SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 12, 2018
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/17/18
In this edition:
*Dems Hall of Fame
*Congrats Sheriff Pulkrabek!
*SEJH Kids
*Kaufmann Update
*Did You Know?
*Dems Hall of Fame
The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding our Annual Hall of Fame Awards event on Saturday, May 12 at 7pm at Brown Deer.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 2018 are: SenatorBob and Chairperson Sue Dvorsky.We hope you can join us in recognizing this remarkable couple! In addition, this year there will be a couple additional awards honoring local activists.
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!
*Congrats Sheriff Pulkrabek!
I have been a little slow getting around to this, but I want to congratulate Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek on his election as President of the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC).
For those of you that don’t know, ISAC is a nonprofit organization made up of all 99 Iowa Counties. It serves as a central hub for training, lobbying, information sharing, etc. Virtually every state has an organization similar to ISAC; we are lucky in that ISAC is viewed as one of the better State Associations.
ISAC is run by an elected Board of Directors. ISAC Presidents really commit to 4 years of service; they move from Second Vice President to Vice President to President to Past President over 4 consecutive years. So serving on the Board is a big commitment!
Johnson County has been very prominent in ISAC history, just not when it comes to Supervisors. Former Johnson County Treasurer Cletus Redlinger was ISAC President in the 1980s. Former Johnson County Attorney J. Patrick White was ISAC President in the 1990s. Current Johnson County Recorder Kim Painter served as President in the 00s. And now Sheriff Pulkrabek in the 2010s. That is a pretty good run for our County!
Obviously, it is a huge compliment to be elected as President of an organization with thousands of active members. And Sheriff Pulkrabek deserves this! He does a great job as Sheriff, and a great job as ISAC President!
Yes, serving as ISAC President does take Lonny away at times. So it is also fitting to also give a shout out to Major Steve Dolezal, who is in charge of things in the Sheriff’s absence. There is definitely no way Lonny could serve as ISAC President without knowing that he has such a top-flight, experienced law enforcement officer to serve as his primary backup.
Congratulations to Sheriff Pulkrabek, and thanks to Major Dolezal and the rest of the Sheriff’s Office!
*SEJH Kids
I spoke to a group of kids at South East Junior High a few weeks ago, and it really pointed out the tragic flaws in our political system. I will explain. But first –
There are many reasons to be hopeful! The classes at SEJH were AMAZING! First, the diversity was striking. Each class contained about 25 kids, and about 40% of each class consisted of kids that appeared to be nonwhite. There were jocks, gamers, and kids with funky haircuts. But throughout, the kids were smart, caring, compassionate, and had really thought about the issues. I am excited for the future!
Secondly, the teachers kick butt! It is wonderful to see how calmly they manage the chaos of junior high! These folks are professionals, and really earn their paychecks!
So, on to the classes. The children had been studying a variety of social/political issues, and they were excited to share their research.
“We need more wind and solar” said one young man confidently.
“I agree”, I replied. “Johnson County has done a lot of solar. We would do more if the state would let us.”
“Why won’t the state let you?” he asked.
“Because the power companies still want to sell the coal fired power they produce,” I said.
“So what?” replied the young man indignantly. “We should do more wind and solar, not less. Who cares what the power companies say?”
“Legislators care,” I sighed. “Power companies hire lobbyists. Lobbyists convince Legislators to do what they want.”
“How do they do that?” he asked.
“Usually campaign contributions,” I replied.
And so it went. 3 class periods. 156 minutes. Class after class of young people came in excited because they had common sense solutions to issues ranging from clean energy and clean water to gun violence and a higher minimum wage. And each time, I had to explain to each class that while their solutions were great, they would never happen until we get the money out of politics. It was tragic.
I hope I didn’t discourage them. I tried to be positive. But that was where I left it with each group of kids – get the money out of politics. And that is where I will leave it with you. If you can only fix one thing, get the money out of politics!
*Kauffman Update
As you may recall, on March 21 I challenged State Representative Bobby Kaufmann to a debate on HF2372. (I texted him the challenge before it appeared in Salvos.)
The bill was later changed, and passed in a different form. But he still supported taking away even more local control. (Not from his Dad, mind you, but from Johnson County.) I still think this is a terrible vote, and an important topic to discuss. I still want the debate.
I have not yet received a response from Representative Kaufmann. I will keep you posted.
*DID YOU KNOW? Sheriff Pulkrabek holds the Johnson County record for most votes received - 58,273 in 2016.
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.
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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 @ 9:17 AM
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