rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 29, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 5/3/16
In this edition:
*Happy Mother’s Day!
*Endorsements
*Medical Examiner
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
*Did You Know?
*Happy Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 8. I know that this is a difficult day
for many people, and I want to respect that. Yet I feel the need to talk about
a special person in my life.
I want to wish a particularly Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom, Susan
Sullivan Smith, and my wife, Melissa Fath. One is a birth mom, one is an
adoptive mom – both are amazing people who have touched many lives.
I
sometimes wish people could actually see how amazing Melissa is. We’ve had over
40 foster children over the years, and she has never missed a beat once.
Melissa has done all that parenting, while at the same time doing full time
cancer research. She is truly incredible!
Last
year at this time, I was afraid I might lose her. Melissa was fighting cancer,
and we did not know exactly what to expect. Thank God things went well, and
this Mom-of-all-Moms is still with us today!
I hope all the moms out there have a wonderful day! You deserve
it! Thanks for all you do!
*Endorsements
As
you may know, I am running for reelection to the Board of Supervisors. One of
the things candidates do is seek endorsements. It is an old advertising
technique, and a fairly transparent one at that. But the technique survives
because it works!
Endorsements
provide an extra level of information for voters. They serve to connect the
dots for voters who do not know candidates personally. They give voters an idea
what candidates are all about.
The
organizational endorsements I have thus far include: Iowa City Federation of
Labor, CR and IC Building Trades, Teamsters, Laborers, Carpenters, SEIU,
AFSCME, AFGE, and IBEW.
It
is hard for me to imagine endorsements that could mean more. Groups of average
working folks who come together for the common good… how could a candidate wish
for anything better? I am extremely proud of these endorsements!
*Medical Examiner
The
Board recently received the annual report from the Johnson County Medical
Examiner’s Office (JCME), and it contains some very interesting information.
First,
some background: Counties are responsible for providing the Medical Examiner’s services.
(In some states, they are called Coroners.) The job of these offices is to
determine a scientifically based cause of death for every death in the
jurisdiction. Some of these deaths are deemed to be “in the public interest”,
and therefore require a higher level of scrutiny.
“Deaths in the public interest” include accidents, homicides,
suicides, deaths that occur in facilities, and deaths where no physician was
present. The “public interest” can mean many things, but the primary goals are
to ensure that we know exactly what happened. Then insurance, law enforcement,
etc. can react accordingly.
According
to Iowa law, the jurisdiction where the death occurs is responsible for the
investigation. This is where things get interesting for Johnson County! Because
of the presence of UIHC, the VA, Mercy, and two interstate highways, Johnson
County investigates an inordinate number of deaths. Many people, regardless of
where they lived, drew their final breath in Johnson County. That makes their
case a Johnson County responsibility.
Because
of this, Johnson County investigates the same number of deaths as Polk County,
and far more than any other Iowa jurisdiction. In 2015, there were 1,705 deaths
in Johnson County. The JCME reviewed 700 of those, or 41%. Of those, 334 were
declined. 366 were accepted as “deaths in the public interest”.
143
of the 366 were Johnson County residents; 181 were residents of other Iowa
counties; 26 were out of state; and 16 were Department of Corrections.
171
of the 366 accepted cases were accidents; 150 were natural causes; 33 were
suicides; 5 homicides; and 7 undetermined.
The
number one cause of death is falling. This is particularly true for senior
citizens, but also affects younger people.
Johnson
County has one of the best teams in the whole country, and that is not
hyperbole! All our investigators are certified by the American Board of Medicolegal
Death Investigators, a standard achieved by very few jurisdictions. In
addition, we are one of the rare jurisdictions with a Board Certified Forensic
Pathologist… and we have two! Doctor Dennis Firschau is certified in
Anatomical, Clinical, and Forensic Pathology by the American Board of
Pathology. Doctor Marcus Nashelsky holds the same credentials; in addition, he
is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Association
of Medical Examiners, and he was the 2015 President of the association.
