wanted to rezone it from
Ag to Residential, with the idea that somewhere down the line, they may sell half
of it for development.
This
parcel sits squarely in the North Corridor Development Area, which is the
county’s designated area for residential growth. While the land has been used
as a hay field for decades, the Corn Suitability Rating (CSR) is only 58 -
pretty low for Iowa. There are no environmentally sensitive areas on the
property. The Land Evaluation Site Assessment (LESA) score showed the land to
be very appropriate for residential development. There are already literally SCORES
of homes in the area – just look at aerial photos. Adding homes to this area is
infill, despite what opponents would have you believe. Opponents claim the
traffic counts are too high, but they are only half (1000 vehicles per day) the
limit established in our Road Performance Standards.
By
any reasonable measure, this application meets every standard set forth by
Johnson County. Are we required to rezone, then? No, the law never requires it.
But there is only one area of the county where we WILL rezone, and this is it.
Everywhere else in the county is off limits (except villages). All farmland is
protected everywhere EXCEPT this area, where a great deal of residential
development has ALREADY occurred.
Could the Board have voted this down? Yes. But I believe it is
critically important for the Board to be predictable. The public, including
landowners deserve predictability.
And
yes, landowners do have some rights! I
am more willing than most Supervisors to put requirements on landowners. But I
don’t think it is fair to arbitrarily pick winners and losers. I believe you
create policies, then you follow them. If they need fixed, you fix them. This
was a case of following our policies.
Can our policies be
improved? Certainly! I have spent years on the losing end of 3-2 votes that
would strengthen our land use policies. I am hopeful that those days are over,
and that we can move forward with improvements to our existing policies.
Meanwhile, we recently
had another rezoning in the North Corridor Development Area. It is almost
exactly the same size. No one complained about it. Why? What is the difference?
I asked opponents to
explain the difference, and only got one response – while Newport Road is 4
miles from infrastructure of Solon and/or Iowa City, the other rezoning was
only two miles from the “infrastructure of Shueyville”.
That
is rich. If you know anything about the area, you’d know that Shueyville does
not HAVE any infrastructure! No city water, no city sewer…they don’t even
maintain their two main roads – Johnson County does!
Clearly
this response is just grasping at straws. The only difference between those two
rezonings is political. And bringing politics into zoning decisions creates
problems.
Zoning
decisions are not popularity contests. That is the OLD way of doing county
business. Want something rezoned? Well, do the Supervisors like your Daddy?
Thank God we are not operating this way any longer. It almost always favored
the rich and well connected, without regard for the merits of a given
application. We should make zoning decisions based upon the facts, not other
relationships.
*Education = Cure For Poverty?
Conservatives
and liberals don’t agree on much. One thing they tend to agree upon is the
claim that education is the cure for poverty. This is a universally accepted
truth. I push my own kids to continue their educations.
But
does education really work? There are several studies that show a worker with a
college degree is likely to earn much more money over her lifetime than a
worker without. I am not going to dispute those studies. But I found this
interesting data set while reading Ezra Klein:
In
1970, the educational attainment of the poor broke down like this: 56% had not
finished high school. 31% had a high school diploma. 8% had some college, up to
and including an AA. And 6% were college grads.
That
same look at the educational attainment of the poor today looks like this: 23%
have no high school diploma. 34% have a high school diploma. 28% have some
college. And 15% have a college degree.
Obviously,
today’s poor are MUCH more educated than the poor of 45 years ago. Yet by
almost every measure, the poor today have deeper struggles than the poor 45
years ago. How do we explain this?
I
think the answer is pretty simple, really. While education is a huge help to
many people, it is not enough. We need to return to the values of the New Deal,
and adequately fund the social safety net.
Your
Chamber of Commerce types will reluctantly support educational funding – they
like the idea that with education, a motivated young person can pull herself up
by her bootstraps. Heck, I like that idea, too.
But
we need to acknowledge that our motivated young woman is unlikely to “pull
herself up” without adequate shelter, food, medical care, etc. Education is
great, but education alone is not enough.
*NAMI Walk
I
am once again participating in the NAMI Walk for the Mind of America. The 2015
NAMI Walk is Saturday, April 25 at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. Check-in: 9:00 am; Start Time: 10:00 am.
