SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
February 11, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 2/16/16
In this edition:
*Democratic Party Circular Firing Squad
*Supervisor Langston to Retire
*City Fed Chili Supper
*Real Economic Development
*Did You Know?
*Democratic Party Circular Firing Squad
I
am pretty frustrated by the post caucus machinations of the members of the Iowa
Democratic Party. If I were in charge, the messages would be:
Clinton
Campaign: “We won a hard fought battle! It was close, but a win is a win!”
Sanders
Campaign: “We started 60 points behind one of the most well known public
figures on planet Earth, and we ended up in a virtual tie. That is a win!”
Iowa
Democratic Party: “We had three great candidates, registered lots of new
voters, and the process worked. That is a win!”
But
no. We cannot let it go. We cannot take a win and walk away. We are going to
fight until this ends up lose-lose-lose. Congratulations! Your
self-righteousness is putting an end to the Iowa Caucuses!
*Supervisor Langston to Retire
Linn
County Supervisor Linda Langston recently announced that she will not be
seeking reelection. This is a pretty big deal; please allow me to explain.
Supervisor
Langston has not only served Linn County well, but rose through the ranks to
serve as the Chair of the National Association of Counties (NACo). NACo
consists of just over 3000 US counties, from the 12 million people in Los Angeles
County, California to the 200 in Loving County, Texas. This is the most
prestigious position one can hold in county government – and you are elected by
your peers. Linda did this job exceedingly well!
I
have had the opportunity to work with Linda on many things over the years. She
is smart, energetic, and absolutely works her tail off. Linda is a wonderful
person, a great Supervisor, and a good friend. I’ll miss her, and so will Linn
County!
*City Fed Chili Supper
The Iowa City
Federation of Labor annual Chili Supper is Thursday, February 18, at 6:00 pm at
the City Fed Office, 940 S. Gilbert Court in Iowa City.
Join
us for an evening of fun, friendship and food as we celebrate the contributions
of working women and men in our community. The event is open to all Union
members and friends of Labor. If you can, please bring a dish to share
(optional). We will all enjoy Good Food, Good People, and Good Music.
In
addition, this month the Crisis Center is running their Spread the Love
campaign. Bring a jar of peanut butter and jelly to the supper to help the
children of our great community. Or you can make a cash donation; either way
you will provide a much-needed source of protein to those in need.
For
more information contact City Fed President Patrick Wallace at 319-325-0260
*Real Economic Development!
This
appeared in Salvos last year, but it bears repeating as we enter tax season.
*What if I told you we could bring in 50 full-time jobs that would
pay $15 per hour?
*What
if I told you these jobs could neither be outsourced overseas nor
subcontracted?
*What if I told you those jobs would be filled by hard-working
low-income people, all of whom are local?
*What if I told you NO bribery (aka “tax incentives”) would be
required to land these jobs?
*What if I told you there were no special workforce training
programs required?
*What if I told you virtually ALL of the money earned would be
spent locally?
What
would happen? Well, the Chamber of Commerce would put it in their newsletter,
and the Ambassadors would do a ribbon cutting. Debi Durham would come over from
Des Moines and do a big press event, and the Governor just might join her. ICAD
would tweet this success to the world. Mayors would grab gold shovels and pose
for a photo. You might get a visit from a US Senator. The Press Citizen and
Gazette would both do front page stories. The Corridor Business Journal would
write a nice editorial. The region would be hailed for its forward thinking,
and folks would talk far and wide about how well we do economic development.
So
what if I told you the exact equivalent has already occurred? It has.
Several
years ago, I went to a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference and
learned about a program that had started in Cook County, Illinois.
As
it turns out, a huge number of low-income workers leave money on the table when
it comes to the federal income tax system, particularly the Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC). Cook County created a series of free tax clinics to ensure this
money returned to their county.
I
did some investigating, and it just so happened that Johnson County had the
same problem, though obviously on a much smaller scale.
So
I pushed for Johnson County to begin a free tax help program. It struck me that
we had a potential partner in the Tippe College of Business, and as luck would
have it, I could not have had better timing. Dr. Joyce Berg was ready to
greatly expand the work her student tax preparers would do. It was a perfect
fit.
Former
Supervisor (and current Legislator) Sally Stutsman was very supportive. Amy
Correia had just been hired as Johnson County’s first Social Services Director,
and Amy took the ball and ran with it, including securing grants to cover all
operating costs. The Tippe College, ICCSD, United Way, Iowa City Public
Library, and many others have become valued partners. In recent years, current
Social Services Director Lynette Jacoby has maintained and improved upon all
this success.
What
are the results? The Free Tax Help Program brings over $1.6 million into the
local economy every year. It goes to low-income local workers, who spend it
locally. And it uses no local tax dollars.
Remember
when I said “50 full-time jobs at $15 per hour”? That adds up to a $1.5 million
annual impact, less than the Free Tax Help Program. But the Free Tax Help
Program is actually even better, because it serves over 1,100 Johnson County
tax filers and their families!
Economic
Development can take many forms. I happen to believe the Free Tax Help program
has contributed a lot of good things to the local economy. We have not had any
fancy groundbreakings or ribbon cuttings, but we have accomplished something!
The
Corridor Business Journal spends a few hundred words every other issue
badmouthing the Board of Supervisors; I wonder if they will honor us for this
economic development? I’m not holding my breath!
So
if you know Lynette Jacoby, thank Lynette Jacoby. She has done great work! If
you know Joyce Berg, thank Joyce Berg. Her students have given much more back
to this community than they could ever take.
*DID YOU KNOW?
2016 is a leap year, meaning February has an extra (29th)
day.
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 @ 7:09 PM
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