SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 30, 2019
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/5/19
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday Rachel!
*Fear
*Warren Question
*ADA Audit
*Local Labor Update
*Boards and Commissions
*Did You Know?
*Happy Birthday Rachel!
Happy Birthday to my oldest daughter Rachel, who turns 28 on the 6th! I am SO proud of Rachel! She challenged us a LOT when she was a kid, but she has grown into a wonderful young woman.
*Fear
I have had a number of people approach me recently saying something along the lines of, “I love Elizabeth Warren, and I think she would make the best President. But I am afraid she can’t win.”
My response is simple: vote your hopes, and not your fears. If you vote your fears, the other side has already won. We need to steel our spines and do the right thing.
My favorite President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, said it many years ago: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!” That was true in 1933, and it is true today!
*Warren Question
Senator Warren took some heat for her response on a question at the most recent debate. The issue was Medicare for All. Studies are all clear – Medicare for all as described by Bernie Sanders (he wrote the damn bill!) would raise taxes on some upper-middle-class families. But those same families would save overall once their insurance costs, deductibles, copays, etc. go away.
The question (paraphrased) to Senator Warren was, “Are you going to raise taxes on middle class people to pay for it?” Her response was that “overall costs will go down.”
So what happened here? This is a "gotcha" question. It is the equivalent of "when did you stop beating your wife?" And it disappoints me to see Democrats fall into this trap.
I DO agree that perhaps Warren could answer the question better. But here is how I would LIKE to see her respond:
"I am simply not going to play your juvenile games. I told you that costs will go down for middle income families, and I mean that. I think the real question is, with tens of millions of Americans uninsured and tens of millions of Americans underinsured, why do you insist on writing Donald Trump's campaign commercials? Whose side are you on? Trump or the uninsured? That is a question with only two answers, by the way!"
This issue is not going away! Warren is the frontrunner, and the other candidates are trying to find a way to slow her roll. We will see how things evolve!
*ADA Audit
Johnson County recently completed a countywide audit on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA.
As you probably know, the ADA was the baby of Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. Signed in 1990, it prohibits discrimination against employees (and job applicants) who have physical or mental impairments that substantially limit "major life activities." Major life activities include walking, sitting, reading, seeing, and communicating.
There are three components to ADA law: Title I – employment law; Title II – public entities; and Title III – public accommodations.
Unfortunately, many local and state governments have not fully followed the ADA law. Johnson County did not want to be one of those counties, so we preemptively requested an audit.
The results are now back, and in many ways, they are unsurprising. We have about 2,000 deficiencies, but many of those are incredibly minor. For example, move a chair further from the door. As a matter of fact, almost 800 of the deficiencies will cost nothing to fix.
Most of the deficiencies are in Conservation, which again comes as no surprise. One example we saw was a pit toilet. The toilet itself is the wrong height by a couple of inches. The stall is not wide enough. There is no paved path from the parking lot to the restroom. Again, not necessarily surprising results.
The total cost to make every required update/improvement will be about $2.5 million over the next 11-12 years. To address areas that are in compliance but could still be improved could run another $900,000 over the same time frame.
All in all, I am glad we did the audit and I am pleased with the results. Now we get to work at improving accessibility for the people of Johnson County.
*Local Labor Update
Local labor issues often go unreported. I think there are several things happening now that are worthy of your attention:
First, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2547 represents over 1000 employees of the Iowa City Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Health System. These federal employees are working without a contract, as the President looks to privatize VA services and cut worker benefits. To stand with AFGE, join them in a picket at the VA on the third Wednesday of each month at 4pm.
Secondly, members of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 183 are working with the City of Iowa City to reverse the trend toward part time, temporary, no-benefit employees. It has been pretty frustrating to watch an elected Council with 6/7 members labor-endorsed struggle through this process. Yes, there is much room for negotiation. But they are making this way too hard!
Secondly, members of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 183 are working with the City of Iowa City to reverse the trend toward part time, temporary, no-benefit employees. It has been pretty frustrating to watch an elected Council with 6/7 members labor-endorsed struggle through this process. Yes, there is much room for negotiation. But they are making this way too hard!
Finally, another round of recertifications is coming up soon. You will recall that this is just one of the many pieces of anti-union policy that came from Governor Reynolds, Bobby Kaufmann, and the rest of the GOP. They made it incredibly undemocratic, too! Unlike every other election (including the ones in which they were elected), the GOP created a system where choosing not to vote counts as a “no” vote in union elections. Despite these obstacles, over 90% of union recertification efforts have succeeded so far! Please do your part to help keep that going! Spread the word to friends and family that unions are the number one tool of the middle class!
Please remember to support your union sisters and brothers! An injury to one is an injury to all!
*Boards and Commissions
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors is seeking volunteers to serve on various County boards and commissions. Board and commission members serve in an advisory role to help direct policy by making suggestions and recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and County staff.
Vacancies are available on the following Johnson County boards and commissions:
- Board of Health (one vacancy for a three-year term) – Application deadline: Thursday, Nov. 21
- Building Code Board of Appeals (two vacancies for four-year terms) – Application deadline: Thursday, Nov. 21
- Compensation Commission (28 vacancies for one-year terms) – Application deadline: Thursday, Nov. 21
- Conservation Board (one vacancy for a five-year term) – Application deadline: Thursday, Nov. 21
- Food Policy Council (one vacancy for an unexpired term ending June 30, 2021) – Application deadline: Tuesday, Nov. 5
- Historic Preservation Commission (three vacancies for three-year terms) – Application deadline: Thursday, Nov. 21
- Juvenile Justice and Youth Development Policy Board (three vacancies for three-year terms, one vacancy for an unexpired term ending Sept. 30, 2020) – Application deadline: Tuesday, Nov. 5
- Medical Examiner (one vacancy for a two-year term) – Application deadline: Thursday, Nov. 21
- Planning and Zoning Commission (one vacancy for a five-year term) – Application deadline: Thursday, Nov. 21
- SEATS Paratransit Advisory Committee (one vacancy for a two-year term) – Application deadline: Wednesday, Nov. 27
- Zoning Board of Adjustment (one vacancy for a five-year term) – Application deadline: Thursday, Nov. 21
Information about specific boards and commissions, vacancies and application forms are available on the Committee/Board Openings webpage of the Johnson County website atwww.johnson-county.com/vacancies and in the office of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, second floor of the Johnson County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque Street, Iowa City. Questions can be directed to the Board of Supervisors Office at 319-356-6000 or applications@co.johnson.ia.us.
Completed applications must be returned to the Board of Supervisors Office by 4:30 p.m. on the day of the stated deadline.
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa’s Herbert Hoover was the first US President born west of the Mississippi.
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 @ 5:17 PM
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