SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 3, 2019
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/8/19
In this edition:
*Johnson County Dems Fall BBQ
*Land Access for Farmers
*Working With Your Hands
*Laramie Project
*Did You Know?
*Johnson County Dems Fall BBQ
Join your Johnson County Democrats for our largest Fundraiser of the Year! This is a great time to connect with your fellow Democrats, and hear a variety of leaders discuss their plan for change!
The event is Sunday, October 13, 2019 at 4 PM – 7 PM at the Johnson County Fairgrounds.
Meat will be grilled by our own Senator Kevin Kinney! Sides provided by County Supervisor Royceann Porter!
Watch the event page for more details as they come!
*Land Access for Farmers
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors is accepting applications for its Land Access Program (LAP) at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm, located at 4811 Melrose Ave. in Iowa City.
LAP provides land-use agreements to area farmers of varying experience and scale on public land located at the Historic Poor Farm. The use agreements include land, irrigation water and dry storage. Four acres are available for lease and parcels vary in size from one-eighth to three acres.
The Historic Poor Farm is developing under a 10-year master plan that includes improvements to the historic, recreation, local food production and land conservation elements on site.
Questions about LAP, the public use of land on the Historic Poor Farm and proposed future improvements should be directed to Jason Grimm, Historic Poor Farm farm manager and deputy director at Iowa Valley RC&D, atjason@ivrcd.org or 319-622-3264. Open houses about the LAP Program will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10 and Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the Historic Poor Farm.
The Historic Poor Farm master plan is available at https://www.johnson-county.com/dept_poorfarm.aspx?id=21099.
Applications and a program timeline are available at https://jchistoricpoorfarm.com/land-access-program/. Completed applications should be sent to Grimm at jason@ivrcd.org by Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. Submission of an application does not guarantee rental of a farm site.
*Working With Your Hands
I had a really frustrating interaction a while ago with a friend who was upset that the Board of Supervisors did not have any current members who “work with their hands.”
I am not certain what to make of this. My mind went in several directions. On one hand, I know what he means. I think it is critical that people in elected positions understand the lives of working-class folks. Personally, I try to vote for people who seem to “get” this.
On the other hand, this can be very coded language. In the most recent campaign for Supervisor, candidate Phil Hemingway made a point of emphasizing that he “worked with his hands.” I get this; it certainly appealed to a group of people that hear rumors that the Board is “out of touch.”
On the other hand, there is some unspoken stuff there. Phil works with his hands. So am I to believe his opponent does not? In actuality, his opponent (Supervisor Royceann Porter) moved to Iowa in 1989 to work on the kill floor at IBP! The lady knows a hard day’s work!
There are several more unspoken things here. The comment drips with misogyny. Johnson County has 4 female Supervisors. “Working with your hands” is code for work done by men. Is fast food “working with your hands”? How about changing sheets? How about childcare? How about stocking shelves? Work done primarily by women is undervalued, underpaid, and underappreciated.
Plus, you can work hard – unbelievably hard – and not “work with your hands.” I know truck drivers, people who write code, hotel clerks, and others – who work to the point of exhaustion. It is really important that all working people – whatever the type of work – support each other versus the corporate greed that keeps 99% of us down.
Additionally, the Board used to always feature two or three farmers. I am guessing this counts in my friends’ mind in terms of “working with your hands.” But some of those folks were great Supervisors, while others were terrible. And “working with your hands” never translated into votes that support middle class workers.
Another point. The job of Supervisor has grown. You could get by working 20 hours per month back in the ‘80s. Not any longer. I spend over 40 hours per week, every week. When would I even have time to “work with my hands”? I have a job – I am a County Supervisor. And it is a demanding job!
Personally, I was pissed about this on two fronts. First of all, I know what it means to do a hard days’ work. I grew up on a farm, and I have done just about every type of farm work. I baled hay, walked beans, hayed horses, picked sweet corn, detassled corn, moved cattle, loaded hogs, and picked apples, just to name a few. In addition, I did some work as a member of Laborer’s Local 43 while in college. So I know physical work. That said, I will admit – I am lousy working with my hands. I have no skills, just a strong back. And I don’t particularly enjoy it. So I decided to go a different direction when it came time to find a career.
Secondly, I was angry when he accused me of failing to look out for the “working people” of Johnson County. Fighting for the little guy is at the very core of my identity. To call me anti-labor, an enemy of the working people – that is my version of a John Kerry swift boat attack. It strikes at the very heart of my record. If he wanted to upset me, well, he did it!
I probably shouldn’t have let this bother me so much. But it did. And it got me thinking.
*Laramie Project
From my friend Jody Hovland: Hello friends - We hope you might be able to join us for this one-time-only reading of THE LARAMIE PROJECT on Sunday, October 13 at 1pm at New Song Episcopal Church.
The weekend marks the 21st anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death, a fitting time to remember him and remind ourselves that the struggle toward inclusivity continues. We hope this remarkable play, created by the Tectonic Theater Project and first produced in 2000, will also do some good for One Iowa, an organization working to empower and improve the lives of LGBTQ Iowans statewide.
Riverside Theatre produced LARAMIE in 2003 as a co-production with Cornell College, and it’s an honor to revisit it. Both Ron and I will read, along with Mary Denmead, Joe Dutcher, Jackson Green, Carrie Houchins-Witt, Cara Clonch Viner, and Aaron Weiner. Perhaps we’ll see you there - and please spread the word! JH
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa has more golf courses per capita than any other state.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 2:51 PM
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