SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 22, 2020
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/28/20
In this edition:
*Happy Anniversary!
*RIP John Lewis
*Guns in County Buildings
*Did You Know?
*Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary to my wonderful wife, Melissa Fath. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know I got a great deal here! Melissa is the best wife and mother a person could ever hope for! Happy Anniversary, Honey! It has been a great ride!
*RIP John Lewis
I had the honor of meeting John Lewis once. The Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce (Now Iowa City Business Partnership) used to take an annual lobbying trip to DC. I went along in 2009. A group of perhaps 5 of us were walking near the Capitol, and there he was.
I was walking alongside Mitch Gross. He leaned over to me, and said, “Is that John Lewis?” I agreed it was, so we approached him. Mitch did the majority of the talking and did it very well, basically just saying he taught about Lewis in class, and that it was an honor to meet Lewis in person. I walked right beside Lewis for part of the way, and our eyes met several times. Congressman Lewis was kind and humble, and we walked the same direction for quite a distance.
Amazingly, every other person in our group said some version of, “Who was that guy?” Mitch and I were incredulous. So Mitch spent what time we had giving the group a very abridged history of the Civil Rights Movement.
The next day, we all had about three hours of tourist time before flying out. I chose to go to the Newseum, the now-shuttered museum honoring the news. I went up to the second floor, and entered a room where life-sized black and white images were projected on the wall. And before I knew it, I was standing right in front of John Lewis once again. He was being clubbed in Selma, Alabama. And he looked into my eyes just like he had 24 hours earlier. And I started to cry. And I could not stop crying. That is my John Lewis story. RIP, Congressman.
*Guns in County Buildings
In the 2020 Legislative Session a bill was passed (HF2502) that dramatically changed the amount of local control regarding guns. Previously, cities and counties could create local ordinances to govern whether or not firearms were allowed in municipal buildings. As of July 1, that power went away.
There is even more at stake here. The new law expressly creates an easy course of civil action for people with weapons who were denied access to a public building. It is specifically crafted to cost local governments a LOT of money if they fail to comply. So it would be incredibly irresponsible to say we are going to ignore the law. The expenses will start mounting immediately.
Given that, cities and counties have two choices:
1. Allow firearms per state law; or
2. Create a single entry checkpoint operated by armed law enforcement officers.
That is it. Those are the only two realistic options we have. I HATE these two choices. I think most elected officials do. We would prefer to make local rules that reflect the desires of our constituents rather than having everything come from Governor Reynolds. But no matter how much I hate it, I have to deal with it. And they only gave us two choices.
Supervisor Rettig brought up a third option – suing the state. According to our County Attorney, her Assistant County Attorneys, the City Attorneys of every city in Johnson County, and every individual attorney with whom I have spoken, such a lawsuit would be unsuccessful. So, we can also ignore all legal advice and charge forward with a lawsuit. (And pay the cost of everything when we lose.) We’ll refer to that as a third option, for now.
Personally, I feel the only prudent course of action is to rescind the ban on weapons in county buildings. Here is why:
First, I do not believe the people of Johnson County want to go through invasive screening to access their public buildings. Unlike some, I go to work every day. I watch people in line. I speak to people in line. I talk with our staff that serve the people in line. The public HATES our current arrangement. They are willing to put up with it temporarily, because most understand the severity of the COVID threat. But assuming we ever get back to “normal,” I do not think the public wants to be searched before coming into a county building for which THEY paid.
Secondly, I wonder if the presence of armed Sheriff’s Deputies at the entrance to buildings will discourage people from seeking the assistance they need. A couple armed Deputies might be enough to discourage a person with a mental health condition from seeking service. A couple armed Deputies might be enough to discourage a person with any type of criminal history from accessing the many services available through Johnson County Social Services and/or the Iowa Department of Human Services. A couple armed Deputies might be enough to discourage a person of color from coming in the building at all.
Thirdly, Iowa City, when facing the exact same scenario, reluctantly voted to rescind their ban on firearms. Not because they are bad people. Not because they “don’t care about safety.” Not because they “want to see people die.” No, people who are elected to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public were forced into a lousy set of choices. It is not that they “don’t care.” In fact, they care so much they feel forced to alienate a whole bunch of people who used to consider them friends and now see them as enemies. It sucks.
Fourthly, we could take the screening option, but at what cost? At the Courthouse, where we have put in just this type of security, we were required to build an addition. It is difficult to imagine doing anything different at the Admin Building. So plan on at least a half million in construction costs, perhaps a lot more.
Then you need to purchase and maintain the screening equipment. Expect $25,000 up front, plus ongoing annual maintenance.
It requires a bit over three FTEs to operate the Courthouse screening. A Sheriff’s Deputy at $80,000 annually, plus $30,000 worth of benefits, is $110,000. Times three, and we are at a minimum of $330,000 annually. Probably $350,000.
Folks, if we are going to spend another $350,000 annually, I would much rather spend it on things people need rather than TSA-style screening. How does this fit with the “defund the police” efforts? $350,000 every year could build a lot of affordable housing.
Finally, unless Democrats flip the House in November, having a security checkpoint might not end this discussion. Look at the Iowa State Capitol. It has had a security checkpoint for years. But for the last few years, concealed carry is allowed. So even though you empty your pockets and go through a metal detector, there are still an unknown number of people in the building who are armed. It really defeats the purpose of screening.
There is no doubt in my mind that if the GOP holds the Iowa House in November, such Legislation would be on the way for local governments. So, now we have spent money to build an annex, purchased scanning equipment, hired screeners, and we STILL have guns in the buildings.
I hate the fact that the Legislature passed this. I hate the fact that they continue to erode local control. But I am elected to do a job. That job requires me to deal with our day-to-day realities. I have to figure out how to do the things that need to be done. It is called governing, and not every Supervisor is actually committed to it.
I wish I had better news. I don’t. So I will be advocating for Johnson County to follow the lead of Iowa City and rescind our ban on weapons in public buildings. Then I am going to urge everyone once again to vote in November!
*DID YOU KNOW?
There are over 3,000 vehicles bought/sold in Johnson County each month. (Source: Johnson County Treasurer.)
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 @ 9:35 PM
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