Perhaps
most importantly, ME Administrator Mike Hensch is an acknowledged national
leader in ME services, particularly in the area of organ and tissue donation.
I
hope you and your family do not require the services of the JCME. But if you
do, rest assured that you are dealing with the very top professionals in the
field. I am so very proud of the JCME!
*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 7 at 7pm at Brown Deer Country Club in
Coralville.
Please
join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be
available. Parking is free.
The
Hall of Fame inductees for 2016 are: Pauline Taylor, Beverly and Dog Jones, and
Eileen and Peter Fisher. 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!
*DID YOU KNOW?
Most deaths are reported on Mondays. This is likely due to people
failing to show up at work or school, and family/friends/coworkers checking up
on them.
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
April 14, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 4/19/16
In this edition:
*No Salvos Next Week!
*Environmental Forum
*Remember the Upcoming Wage Increase!
*Uber in Iowa City?
*Bur Oak Land Trust
*DMC Public Event
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
*Did You Know?
*No Salvos Next Week!
I
will be out of the state next weekend, helping my niece celebrate her wedding.
So we are going to skip a week of Salvos. Expect your next edition (dated
5/3/16) somewhere around April 29th or 30th.
*Environmental Forum
April 20 is the
first candidate forum for the 2016 Democratic Primary for County Supervisor. It
is a forum put together by a number of environmental groups.
I am going to go
ahead and be a little proactive here… the moderator of that event hates me, and
has worked against my election previously. I am certain he will paint my
absence as an affront to any and all environmental concerns.
As I pointed out
above, I will be out of state at my niece’s wedding. It has been planned for
over a year. I was never offered any input into the date of the forum. I have
been deeply committed to the environment my whole life, and will continue to
act thusly despite the criticisms of my “hater”. I look forward to future
opportunities to talk about my record as an environmentalist. I just needed to
get that on the record.
*Remember the Upcoming Wage Increase!
Remember - the
minimum wage in Johnson County will increase another $.95 to $9.15 per hour
starting May 1st!
Johnson County
raised the wage $.95 to $8.20 on November 1, 2015. Since then, the unemployment
rate has remained static, while low-wage workers have enjoyed a higher standard
of living. So far, so good!
There
are still plenty of critics out there. But their protestations are sounding
more and more like a case of ideological sour grapes. Increasing the minimum
wage has been a very good thing for Johnson County.
Remember - this law
applies to everyone who works in Johnson County more than two hours in a
two-week period. No other employment laws were changed when the minimum wage
was raised. If you have questions about the minimum wage in Johnson County,
please visit the County website at www.johnson-county.com.
*Uber in Iowa City?
Let me just say it –
Uber is Wal Mart. I haven’t shopped at a Wal Mart since the ‘80s, and I won’t
be using Uber anytime soon.
People just LOVE
those Wal Mart low prices… but those low prices are a result of the destruction
of main street businesses, the closure of US manufacturing plants, the gutting
of unions, the abuse of workers, and a general lowering of the US standard of
living. So yes, that piece of crap you bought at Wal Mart was cheap. But it was
not inexpensive. We have all paid the price, and we have been doing so for
decades.
Uber is the same
thing. Make sure workers have low pay and no benefits. Make sure the onus for
expenses are on the workers and not the billionaire owners. Make sure riders
have no one to sue when they are paralyzed in a wreck. Make sure to enter into
a local market and drive down the standards for everyone.
Screw Uber. I know
there is an “outcry” from Iowa Citians who want to ride Uber past any semblance
of worker’s rights, all the way down to indentured servitude. They can take
that trip, but I’m not going to help them.
Sure, individuals
want access to Uber. But there are often situations where what is cheapest and
easiest for an individual is not the best thing for our community. You can buy
a cheap, quick burger at McDonald’s, then throw the wrapper on the ground. That
is cheaper and easier for the individual, but much worse for our community.
This is the same thing.
Visitors want it?
