rodsullivan.org
SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 31, 2018
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/5/18
In this edition:
*VOTE!
*Catch?
*Register Poll
*Nate Boulton and #metoo
*Think Minimum Wage!
*Supporting Mazahir
*Did You Know?
*VOTE!
Tuesday, June 5this Primary Election Day. Your participation is critical! Please get out and vote!
*Catch?
Want to play some catch? It is really fun! Just email me! I have both baseballs and softballs, and a couple extra gloves. I can meet you wherever you like. Let’s do this!
*Register Poll
Des Moines Register polls are known for their accuracy. I do not question that. But I am adamantly opposed to the Register polling elections just a week or two prior to the vote. I firmly believe this moves them from covering news into influencing the news, and that is very wrong.
It is really pretty simple; if the Register poll says your candidate is way behind, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. People get discouraged, and choose not to vote. If the Register poll says your candidate is winning, suddenly she/he can raise more money.
Plus, the Register could put these resources into actually covering news. It costs a lot to do a poll – that money could be spent on news coverage.
I have expressed my frustration with this before, but no one at the Register seemed to care. If you agree with me that there should be no election-related Register polls within six weeks of an election? Please let the Register know!
*Nate Boulton and #metoo
The big news last week was, unfortunately, much like the big news of every other week: a high profile man is accused of sexual assault.
I did not vote for Nate; as I have written here previously, I support John Norris. But there is no sense of victory here. I have met Nate and spoken to him several times. He seemed like a great guy. I am deeply disappointed.
I am also really sad. Sad first for his victims. Sad also for his family and friends. Sad for all my friends who believed in Boulton and put time and money into his campaign. Sad for all the Iowans who deserve better.
We simply must do better. Holding perpetrators accountable is a proper step in the right direction. We need to be certain that we hold them accountable regardless of their politics or artistic or athletic abilities.
One last thing: If you voted for Trump and are gloating over the revelations about Nate Boulton? You are just not a good person. It is simply NOT OK to say, “He may be a sexual predator, but he’s our sexual predator.” No. Just no. Hold them ALL accountable!
*Think Minimum Wage!
Planning an event? After work get together? Beers with friends? Before you choose where to go, please consider whether or not that business supports the Johnson County minimum wage.
Several businesses went out on a limb, and took a stand for the low wage workers of our community. If you care about this, you need to reward the businesses that have done the right thing.
So before your next after work beer, please ask the establishment if they observe the Johnson County minimum wage. If not, go elsewhere. Where you buy matters!
*Supporting Mazahir
I was very involved in the last election for Iowa City Council. I spent quite a bit of time and effort helping my friend Mazahir Salih. Obviously, things turned out well, as Mazahir is now a Councilor.
It is interesting to me, however, to watch Iowa City’s reaction to its newest Councilor.
The majority of the public seems happy to have elected a woman. The majority of the public seems happy to have elected a person of color. The majority of the public seems happy to have elected a Muslim. The majority of the public seems happy to have elected a person whose first language is Arabic. The majority of the public seems happy to have elected the very first Sudanese American to ever hold office in the US.
But that is where it ends. The people of Iowa City want to pat themselves on the back for electing Mazahir, but are they willing to hear what she has to say? So far, I would say the answer is a resounding “no”.
Mazahir is a big proponent of economic justice. She helped to lead the fight for the increase to the minimum wage, and has led the effort to persuade local businesses to keep paying it. There are several other areas of labor and economic justice – such as what Iowa City pays part time, temporary employees – that she wants to address.
But I think it is safe to say that Mazahir is not feeling the love. Some Council Members, some staff, and some members of the public stand opposed to her efforts at economic justice. They like the idea of her being elected; they just don’t like the reality of her advocacy.
For at least 44 of the past 50 years, a small neoliberal cabal has run Iowa City. The unwritten compact is they don’t care if you are gay, so long as their developer/landlord buddies get everything they want. When it comes to social and economic justice issues, well, there just isn’t enough money in the budget. This needed to change, and it has changed. Those folks knew Mazahir was a force, so they claimed to “support” her. Which is interesting, because I did a lot of work on Mazahir’s campaign, and I never saw any of them!
Now Mazahir is hitting them where it hurts. As her supporters, we need to rally behind her and make sure she has visible support!
It reminds me of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior. After years of struggle, many Americans began to agree with him that Civil Rights were important. But the Poor People’s Campaign? That will get you killed.
What can you do? If you voted for Mazahir because you care about those issues, offer her tangible support. Write letters. Speak at meetings. Let the other decision makers know that Mazahir is only a part of a much bigger movement!