Feel
free to sponsor me (or another walker) by visiting nami.org and looking up the
Iowa City walk.
For more information about this event, please
contact:
*Shelter House Gala
The
Shelter House is holding its annual Gala on Friday, April 24 at the Hotel
Vetro. Doors open at 5:30, with dinner at 7:30. For more info, contact
sarah@shelterhouseiowa.org.
*DID YOU KNOW?
All Johnson County Land Use Plan documents are available at: http://www.johnson-county.com/dept_zoning.
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
April 9, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 4/14/15
In this edition:
*Bad News…
*Community ID
*Your Vision?
*Personalities and Politics
*Did You Know?
*Bad News…
My
wife Melissa recently received some bad news. She has invasive ductal
carcinoma, otherwise known as breast cancer.
She started
chemotherapy on Tuesday, April 7. It will go on for about 18 weeks, after which
time she will have surgery and radiation.
Ironically, Melissa studies breast cancer. This is highly treatable
and the prognosis is pretty good, but she is facing a difficult road ahead. So
please keep her in your prayers, and don't forget to do self breast exams!
Sometimes you actually find something!
*Community ID
Johnson
County is preparing to roll out a Community ID program. I am excited about
this, and I want to take a little time to explain why I believe this is a good
thing for our community.
First,
a bit of history – the impetus for this came from the Center for Worker Justice
(CWJ), a remarkable local organization dedicated to securing fair treatment for
immigrant workers.
Like
every other organization that has ever existed in Johnson County, the CWJ
thought they should start with Iowa City and Coralville. Soon they realized
that working with Johnson County might be a better avenue for getting this
done.
A
committee was formed, consisting of CWJ members, local labor leaders, and three
Johnson County officials: Recorder Kim Painter, Auditor Travis Weipert, and
County Attorney Janet Lyness. These folks have moved the process forward to
where we are today.
We also have an ace in the hole when it comes to going through
this process. UI Law Professor Stella Burch Elias specializes in Immigration
Law. More importantly, she was centrally involved in the successful effort to
create a Community ID in New Haven, Connecticut. Having her involved ensures
that Johnson County follows applicable federal laws, and prevents us from
reinventing the wheel.
The
ID itself will be a laminated card with a holographic image applied, the same
size as a driver’s license. The cost to get an ID will be $5 or $10.
Because
there are already 700 people who have signed forms requesting IDs, we will need
to determine a process for getting the first wave their IDs. This will likely be
a weekend effort, utilize existing County staff. After the initial group of
700, we expect the ongoing numbers to be more like 5-10 IDs per month. Given
that, we expect people to simply be able to call the Board of Supervisors
Office to schedule an appointment to get their IDs. We may work with local
libraries to arrange some weekend hours.
Why
do we need a Community ID? I have a very personal story. After years of doing
nothing, a few years ago, the Board of Supervisors finally began taking action
against the criminals that own Regency Mobile Home Park. State law severely
limits the ability of the Board to intervene, but there were dozens of credible
reports of fraud coming from Regency.
Johnson
County detectives swooped in, gathered all the info they could, and began
following up on leads. Then they ran into a stone wall. Most of the people they
needed to speak with refused to talk to them. These folks saw law enforcement
coming, and they went the other way – even when they were innocent victims!
I
spoke at length with the lead detective on the case, and he said that this
avoidance of law enforcement was common. When I asked why, he said it all came
back to a lack of ID.
This
illustrates the number one reason for instituting a Community ID – public
safety. We need victims and witnesses to come forward in order to solve crimes
and see to it that justice is served. The Community ID will help with this.
There
are many additional benefits: immigrants can open bank accounts and cash
checks; cardholders can access municipal services such as the library, rec
centers, etc.; it can serve as a second ID for employment purposes; it can
serve as an ID for local schools; the list goes on and on.
The
Community ID will be available to anyone who can provide the proper
documentation. The bar will not be as high as an Iowa Driver ID, but there will
be protections to ensure that the person is who they claim to be.
Johnson
County is home to thousands of immigrants. China, India, Korea, Mexico, Sudan,
Senegal, Honduras… the people of Johnson County are increasingly diverse. We
need to do a better job welcoming these folks to our community. They are our
future!
