Rod Sullivan, Supervisor, Johnson County, Iowa

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SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

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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