*DID YOU KNOW? The first minimum wage law was enacted in 1894 in New Zealand. With the passage of The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA), the U.S. minimum wage was initially set at $0.25 per hour for covered workers. Since then, it has been raised 22 separate times–most recently, in July 2009, to $7.25 an hour.
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
May 24, 2018
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/29/18
In this edition:
*Comprehensive Plan
*SOTA
*Don’t Mow the Ditch!
*Kaufmann Update
*Did You Know?
*Comprehensive Plan
After 18 months, 31 public meetings lasting over 100 hours, and hundreds of public comments, Johnson County passed its 2018 Comprehensive Plan by a 4-1 vote.
There have been a lot of comments about the Comp Plan “process”. And believe me, in local government, process matters. That is precisely why I led off this piece with the statistics: 18 months, 31 public meetings lasting over 100 hours, and hundreds of public comments.
There are a couple of things I would do over if I had the chance, both relating to our Planning and Zoning Commission. In one instance, P&Z was inadvertently omitted from a written section that discusses the future review of the document. Obviously, P&Z should be part of any review. That was an unfortunate oversight by Planning, Development, and Sustainability (PDS) staff, but thankfully it was caught. And hey – PDS staff did AMAZING work on this! I am willing to cut them some slack on this small omission. I just wish it had been something else!
The other thing I would change was a specific process. PDS staff came to the Board a couple months ago, noting that one of the stickiest issues in passing a Comprehensive Plan is the adoption of a Land Use Map. I can vouch for this. This was the third time I have voted on a Land Use Map – shrinking the development areas each time. In 2006, the map included everything east of 965 and west of Highway 1, from Linn County on the north to I-80 on the south. We voted to shrink that in 2006, and shrunk it again during the process of adopting the 2008 Land Use Plan.
PDS staff knew that this map was going to be controversial. They knew it is the kind of thing that has cost Supervisors elections. So they asked the Board members to create individual maps. Then staff overlayed them to see where there were areas of agreement and disagreement. We then hashed out the map as a group. All in all, it worked really well.
The problem is, P&Z had not done a similar thing first. Because of their advisory role, they probably should have done that. So yes, it is a process I would change. But would it have changed any outcomes? I sincerely doubt it. When I drew my map, I was drawing upon YEARS of comments that I have gotten from the public. A couple more data points would have been fine, but I doubt it would have changed how ANY Supervisor drew her or his map.
Because of these two slights, the P&Z Commissioners were upset. They have made that known. And I feel bad about that. But the Supervisors carefully went point by point through the 24 P&Z recommendations. We voted to adopt 17 out of 24. The next day, one of the P&Z members accused the Supervisors of “failing to listen”. 17/24 apparently does not constitute listening. I’m not sure what the threshold is – 20/24? Or is this simply that the Supervisors did not agree with everything they wanted?
Let’s all be honest here. The majority of the members of the P&Z Commission have been outspoken in support of the challenger in the upcoming Supervisor Primary. That campaign is predicated on the idea that “Supervisors do not listen.” Listen to whom? There are equal numbers on every side of this issue. Anyway, you would have to be pretty naïve to think there are no politics involved. These couple P&Z members have a vested interest in making incumbent Board Members look bad. So when it comes to some of the complaints about process? Methinks they doth protest too much.
Another thing – the Supervisor who voted no claimed the public has not had time to weigh in. Again, 18 months, 31 public meetings lasting over 100 hours, and hundreds of public comments! Yes, the final draft was finished the day before we voted – that is true. But the 24 recommendations we voted on? Those have been out there 5 WEEKS! Yes, 5 weeks! To pretend that somehow the public did not know what we were voting upon? Disingenuous at best.
This is simply an attempt to obfuscate and delay. And that is frustrating, because creating the Plan is only the beginning! Now we have to do the work! My guess is that most of the public would rather see us address some of these concerns rather than hold another public hearing. One of the knocks on government is that it moves too slow. Calling for more delays would only serve to reinforce that point. It is time to act!
I am very proud of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. I think it sets Johnson County forth in a good direction. Thanks to everyone who share their thoughts - 18 months, 31 public meetings lasting over 100 hours, and hundreds of public comments!
*SOTA
Nothing says Summer like the festivals produced by Summer of the Arts! I joined the SOTA Board last year, and have really enjoyed being a part of it all.
Here are the 2018 Festival Dates:
*Don’t Mow the Ditch!
The County’s Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management (IRVM) program reminds residents that Iowa law prohibits the mowing of ditches along county secondary roads and state primary and interstate highways each year prior to July 15. The no-mow order allows time for hatching and development of ground-nesting birds and pollinators.
