Rod Sullivan, Supervisor, Johnson County, Iowa

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SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

August 10, 2017

Sullivan’s Salvos     8/15/17



In this edition:


*Happy Birthday, Melissa!
*Happy Birthday, BJ!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
*Cosgrove Pork Day
*Democratic Party Nominee for Governor
*Fred Hubbell
*Andy McGuire
*ICCSD Bond Facts
*Did You Know?



*Happy Birthday, Melissa!
         My wife Melissa celebrates her birthday on August 17th. Those of you who know her know that I am a very lucky man!

         Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you!



*Happy Birthday BJ!
         Son BJ turns 21 on August 22. He is living a dream, working at Walt Disney World in Orlando. I miss him every day! Happy Birthday, BJ! I love you!



*Lone Tree Fall Festival
         The Lone Tree Fall Festival is August 18 - 20 in Lone Tree. This event is a great opportunity to share some good times with the fine folks of Johnson County’s “panhandle”!



*Cosgrove Pork Day
         Sunday, August 20 marks the annual St. Peter’s Catholic Church Pork Day in Cosgrove. There is a Polka Mass at 11; pork dinners served 11-2; events for kids, bingo, a beer tent, raffles, and much more!



*Democratic Party Nominee for Governor
         There is quite a race shaping up for the Democratic nominee for Governor of Iowa. And that is a good thing, because I really believe this is the most important election in Iowa’s history.

         Who do I support? No one, yet. Why? Because we have very important local races ahead of us. We have Bond Votes and School Board candidates on the ballot in September, and City Council candidates on the ballot in November.

         My focus is going to be local politics until mid-November. Then I’ll start to worry about the race for Governor.

         I do have something to say about the campaigns, however. I have never been more fed up with the infighting in the Democratic Party. The GOP is ruining this Country and this State right before our eyes. In light of that, there is a special place in Hell reserved for the people who are still litigating Bernie versus Hillary. We need to move on. We have work to do! And we cannot allow policy differences to turn into personal attacks.

         So, if you are a candidate that wants my support come November – tell your staff and surrogates to treat the other Democratic Party candidates with respect. That is the ONLY way you will secure my vote, no matter how good your policies might sound.



*Fred Hubbell
         In a vein similar to what I just wrote, I am concerned by the number of Democrats I hear dismissing Fred Hubbell. I have heard far too many people say they “refuse to vote for the rich guy.”

         Let’s be clear – being wealthy does not make someone a bad person. Nor does it make someone a bad Democrat.

         Most of the Presidents who did the most to help the poorest people in our society (both Roosevelts, LBJ) were very wealthy people. They were able to make life better for millions of poor and working class Americans, and being wealthy did not get in the way.

         Who knows? Perhaps Fred Hubbell could do the same thing for hundreds of thousands of Iowans. Or maybe not. But please make your decision based upon his proposed policies and not based upon his net worth.



*Andy McGuire
         I have also heard a lot of people say that they will not be voting for former Iowa Democratic Party Chair Dr. Andy McGuire. And that is fine – so long as you do not follow that statement with a misogynistic rant!

         Look – Dr. McGuire may have led the Party through some difficult times, but she is a good human being who is sincere in her desire to improve our state. She may not deserve your vote, but she deserves your respect.

         And I am tired of hearing misogynistic statements about our female candidates! This is a REAL problem, and we need to address it! The GOP seems to be able to keep a lid on this – Democrats should be able to do the same!

         I repeat: if you are a candidate that wants my support come November – tell your staff and surrogates to treat the other Democratic Party candidates with respect. That is the ONLY way you will secure my vote, no matter how good your policies might sound.



*ICCSD Bond Facts
         As you probably know, I am a big supporter of the upcoming bond referendum in the ICCSD. Since this is a really important topic, I am going to dedicate a bit of time to it each of the next few weeks.

         The first thing I want to discuss is the cost. It is true that $191.5 million is a lot of money. But I think it is money very well spent. Here are some reasons why:

1.   The need is there. Every project on the list makes life better for students and teachers.
2.   Money is cheap right now. It is unlikely interest rates will ever be lower.
3.   Similarly, construction costs are increasing at almost 10% annually. Wait 5 more years to do a project, and you are paying 50% more for the same building.
4.   The $191.5 million figure is very conservative. The payback assumes large increases in interest that are unlikely to occur. (The finance people at the ICCSD can explain how that total was reached.)
5.   The ICCSD has bonds coming off the same time these would go on. It makes the overall tax increase a very manageable $.98/$1000, or $4.25 per month on $100,000 assessed value. Even if the bond passes, the ICCSD will still have the lowest tax rate of any urban district in Iowa – lower than our neighboring districts.

That is correct… people who live in Solon, Clear Creek-Amana, Mount Vernon, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Davenport, Waterloo, Sioux City…all pay a higher levy rate than taxpayers in the ICCSD.

Those are but a few of the important numbers. For more info, please visit http://passthebond.com. And please join me in voting YES on or before September 12!



*DID YOU KNOW?  There are currently 8 candidates running for Governor of Iowa in the Democratic Party: Ross Wilburn, Cathy Glasson, Andy McGuire, Jon Niederbach, John Norris, Todd Prichard, Nate Boulton, and Fred Hubbell.



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






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