I’m sure several do. I’m also certain that several visitors would like it if we
opened a couple brothels. Are we that certain that the customer is always
right?
Perhaps there is a
way for the City of Iowa City to create/maintain high standards that protect
our citizens. That will force Uber to either change the way they behave or stay
out of our community altogether. Uber is just an expensive trip to the bottom.
*Bur Oak Land Trust
The wonderful folks
at the Bur Oak Land Trust are kicking off the Conserve. Protect. Grow. campaign Wednesday, April 20 at 1PM at the
Big Grove Addition, 3999 Starry Night Lane NE outside of Solon.
The event will have
refreshments, walking tours, and environmental education. In case of rain, the
event will be at the Celebration Barn. Please join the fun!
*DMC Public Event
The
Johnson County Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee (JC-DMCC) is excited
to announce a community forum entitled The Impact of Racial Injustice on Youth.
This event will be held 6:00-8:30pm April 28, 2016 at the Iowa City Public
Library in Meeting Room A. An optional community meal will be provided prior to
the forum at 5:00pm. This event is free and open to the public.
The
Impact of Racial Injustice on Youth is designed for families and community
members to learn more about the racially biased outcomes within the school and
justice systems, and what an individual’s rights and resources are in Johnson
County. The forum will feature three informative sessions including: a youth
panel consisting of Iowa City Community School District students detailing
their experiences with disproportionality in the community, assistant county
attorneys, Pat Weir and Emily Voss, discussing legal information and
neighborhood relations with the police, and a presentation of the results of
the ICCSD equity research project.
*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 7 at 7pm at Brown Deer Country Club in
Coralville.
Please
join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be
available. Parking is free.
The
Hall of Fame inductees for 2016 are: Pauline Taylor, Beverly and Dog Jones, and
Eileen and Peter Fisher. 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!
*DID YOU KNOW?
5 more Iowa counties are considering local increases to the minimum
wage.
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
April 8, 2016
Sullivan’s
Salvos 4/12/16
In this edition:
*Rose Oaks and Affordable Housing
*County Earth Week Activities
*Johnson County For All
*Uniting Democrats
*Democratic Party Hall of Fame
*Did You Know?
*Rose Oaks and Affordable Housing
We already HAD an affordable housing crisis. It just got worse.
Rose Oaks (formerly Dolphin Point, formerly Lakeside) is renovating, and pretty
much tearing down the entire complex. Hundreds of low-income people are not
getting their leases renewed as a result. This leaves many families in search
of affordable housing. Guess what? None exists. This exacerbates our crisis.
I
think it is particularly important to note that the crisis ALREADY EXISTED.
People look at New Orleans after Katrina – why is it taking so long to rebuild?
Because the crisis ALREADY EXISTED. Katrina only made it worse. This is the
same phenomenon.
It is worth asking how we got here. Why do we have this crisis? Like
many of our political questions, this boils down to two simple questions: Who
benefits? Who pays?
To really answer these questions, we need to look at the big
picture. Here are two critical facts that have a tremendous impact on our
discussions of affordable
1.
40
years ago, the UI quit taking responsibility for housing its students, and left
that to the private market. That can and should change.
The
UI should build about 4,000 more beds, and require all freshmen (and perhaps
all sophomores) to live on campus. They should redo married student housing and
make it affordable.
The
UI created our crisis. 40 years ago they washed their hands of housing, and let
every slumlord in town become a millionaire developer. Many of those landlords
then acted as though every person who needed rental housing had a wealthy Daddy
in Naperville footing the bill. It was and is a cash machine, fueled by
high-interest rate student loans. I think it is way past time for the UI to
step up.
2.
Iowa
City should have required inclusionary zoning 30 years ago. It should do so
now.
I know the argument – “We can’t do it unless Coralville does it,
too.” I have been around this area my whole life. Coralville is not going to do
inclusionary zoning. They just aren’t. We can ask them to, and we should. But
it is unlikely. So should Iowa City remain paralyzed, or do the right thing? I
say do the right thing, and others may follow.