Johnson County Roadside Vegetation Manager Chris Henze said that in 2010, legislation changed the date from July 1 to July 15. “Studies have shown a significant increase in nesting success, with more nestlings ready to fledge, given this extra time,” Henze explained. The law also expanded the restrictions to include county roads, thereby protecting an additional 500,000 acres of vegetated right-of-way statewide.
“The two-week extension also allows refugia—a suitable habitat—for pollinators during these peak flowering times for many native plants,” Henze said.
Exceptions to the law allow for maintaining sightlines and for controlling weeds. Cutting for hay is not among the exceptions. The law reads:
Mowing roadside vegetation on the rights-of-way or medians on any primary highway, interstate highway, or secondary road prior to July 15 is prohibited, except as follows:
- Within 200 yards of an inhabited dwelling
- On rights-of-way within one mile of the corporate limits of a city
- To promote native species of vegetation or other long-lived and adaptable vegetation
- To establish control of damaging insect populations, noxious weeds, and invasive plant species
- For visibility and safety reasons
- Within rest areas, weigh stations, and wayside parks
- Within 50 feet of a drainage tile or tile intake
- For access to a mailbox or for other accessibility purposes
- On rights-of-way adjacent to agricultural demonstration or research plots
“In an agricultural state like Iowa, the law serves as a reminder to mow only the shoulder and leave the rest for the birds,” Henze said. “Aggressive mowing weakens vegetation along slopes, which allows erosion and soil loss. That can also create openings for weeds.”
Visit the Secondary Roads page at www.johnson-county.com/roads and click on Roadside Vegetation Management for more information on the County’s IRVM program.
*Kaufmann 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? All Summer of the Arts Festivals are free!
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
May 17, 2018
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/22/18
In this edition:
*Commencement
*Small Farms and the Ag Exemption
*Did You Know?
*Commencement
All graduations are special occasions! Congratulations to everyone who has a personal connection this graduation season!
Upon further reflection, I actually prefer the term “commencement”. While acknowledging that a big segment of our lives have been completed, the event symbolizes a move forward in the continuum of life. The word “commencement” really sums up the event.
Congratulations again to all the graduates, their friends, and families!
*Small Farms and the Ag Exemption
Johnson County is about to vote on an update to our Land Use Plan. (The new document will actually be a Comprehensive Plan.) This is a process that happens roughly every ten years - the first plan was in 1988, the second in 1998, the third in 2008, and now 2018. These plans guide growth and development in the County for that ten-year period. And as a part of this, all of our various Planning and Zoning ordinances and rules are under review.
One Land Use topic has been in the news a lot lately, and that is the idea of small farmers and access to land. “Access to land” is an interesting idea. In a classic economic sense, the market takes care of access to land. If you want it, you buy it. If someone wants it more than you, she pays more. The value of the land is what someone is willing to pay.
Once you add the layer of zoning into the mix, things change a bit. Now the uses of the land are restricted. So where as land might be worth $75,000 an acre for development, it is only worth $10,000 an acre as farmland. With these types of disparities, you can begin to see the issues.
Long ago - even prior to the 1998 Land Use Plan - Johnson County began feeling the pressure of people wanting to move here. They were gobbling up farmland to put up housing developments. It seemed a shame that some of the world’s best farmland was being sacrificed for these houses.
In addition, land values went through the roof. There was little incentive for some farmers to grow commodities and sell at low prices when they could just sell their land for development. Farmers who wanted to expand their operations and young farmers were shut out by these high land prices.
So the Board of Supervisors acted. They began to prioritize the preservation of Ag land, especially prime Ag land. And as soon as they did, developers started finding ways around it. They knew that Iowa law provided something known as the Ag Exemption. The Ag Exemption, written specifically for farmers, allows unfettered building of farmhouses. Suddenly, every person with an apple tree was a “farmer.” The Board was going to need to do more, or all the Ag land would be gobbled up.
One of the ways in which they did this was the “40 Acre Rule.” This is pretty simple. It says that in order to be considered Ag exempt, you must have a minimum lot size of 40 acres. 40 acres is basically the standard Iowa field, also known as a quarter of a quarter section.
By limiting the Ag exemption to lots of 40 acres or more, the Board put a stop to 5 and ten-acre residential lots, while still allowing conventional farmers to enjoy the exemption intended for them. This worked fine for many years.
As the local food movement took hold in the 90s, and as it has grown since, more and more people want to get involved in growing their own food. There are few prohibitions on this, mind you. You can start growing food almost anywhere in Johnson County. What you may not have, of course, is the Ag Exemption. That is a key to the rest of our discussion.
