SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 16, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 10/20/15
In this edition:
*Iowa City Council Procedures
*Iowa City Council History
*Iowa City Council Endorsements
*Did You Know?
*Iowa City Council Procedures
(This
article first appeared in Salvos on February 3 of 2015. It is particularly
relevant NOW.)
I wrote a while ago about the Charter Review process happening
right now in Iowa City. The Charter Review Commission could recommend some
major changes to the structure of Iowa City government. But they won’t. (In the
interest of full disclosure, I applied to serve on the Charter Review
Commission in ’94, ’04, and ’14. I have received zero votes so far. I plan on
applying in ’24 as well.)
That should not deter supporters of improved governance, however.
There are several other ways of doing business that need a change, and do not
require a commission. Following are just a few:
1.) Hold informal meetings immediately
after formal meetings. The way things work now, informal meetings are held
immediately prior to formal meetings. Informal meetings are critical – this is
where city staff make their recommendations, 99% of which are followed. So
under the current system, items are introduced and voted upon on the same
evening. If a council member wanted to do her own research, there is no
opportunity. If the public wanted to weigh in, there is no opportunity. By
reversing this order, the public gets two weeks to weigh in, and the council
gets two weeks to hear from folks. This CAN be done; Johnson County does it
now.
2.) Broadcast informal meetings. We already
noted that these meetings are really where information is shared and decisions
are made. This process SHOULD be as public as possible. So why not put it on TV
for all to see? The only reason I’ve ever been given is that councilors will
not want to appear uninformed, so they won’t ask questions. That may be the
single worst reason I have ever been given for any policy, but there you go.
Again, this CAN be done; Johnson County does it now.
3.) Allow public discussion at informal
meetings. Contrary to what council members and staff would have you
believe, there is no legal prohibition on public comment at these meetings. The
council can set any parameters on public comment it wishes. The council can
determine the number of speakers, length of time each speaks, total comment
time – it can do anything it wishes. The law allows many different approaches.
You CAN allow public comment. Again, this CAN be done; Johnson County does it
now.
There
is no compelling reason for the way Iowa City currently handles these matters.
All three of these procedures are the classic “that is the way we’ve always
done it.” That is not a good enough reason for skirting democracy.
Each of these simple changes is cheap, efficient, and friendlier
toward democracy. None would require anything beyond a vote of the council.
I am hoping to introduce these ideas into the 2015 Iowa City
Council election; I hope you will assist me. Let’s get every candidate to
pledge to make these changes, and open up Iowa City government.
*Iowa City Council History
(Yes,
this piece just ran. But it is SO important!)
Iowa City is an interesting place. The very words “Iowa City”
conjure up images for everyone in the state. If I had to pick the single most
common misperception about Iowa City, it would be the idea that the Iowa City
Council is a progressive institution.
I
was speaking with a few old timers recently, and we were debating how many
times Iowa City has had a progressive majority on the Council. There was
arguably a progressive majority for two years in the mid-to-late ‘70s, but they
never really came together around a progressive agenda. In theory, there was
what should have been a progressive majority in ’08 and ’09. But that group
lacked cohesion and leadership, and was dealt the bad hand of dealing with the
flood.
That
is pretty much it. Progressives have been in charge just 4 years out of the
past 40. So much for Iowa City being this “liberal enclave.” In reality, the
candidates backed by the Chamber of Commerce win 90% of the time. NINETY
PERCENT!
So
why is this? For one thing, turnout is terrible. Almost 11,000 people voted in
2013, and folks were raving about the great turnout. That “great” turnout was
23%. (Turnout was 14% in ’11, and 10% in ’09, so relatively speaking, it was
up.)
Why
is turnout so low? I see several reasons: First, the University community tends
to be quite myopic. These are people with advanced degrees who are used to
specializing. They have grants to get and papers to publish. While these folks
lean a bit to the liberal side, they cannot be bothered with local politics. UI
faculty and staff are often conversant on national politics but cannot name the
Mayor of Iowa City.
Secondly,
almost everyone in Iowa City is “from” somewhere else. Heck, I voted absentee
back home for several years before finally registering in Iowa City. This is
not uncommon. People see Iowa City as a temporary stopping place, and they do
not bother to get invested in local politics.
Thirdly, the Democrats that get elected to State and County
offices tend to take a VERY hands-off approach when it comes to City politics.