*Your Vision?
What
are you for? What is your vision? Those seem like simple questions, right? And
they are very basic questions for any elected official. Why else would one run
for office?
So
- how many of your local elected officials could answer those questions? My
guess is precious few. Why is that? Simple! Because we fail to hold our local
elected officials accountable.
That
is it. I have no silver bullet; I have no pithy observation. We are simply
failing as citizens.
*Personalities and Politics
One
of my biggest pet peeves is when people conflate personality traits with
politics.
Yes,
there are several studies out there that attempt to figure out what makes one
person a liberal and another conservative. Liberals are maternalistic, while
conservatives are paternalistic. Conservatives have a “negativity bias” that
leads them to seek certainty. While these studies are fascinating, I think we
must be careful as we move down this path.
Over
the years, less and less people want to be identified as “liberal”. That is
because some on the right have so savaged the term. But what does being liberal
really mean?
A
quick Google search provided the following definition: “Liberals believe in government action to achieve
equal opportunity and equality for all. It is the duty of the government to
alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human
rights. Believe the role of the government should be to guarantee that no one
is in need.”
That doesn’t sound
so bad. I can also see many of my conservative friends taking issue with the
definition. They would argue that conservatives also fit that definition – it
is simply a matter of degree.
I know that I personify several of the traits considered
conservative. I love loyalty and tradition. And ask my wife – it is almost
impossible to get me to spend money on clothes or household items. I use things
until they require duct tape, then use them some more. Yet I would not consider
myself a conservative.
As comedian Steven Colbert left the air, I heard a number of
people make comments such as, “Conservatives are humorless”, and “The Right
can’t take a joke.” I disagree. First, while Colbert definitely savaged
conservatives, a third or more of his material attacked liberals. There were
plenty of jokes at the expense of each side. Secondly, I know from my own
experiences – a couple of the funniest people I know are conservative. Humor
knows no ideological bounds.
Our next-door neighbors are very conservative. And we love them!
While we have our disagreements, both households go to church. Both work hard.
Both give generously. Both laugh. Both cry. We are all just people.
I
have known conservatives who were liars, cheats, and thieves. I have known
liberals who were liars, cheats, and thieves. Political differences never came
into play.
I get angry when one group tries to tar the other group with
generalities. For example, you hear liberals talk about conservatives, saying
they are humorless, uncaring, and hawkish. On the other hand, you hear conservatives
claim that liberals are lazy, weak, and immoral. Generalizations like this are
almost never true when applied to a large group.
Most importantly, these are the kinds of statements that serve to
unnecessarily divide us. We need more “us”, and less “them”. Let’s work on
that.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Johnson County is home to over 14,000 foreign born residents. (Source:
US Census Bureau.)
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
April 3, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 4/7/15
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday Jordan!
*Congratulations Kate!
*Indiana Discrimination
*Ted Cruz Candidacy
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
*Celebration of the Young Child
*Did You Know?
*Happy Birthday Jordan!
Happy
21st Birthday to my daughter Jordan on April 8th! Jordan is a Junior at Western Illinois
University in Macomb, Illinois.
Jordan has certainly
done a lot to make us proud in her 21 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!
*Congratulations Kate!
Kate Giannini, soil and water conservation specialist with
Johnson County Planning and Zoning, and the Johnson County Soil and Water
Conservation District, was among several individuals and organizations
recognized at the 2015 Iowa Stormwater Conference held on March 3 at Iowa State
University in Ames.
Kate Giannini earned an individual award for her work on
watershed protection and improving urban water quality in Johnson County, Iowa.
Among many successes, she secured funding for eleven Resource Enhancement and
Protection (REAP) projects to install stormwater green infrastructure practices
and wrote a successful grant application for the Rapid Creek Watershed.
Giannini also helped create the Johnson County Stormwater
ordinance and ensures that developments comply with the County’s Sensitive
Areas Ordinances. For county-owned properties, she spearheaded the creation of
an overall stormwater plan, and wrote an urban assessment report for Kent Park Lake.
She also provides technical assistance to urban and rural landowners and has
given numerous conservation presentations.