You will often hear people disparagingly claim that the Board says less than 40 acres is not a “farm.” Here is the deal - everyone has her/his own definition of a farm. When people talk about the definition of a farm, they are typically referring to the Ag Exemption. Ag Exempt property is just that - exempt - from most zoning laws.
So there are several things you can do on Ag Exempt property. You can have a virtually unlimited number of animals. You can build two houses, and the houses do not need to be inspected. You can build an almost unlimited number of outbuildings, and these buildings do not need to be inspected.
There are people who grow food on several acres, but are taxed residentially. There are people taxed as Agricultural who don’t grow anything. Tax status currently has nothing to do with the Ag Exemption.
So, one can see why everyone would want the Ag Exemption. Less rules are good, right? Well, not always. How would you feel about an unlimited number of hogs or chickens sitting on two acres right next to your house? Would you argue that it was incompatible? Would you look to the County to protect you? This is precisely why Johnson County has reserved the Ag Exemption for parcels of 40 acres or more.
Ag buildings are not inspected. This may be all right in many cases. But what about when 10 people work in said building? Do those ten workers not deserve a safe work environment? What happens when those ten people die in a building collapse? This is precisely why Johnson County has reserved the Ag Exemption for parcels of 40 acres or more.
I mentioned the Ag Exemption as it applies to housing. Less rules are good, right? Well, not always. How would you feel about hundreds of undocumented workers crowding into three or four trailers that lack water and sewer service? Does this sound like a rural utopia? It happened once in Johnson County (before I was a Supervisor.) The Board at that time took steps to prevent it from happening again. But, those darned rules…This is precisely why Johnson County has reserved the Ag Exemption for parcels of 40 acres or more.
Ag exempt homes are not inspected. If you build your dream home on 3 acres, the County inspects it. If you build your dream home on 40 acres, the County does not. Less rules are good, right? Well, not always. Do we really want every home going uninspected? How many lives will be lost? How many unsuspecting buyers need to get burned? (Literally and figuratively!) Personally, I believe ALL houses should be inspected, period. Who cares what the owner does for a living? This is precisely why Johnson County has reserved the Ag Exemption for parcels of 40 acres or more.
One more housing related issue. As I mentioned earlier, since the 1990s, Johnson County has done a really good job of reducing sprawl and saving farmland, despite incredible growth pressures. Look at the growth rates of Coralville, North Liberty, and other cities before 1990, then after. As the County reduced options for new housing, population in those cities exploded! And that is a good thing. In general, it is better that people live in the city if they are not farming.
I find it interesting that people who are otherwise Libertarian find access to land for young farmers to be a big issue. There are young people who want to start restaurants, but lack the resources. We do not do anything for them. There are young people who want to own their own auto repair businesses, but lack the resources. We do not do anything for them.
What’s more, it is the banks that refuse to loan the money. If the banks refuse to loan the money, A) Bring it up with the banks, and B) Why won’t they lend? We should know the answer to this before we begin changing rules.
What many small, beginning farmers fail to realize? They will not win the battle for land. Who is more likely to be able to afford 10 acres on the edge of Iowa City, a 27 year old who grows organic asparagus, or a developer who will turn that into two McMansions, each with 5 acres of nitrogen-laced turf grass? (I’ll go ahead and answer the question. The developer wins. Every time.)
What’s more, the Ag Exemption can be used as a tool to get around County zoning requirements. It is easy to picture the young farmer buying her 10 aces, building a nice house, and starting to farm. What happens in two years when she decides farming is too hard? The house is already there. The farmland is already gone. This creates a HUGE loophole!
It is interesting to see the strange bedfellows on this topic. People who want to know the source of their food, and want healthy, organic produce are in bed with people who pollute indiscriminately and spoil our environment. What can we learn from this?
In a few cases, Board Members and PDS staffers have identified suitable tracts of land for beginning farmers to buy. Personally, I have urged a number of them to work with the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT), which will preserve the farmland in perpetuity. There have been no takers. Apparently preserving farmland is only talk and no action for some of our complainants?
The purpose of this long piece is not to say we are against small farms - we are not. It is not to say we should do nothing different - we need to make some changes. What it IS intended to do is to point out that the issues are COMPLICATED.
Anything the Board does to change the 40 Acre Rule could have a devastating effect in terms of CAFOs, urban sprawl, and more. We need to make changes, but we need to make them thoughtfully, carefully, and with a sharp eye toward unintended consequences.
If you say these issues are easy to tackle? You are either only partially informed or supremely selfish. This is tricky, folks. Don¹t let anyone tell you otherwise!
*DID YOU KNOW? About 4500 students will graduate from the UI in May 2018.
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
|
