SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 1, 2019
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/6/19
In this edition:
*Family Changes
*Water Is A Blessing!
*Don’t Tell Me “We Can’t”!
*Remember – It Is Child Abuse!
*Mehaffey Bridge Road Trail
*Conflict of Interest
*Did You Know?
*Family Changes
Our family is undergoing some big changes right now. Our daughter Rachel and granddaughter Zuri have moved to southeastern Wisconsin.
I’m not going to lie – this is HARD! We were in the room when Zuri was born, and we lived in the same house for over a year. We have been a huge part of her two years and three months on this planet. And she has been a huge part of our lives during that time.
When I tell people that I am really sad about this, I rarely get any sympathy. The response is often, “So what? My grandkids live in California!” or some other comparison.
Unfortunately, this is not helpful to me. A friend who is a therapist noted that I have a tendency to believe that I don’t “deserve” certain feelings because I compare myself to others. I don’t deserve to feel tired, because someone else climbed a mountain. I don’t deserve to feel sad, because I have it better than so many others. When I deny myself these feelings, I am not being fair to myself.
So yes, I am sad. Heartbroken, even. Yes, life will go on. I’m sure everyone involved will be fine. But this hurts.
*Water Is A Blessing!
We went without water for a while last weekend. I had to find a 24-hour plumber and pay through the nose. But you know what? Clean running water is an unbelievable blessing! I appreciate it much more today than I did a week ago!
*Don’t Tell Me “We Can’t”!
This appeared in Salvos last week. Boy, was I prescient! In light of the recent Democratic debates, please read it again!
Nothing makes me angrier than a politician on the campaign trail telling Americans “We can’t” do a given thing. Maybe it is difficult. Maybe it is unlikely. But DO NOT tell me we can’t!
Do we need to win the Presidency, House, and Senate? Tell me that. Do we need some fresh faces on the Supreme Court? Tell me that. Will it be expensive? Tell me that. Should we focus elsewhere? Tell me that. But DO NOT tell me we can’t!
Remember “Si Si Puede!”? Yes We Can! Politicians – your job is to inspire us. If you cannot do that, step aside, and let someone else lead!
*Remember – It Is Child Abuse!
This, too, ran very recently in Salvos. But I fear that it needs to be said again:
I know I may be getting repetitive, but we should all still be outraged! The US Government is committing child abuse on a massive scale on our southern border! Have you called your member of Congress yet?
The vast majority of child development experts agree – even a brief separation from parents can lead to lifelong psychological consequences. Our government is doing much worse than that, and they are doing so in our name! Hell yes we should be outraged!
*Mehaffey Bridge Road Trail
The Mehaffey Bridge Road Trail Extension project between Cedar Springs Drive and the Coralville Lake is substantially complete and open for use.
Minor work to the trail may occur over the coming weeks as the project is completed and intermittent Mehaffey Bridge Road/F28 daytime lane closures may be required as well.
*Conflict of Interest
In stark contrast to the current occupant of the White House, Johnson County follows many “good government” laws and policies. One of these is conflict of interest.
A conflict of interest is present when a member of a governing entity could stand to benefit financially from her vote. This seems pretty clear cut, but trust me, various levels of government get it wrong all the time.
The biggest problem is that it is incumbent upon the board member to self-report. We have an Assistant County Attorney at every meeting, but if she or he is unaware of the potential conflict, there is nothing they can do.
There are penalties in Iowa law for failure to disclose a conflict. I am not aware of anyone in Johnson County ever falling subject to this, but I do believe there are a couple instances that have gone unreported.
I like to give an example from early in my career as a Supervisor, because it illustrates just how seriously this issue is taken by the County Attorney’s Office.
My sister and her family were living in a house in Sutliff. The Board of Supervisors was going to vote on a rezoning next door. I informed County Attorney J. Patrick White of the situation, thinking there was no conflict, but that I would err on the side of caution.
Pat advised me to abstain. I was a bit surprised, and so I asked why. Pat explained that what happens next door can affect the value of my sister’s property. And I could some day end up in possession of that property. So I should abstain.
In reality, a lot would have had to happen for me to get my hands on her property. It was very unrealistic. But it WAS within the realm of possibilities. So I took Pat’s advice and abstained.
Sometimes there is a 180-degree problem with conflict of interest laws. On some occasions, local governments have members who want to use abstention as a free pass. There is a dispute before them, and they don’t want to make anyone mad. (In other words, they don’t want to lose any votes.) It is actually against the law to misuse the conflict of interest law. Members of boards have an obligation to vote if they are present and no conflict exists. This is another rule that is rarely invoked.
All in all, I am very supportive of the strict interpretation of these rules. I am proud of the fact that Johnson County takes this matter seriously, and I hope you are, too!
*DID YOU KNOW? Conflict of Interest policies also apply to members of Boards and Commissions.
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 @ 11:36 AM
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