*Indiana Discrimination
I
will admit, I LOVE seeing Indiana Governor Mike Pence reaping what he has sown!
Want to discriminate against gays, Governor? Well, we have a big ol’ free
market response for you!
Being
gay is not a choice. But doing business in Indiana IS. The Governor is learning
both facts the hard way.
*Ted Cruz Candidacy
Texas
Senator Ted Cruz has declared his intention to run for President of the United
States. To be blunt, I am no fan.
My
problems with Cruz are many. What might surprise you is my qualms are not
really ideological. While it is true that Cruz and I disagree on virtually
everything, my issues are with the way in which he does business.
For
one, Cruz is mad at the world. Former GOP Presidential candidate and 2008
Caucus winner Mike Huckabee once said, “I don’t disagree with these guys; I’m
just not as angry as they are.” I have met Mike Huckabee, and I found him to be
very engaging. I met President George W. Bush and found him to be the same way.
Ditto 2012 Caucus winner Rick Santorum.
Cruz,
meanwhile, is from the Newt Gingerich camp. Which means he hates me. Honestly.
It is all or nothing with him. We disagree, so he hates me. It sounds simple,
and it is. Cruz’ problem is that he wears this attitude on his sleeve. His
hatred shows.
I
also see Cruz as willing to take whatever position is necessary to get to the
right of every other candidate. In all honesty, if Ben Carson suggested
rounding all liberals up and putting them in camps, Cruz would argue the camps
are too lenient. He has absolutely no principles beyond winning. The guy is a
caricature.
Frustrated
as I am by the current GOP, I know this is not the case with several other
potential candidates. Santorum, Ron Paul, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Rick Perry
– all of these gentlemen have policy areas where they think outside the box.
They all have different experiences… but Santorum served in a (somewhat) more
functional US Senate, and Bush, Christie, and Perry had to run states. They
have actually governed. Cruz has done nothing but throw bombs. For 99% of us,
the world is many shades of gray, rarely black and white. Not Ted Cruz. His
world is black and white. He is right, and you are wrong.
Finally,
there is the hypocrisy. Cruz is a birther, but he is born in Canada. Cruz
despises Obamacare, but enrolls in it. He talks human rights and Cuba, but
insists on maintaining Guantanamo. The list could go on. And on. And on.
Ironically, the best thing that could happen for the Democratic
Party is to have Cruz line up a sugar daddy like Sheldon Adelson. Then Cruz can
stick around for months, making things difficult for the rest of the GOP
candidates with his holier than thou approach.
Yeah.
I am no Ted Cruz fan.
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
Save
the date! The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding our Annual Hall of
Fame Awards event on Saturday, May 16 at 7pm at the Coralville Marriott.
Please
join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be
available. Parking is available for a small fee on either end of the building.
The
Hall of Fame inductees for 2015 are: Gary Sanders, Ro Foege, Pat Ikan, and
Dennis and Robin Roseman. We hope you can join us in recognizing this
remarkable group!
Tickets
are available for a $25 suggested donation. People who cannot afford that
amount should still feel welcome, but please call 354-7199 so we can get a
count.
Sponsorships are available
at the following levels:
$100 includes
two tickets
$250 includes
4 tickets
$500 includes
a whole table (8 tickets)
Checks can be mailed to:
Johnson County Democrats
PO Box 1773
Iowa City, IA 52244
If
you have any questions, please contact Rod Sullivan at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. We hope you will join us for a fun evening, and
lend your voice to those who are honoring these very deserving people. We look
forward to seeing you!
*Celebration of the Young Child
Legislative
Breakfast: A Community Conversation About Early Childhood and STEM. April 11, 9:00
- 9:45 A.M. at the Iowa Children’s Museum. Sponsored by State Senator Bob Dvorsky.
Guest
Speaker: Jeff Weld, Iowa STEM Advisory Council, Executive Director. Research
shows that high-quality early learning improves later abilities and also builds
behavior traits necessary for success, especially in STEM jobs, such as
perseverance, problem-solving, and patience. Today’s preschoolers are Iowa’s
future!
*DID YOU KNOW?
Easter is a moveable feast. It
can be as early as March 22. The latest date it can be is April 25. Easter
Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on, or after
March 21.
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
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