Iowa
City should have required inclusionary zoning 30 years ago, but every single
Council said, “Let’s wait and give the developers time.” They had their time. They
had 30 years. Adopt inclusionary zoning citywide. It is 30 years overdue.
It sounds as though the Council is talking about putting money
toward helping displaced tenants to find new housing. I admire the city for
stepping up to assist the people who are displaced. But think for a moment…
where will that money come from? It is General Fund money, which comes from the
property taxes you and I pay. So the developer gets to displace the residents,
and we get to pay the tab. If we actually required INCLUSIONARY ZONING citywide,
developers would have already paid for affordable housing.
We
have a crisis. I say address it at the roots. Demand that the UI step up, and
pass inclusionary zoning citywide.
*County Earth Week Activities
Sustainability
Staff and the Johnson County Green Team have the following events planned for
Earth Week; we hope you can attend some of the public education events.
April 14: Board evening Formal Session – Proclamation to be received by one or
more UI student group(s) involved in sustainability.
April 19: Kirkwood Community College ECO Fair – County Sustainability staff to
host table about sustainability efforts by the County.
April 20: Energy Fair (Admin Building - Betty Sass Room) – 11:30 a.m. to 1:30
p.m., Professor Therme (from UI), Alliant Energy, MidAmerican, I-RENEW, Iowa
Energy Efficiency Association; LED light bulbs and other useful energy-saving
items as prizes.
April 22: Ask-A-Farmer (HHS 203 B-C)—12:10 to 1p.m. Round-table with Shanti
Sellz and a local Master Gardener; plants as prizes. We’ll take a mini-mobile
version of the event to the Courthouse staff in the mid-afternoon.
April 23: Iowa Woodland Owners Association Spring Field Day, 9:30 a.m. to 1
p.m. (Kate Giannini through NRCS) sessions on barn reuse, erosion, pond
management, timber stands, plant ID, pest/pathogens. 4589 Kansas Ave SW.
*Johnson County For All
How
Can We Make Johnson County Livable for All of Its Residents? Join an open,
countywide conversation about how we can ensure the highest quality of life for
all of our neighbors. Come discuss priorities, next steps, and community collaborations
for greatest impact!
Saturday,
April 16 from 11 AM -2PM in Room 203 of the Johnson County HHS Building, 855
South Dubuque Street in Iowa City.
Complimentary
lunch catered by Shelter House’s Culinary Starts Program. Please RSVP and learn
more at: http://goo.gl/6C4pbq
Contact:
david-supp-montgomerie@uiowa.edu
*Uniting Democrats
There
is much discussion nationally of the fractures within the Republican Party, and
rightfully so. There is much less discussion of the fractures within the
Democratic Party, which concern me just as much.
The
Millennial generation is the largest demographic cohort ever, much larger than
the Baby Boom generation. Millennials are engaged voters, but they are NOT
voting like older Dems. Fully 80% of the Democrats under 30 have voted for
Bernie Sanders this election season.
Democrats – we had better wake up! If we do not listen to the
wants and needs of the next generation, we are through. Their association with
the Democratic Party is tenuous. The Party has done little for them, and they
feel no allegiance.
Clinton
supporters – you are in the lead. That means the ball is in your court. What
are you going to do in our moment of crisis? If you ignore this group, at this
time, our Party is going to meet the end of its viable life.
I’m
happy to volunteer to help reach out to Millennials. I am the parent of
several. But it will do no good unless they are really going to be heard.
*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 7 at 7pm at Brown Deer Country Club in
Coralville.
Please
join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be
available. Parking is free.
The
Hall of Fame inductees for 2016 are: Pauline Taylor, Beverly and Dog Jones, and
Eileen and Peter Fisher. 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!
*DID YOU KNOW?
Studies show Millennials are much more interested in liberal social
policies than previous generations. (Source: The Economist.)
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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