SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 3, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 6/7/16
In this edition:
*RIP Tom Wall
*Sullivan for Supervisor!
*Election Night Party!
*Bullet Voting
*Clinton vs. Sanders
*Did You Know?
*RIP Tom Wall
I
was stunned to hear about the untimely passing of Morse area farmer Tom Wall.
Tom
ran the family farm near Morse, and we had many great conversations over the
years. We talked Johnson County history, especially the Nolan Settlement;
soybeans, livestock, 4H, the Fairgrounds, the Morse Village Plan, and sports.
Tom knew a lot about many topics, and rather than just complain about things, he
liked to try to solve problems.
Tom
was very smart, kind, funny, and willing to pitch in way beyond his share. Tom
was a gentle giant, a family man, and just a great guy. He will be missed. RIP,
Tom.
*Sullivan for Supervisor!
As
you (hopefully) know, I am running for reelection. Early voting has already begun
for the June 7 Democratic Party Primary; I thought I should take a moment to
make my case to Salvos readers!
I
grew up on a Heritage farm (150 years in the same family) near Sutliff, and
attended K-12 in the Lisbon school system. I attended the University of Iowa,
earning a BA in 1988. I have held several positions in the field of human
services, including 6 years with the Department of Human Services and 6 years
as Executive Director of the Arc of Johnson County.
I
am married to Dr. Melissa Fath, a Research Scientist at the UI and a volunteer
Pharmacist at the Free Medical Clinic. We have 3 adult children-Rachel, Jordan,
and BJ, and have served as foster parents for another 40+ children.
I
have been active in many local organizations, including volunteering for the
Shelter Overflow, Furniture Project, United Way, Community Foundation of
Johnson County, Affordable Homes Coalition, Coalition for Racial Justice, UI
Center for Disabilities and Development, Hoover PTA, City High Little Hawks
Club, Yes for Kids Steering Committee, and the Batterer’s Education Program.
I
am a member of several community organizations, including: St. Andrew
Presbyterian Church, Iowa Foster & Adoptive Parent Association, Sierra
Club, Burr Oak Land Trust, Johnson County Historical Society, Johnson County Ag
Association, Center for Worker Justice, ACLU Hawkeye Chapter, AFT Local 716,
and NAMI. I also served 4 years as Chair of the Johnson County Democratic
Party.
Some of the accomplishments of which I am proud:
Leadership during ’08 floods.
Human Rights
Ordinance.
Sensitive
Areas Ordinance.
Conservation Bond
Initiative.
Started 1105 Project with gift of old
Public Health building.
Saved Sutliff Bridge.
Trails
funding.
Community ID.
Free Tax Help
project.
Livable Community
Successful Aging.
Outdoor warning sirens to unincorporated
Johnson County.
Local Foods Policy Council.
“A” in local government transparency from
Sunshine Institute.
Heritage AAA Outstanding
Elected Official – 2009.
Raising the
minimum wage.
Funding
affordable housing.
I
respectfully request your vote on or before June 7. Thanks!
*Election Night Party!
We
are holding an Election Night Returns Party Tuesday, June 7 at 8PM at Boyd’s
(formerly Bob’s Your Uncle). Come by for free pizza and a cash bar, and join us
as we watch the results roll in.
*Bullet Voting
As
is the case with any election, some folks are trying to decide what strategy
they should use as they go into the voting booth. I heard a few people debating
whether or not to “bullet vote.” I was surprised to find a few people who had
no idea what this term meant. So, a brief explanation:
We
will use this year’s election as an example. There are 6 candidates for 3
seats. Imagine that you have 2 candidates that you REALLY like, and you are
pretty indifferent about the third seat.
If
you cast all 3 votes, you are giving the exact same weight to the third person
as you did to the two you really like. Imagine a scenario where one of your top
2 lost to your third choice by ONE vote – and you cast that vote!
In
this scenario, many savvy voters will only cast two votes. That type of
under-voting is also known as “bullet voting”.
There
are some out there who feel bullet voting is somehow inappropriate; they feel
you should use every vote you are given. On the other hand, many see it as the
only sensible thing to do.
Personally,
I often bullet vote. What are your thoughts?
*Clinton vs. Sanders
There
is a great deal of gnashing of teeth as pundits speculate whether or not
supporters of Bernie Sanders will get on board with the campaign of Hillary
Clinton.
Please
allow me to take you back to 2008… it was June 7, 2008 when Hillary Clinton
suspended her campaign and threw her support to Barack Obama. Sound familiar?
Additionally,
a CNN poll from July 5, 2008 showed that only 54% of Clinton supporters would
support Obama. That was 120 days before the election! Again, sound familiar?
Yes,
there is a concern about party unity. Both sides have a lot of work to do in
this area. But the sky is not falling.
*DID YOU KNOW?
Turnout in Democratic Primaries during Presidential years have been very
low when there is no open seat. (’12 saw 5329 voters; ’08 saw 5130.) When there
is an open seat, turnout is much higher. (’04 was 9305 voters; ‘00 was 7400.) Source: Johnson County Auditor’s
Office.
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 @ 12:35 PM
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