A perfect example: Minnette Doderer was perhaps the most liberal individual
ever elected to the Iowa Legislature. Yet she routinely supported Republican
businesspeople as City Council candidates. (Minnette’s husband Fred had been
the Mayor of Iowa City in the early ‘60s. I always got a sense that she felt
Council politics were his area, not hers.) I wish folks who hold other offices
would work for progressive Council candidates, but they just don’t. It is not
in their own political best interests, so they pretty much stay out of it.
Fourthly,
organized labor, people of color, and other traditionally Democratic groups
have not been very involved in local politics. The one exception has been the
local LGBTQ community, who were extremely politically active in the 70s and
beyond. Look what you have as a result – one of the most gay-friendly cities in
the US. Other groups could have a similar impact if they organized and voted.
So,
you have the strange situation where Iowa City has over 80% voter turnout in
Presidential elections, and elects very progressive folks to office. Then local
elections roll around, 15% of the voters turn out, and conservatives control
the Council.
The
typical Iowa City Council of the past 40 years consists primarily of registered
Democrats who bear little resemblance to the Democrats that Iowa City voters
send to the Statehouse. City Councilors could not tell you the first thing
about the Democratic Party platform. If you were to ask them about it, they
would simply say those “aren’t local issues.” In fact, ALL issues are local
issues.
Obviously,
not all progressive Councilors have been good, and not all conservative
Councilors have been bad. But most folks easily slip into the agenda that has
been set for them by the staff. This agenda is fine for the local Chamber, but
does not reflect the desires of the community as a whole.
These
Councils have had basically the same agenda for 40 years: defer to landlords;
support developers; and maintain a police force whose focus is keeping students
and people of color in their respective places. Most importantly, do what the
staff says. Throw some money at SOTA events and the library, and you have adequate
bread and circuses to distract the masses.
Since 2009, the Iowa City agenda has changed. Since ’09 Iowa City
has been laser focused on Coralville. Imagine the University of Iowa spending
all its time worrying about Kirkwood, or Hy-Vee spending all its time worrying
about New Pi. But that is how Iowa City has decided to spend the past 6 years.
Look, things aren’t bad in Iowa City… so long as you are older,
wealthier, and white. But we can do so much better. We need to do so much
better.
I
wish the Iowa City Council reflected the people of Iowa City. We have yet
another opportunity this fall. I hope you will do your part!
*Iowa City Council Endorsements
(Yes,
this piece just ran. But it is SO important!)
We just talked about the history of the Iowa City Council. But
what about this year? Elections are November 3, and early voting begins Monday,
October 5!
Below
are my endorsements in this year’s Council races:
District A:
Incumbent Rick Dobbyns is a very nice man. I like him a lot. But his opponent
Pauline Taylor is a legend in local progressive circles. Pauline was one of the
leaders of the SEIU campaign to organize nurses at UIHC, which has improved
patient outcomes at that institution. Pauline has been involved in many
progressive causes over the years. She is campaigning on affordable housing,
historic preservation, and being a more welcoming city. Most importantly, she
is willing to question staff. We have a male doctor versus a female nurse. I’m
voting for Pauline.
District C:
Scott McDonough is a local contractor and affordable housing advocate. I have
only known Scott about two years, but he has completely won me over. He is a
great guy! That said, I have known John Thomas longer. John has an amazing
record as a neighborhood organizer. His accomplishments in the Mann area are
impressive. John’s whole career prepared him for a seat on Council. And the
current Council threw him off the P&Z Commission. What better
recommendation can you get? While I firmly believe you cannot go wrong with either
choice, I’m voting for John.
At Large: I
watch Council meetings, and I often feel Jim Throgmorton is the only person
asking the right questions. Jim has been a steady progressive voice, often in
the face of harsh criticism. I know Jim pretty well, and I can assure you he is
honest, ethical, smart, thoughtful, compassionate, kind, and caring. If you
cast only one vote, Jim deserves it.
My other vote
will be for Rockne Cole. A local attorney, Rockne is bright, passionate, and
full of new ideas. Rockne will not sit back and allow staff to keep the same
agenda in place. He will also give the Council a dose of energy it badly needs.
Vote Rockne!
Now
get out there and cast your ballot!
*DID YOU KNOW?
The Free Medical Clinic had 5,323 clinic visits from 1834 patients
during FY15. While the Affordable Care Act has changed the role of Free Med, it
has not eliminated the need for such a clinic.
Anyone
interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the
County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 3:23 PM
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