SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
December 4, 2015
Sullivan’s
Salvos 12/8/15
In this edition:
*Sullivan For Supervisor!
*Replacing Supervisor Neuzil
*Hypocrisy On Trump
*Did You Know?
*Sullivan For Supervisor!
With
a couple of individuals recently announcing campaigns for Supervisor, I thought
it was time for me to make my intentions known. Below is an announcement from
the Sullivan for Supervisor campaign:
IOWA CITY – Johnson County
Supervisor Rod Sullivan announced today that he will seek reelection.
Sullivan pointed to
several accomplishments during his time in office. Since Sullivan joined the
Board, Johnson County has:
·
Successfully
dealt with flood response and recovery;
·
Passed an
ordinance raising the minimum wage, the first county in Iowa to do so;
·
Passed the
Community ID program, the first county in Iowa to do so;
·
Passed a Human
Rights Ordinance, the first county in Iowa to do so;
·
Passed a
Sensitive Areas Ordinance, the first county in Iowa to do so;
·
Signed on to
Cool Counties, the first county in Iowa to do so;
·
Created a
Livable Community for Seniors, the first county in Iowa to do so;
·
Created a
Trails Committee and for the first time put trails in the budget;
·
Created a
Local Foods Policy Council;
·
Instituted a
highly successful Earned Income Tax Credit program;
·
Established a
Buy Local policy;
·
Added rural
tornado sirens;
·
Passed
stormwater management, wind energy, and downcast lighting ordinances;
·
Started 1105
Project with gift of old Public Health building;
·
Allowed FEMA
to pay to restore the Sutliff Bridge;
·
Won an “A” in
local government transparency from Sunshine Institute;
·
Led the
transition to a Regional system of Mental Health Care.
Sullivan, 49, grew up on a
Heritage farm just east of Sutliff. He lives in Iowa City with his wife,
Melissa Fath, who does cancer research at the UI. They have 3 children - Rachel,
Jordan, and BJ, and have served as Foster Parents to 40+ additional children.
Sullivan has been involved
with numerous organizations, including AFT Local 716; Affordable Homes
Coalition; Coalition for Racial Justice; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; Iowa
Foster & Adoptive Parents; United Way; Community Foundation of Johnson County;
and volunteering in Haiti.
“It has been a pleasure
and a privilege serving as a Johnson County Supervisor,” Sullivan said. “We
have accomplished some good things, but we can do so much more. I want to
continue to push Johnson County to be the best it can be.”
Sullivan says his goals
for Johnson County include: working with cities for sensible TIF usage;
improving rural housing conditions; and increased support for Human Services.
Sullivan can be contacted
at 319-354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. He
has a website at rodsullivan.org.
*Replacing Supervisor Neuzil
As you know, Johnson County Supervisor Terrence Neuzil recently
took a job as the County Administrator in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Terrence
will be leaving Johnson County December 20, and starting in Kalamazoo on
December 21.
Auditor Travis Weipert, Recorder Kim Painter, and Treasurer Tom
Kriz met on December 2nd to choose one of two options: schedule a
special election or appoint a replacement.
As I noted in a previous edition of Salvos, this group has done a
bit of each over the years. When Lorada Cilek died in office, her son Mike was
appointed to finish out her term. After Joe Bolkcom left for the State Senate,
Carol Thompson was appointed. After Larry Meyers died in office, Janelle Rettig
was appointed. After Sally Stutsman left for the State Legislature, a special
election was called.
Again, these three elected officials are put in a very difficult
position. If they choose an election, they are wasting tax dollars on an
unnecessary election. If they choose to appoint, they are playing favorites or
rewarding political buddies. In other words, they cannot win.
The
group met on Wednesday, and by a 2-1 margin, voted to hold a special election. Weipert
and Painter voted for the election; Kriz voted to appoint. Weipert selected the
election date of Tuesday, January 19, 2016 after meeting with staff that
afternoon.
The
election winner will serve through December 31, 2016. The same seat will also
be on the ballot in the June 7 primary and November 8 general election for a
full four-year term.
Monday,
December 28 at 5 PM is the filing deadline for candidates. (Iowa Code sets the
deadline as 25 days before election, but that falls on Christmas Day so the
deadline moves to the next business day.) The two full status political
parties, Democrats and Republicans, may nominate a candidate by holding a
special convention of delegates elected at the 2014 caucuses. Other
organizations and independent candidates may file by petition with 250
signatures.
The
Democratic Party Convention will be Wednesday, December 16 at 6:30 PM
(registration begins at 5:30) at the Coralville Public Library. I have not
heard anything from the local GOP.
Let
the games begin!
*Hypocrisy On Trump
Jeb
Bush says Donald Trump “has no clue what he is talking about.” Marco Rubio has
criticized Trump’s bankruptcies. Chris Christie has accused Trump of lying
about 9/11. John Kasich has said Trump is not “worthy” of the Presidency. Carly
Fiorina has criticized Trump’s attitude toward women. Ted Cruz says Trump “is
not gonna be the nominee.” Lindsey Graham has called Trump “clueless”, “uninformed”,
and “whiny”. Rick Santorum has criticized Trump for “calling people names”.
When
asked directly, most of these other candidates will tell you that Donald Trump
is not fit to be President of the United States. But you know what? If he wins
the nomination, each one of them will fall in line. There is not a single one
who actually believes in Trump. But if needed, they will all support him in the
end.
Do
they really believe Trump is MORE qualified than Clinton or Sanders? I doubt
it. But they will not be honest about it. It is called hypocrisy.
*DID YOU KNOW?
There were Special Elections for the office of County Supervisor in 1994
(won by Don Sehr), 2010 (won by Janelle Rettig), and 2014 (won by John
Etheredge).
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
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 1:22 PM
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