SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 17, 2020
Sullivan’s Salvos 9/22/20
In this edition:
*Gary Pidgeon
*Supervisor Forum
*Campaigning for Supervisor
*Cowardly Correspondence
*A Divided Electorate
*County Email Change
*Did You Know?
*Gary Pidgeon
Johnson County’s longest-serving employee is calling it quits. Gary Pidgeon, better known as “George” is retiring after 50 years with the Conservation Department! That is not a misprint – 50 years!
This is not 50 years behind a desk, mind you, though that is amazing in and of itself. This is 50 years of pulling weeds, repairing things, cleaning things, mowing, etc. Through floods and droughts, heat waves and cold spells, working with hundreds of different people. This is impressive, folks!
I have gotten to know George a bit during my time as a Supervisor, and I can see why his coworkers love him. He’s not a loud guy, but he has a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He is known as a very hard worker who takes great pride in his work.
George, you will be missed. Thank you for 5 decades of service!
*Supervisor Forum
The League of Women Voters of Johnson County is holding a forum for candidates for County Supervisor on Tuesday, September 29 at 6PM. The forum will be held via Zoom, and the public is encouraged to join in.
I really hope you will tune in to this forum and share the results. I think it is critical that voters know where their candidates stand.
*Campaigning for Supervisor
This is all just so weird. I would really like to campaign for reelection. I am very proud of my work on the Board of Supervisors, and I wish I could make my case to the voters. I would love to knock on doors and hear what things people care about. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus has made that pretty unwise.
In addition, we are facing the most important Presidential election since at least 1940. We desperately need a Democratic majority in the US Senate. And we need to hold on to gains made in the US House. Democrats have a real shot at recapturing the Iowa House, and should gain ground in the Iowa Senate. By the time you get all the way down to the office of County Supervisor… let’s just say it is not top of mind for most people. Nor should it be.
That is why I am choosing not to put out yard signs. Any location with a Sullivan sign should probably have Biden, Greenfield, and Hart up instead. Any calls I would make urging people to put up my signs are calls I am not making on behalf of the Coordinated Campaign. (I write this as I take a break from making GOTV calls.)
I hope a failure to campaign does not cost me a seat. I still feel as though I have a lot to offer the people of Johnson County. I hope they feel the same way.
If you want to help, that would be great. A letter to the editor, a positive Facebook post – anything would be great. Don’t take your eye off the bigger prize. But if you have a few extra minutes, I would appreciate your help.
*Cowardly Correspondence
I received a couple unsigned letters recently; one at home and one at work. Both were anti-mask. Neither had the guts to sign their names.
This is not new territory for me. I have gotten dozens of unsigned letters in my time as Supervisor. Most were racist, leading me to believe that racists are the biggest cowards. It appears anti-maskers are second.
Here is the thing: it may make you feel better, but it only serves to strengthen my resolve. If you are too cowardly to actually discuss the issue, then it must not be an opinion that stands the test of a little sunlight. Going forward, your best bet is to just give me a call.
*A Divided Electorate
I read the piece below by Ezra Klein at Vox, and it really struck me – our political identities are REALLY stuck in place, probably the more than at any point since the Civil War. Read for yourself:
“On August 27, 2019, President Donald Trump held a 41.3 percent approval rating and a 54.2 percent disapproval rating, according to FiveThirtyEight. During the 365 days that followed, Trump became the third president impeached by the House of Representatives; America assassinated Iranian general Qassem Soleimani; more than 200,000 Americans died from the disease caused by the novel coronavirus; the unemployment rate rose from 3.7 percent to 10.2 percent; the US banned incoming travel from Europe, China, and Brazil; an estimated 12 million people lost health insurance coverage; Trump pardoned Roger Stone, who was facing jail time for dirty tricks on the president’s behalf; and George Floyd’s murder sparked a nationwide movement protesting for racial justice — to which officials responded by tear-gassing demonstrators in Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, so Trump could take a photograph holding a Bible.”
“That is, of course, a bitterly incomplete list of a grimly consequential year in American history. But you’d never know it simply by following Trump’s poll numbers. On August 27, 2020 — one year later, and the day Trump used the White House as a backdrop for his convention speech — FiveThirtyEight had Trump at 42.2 percent approval and 54.3 percent disapproval. Everything had happened, and politically, nothing had mattered. Or, at the least, not much had changed.”
*County Email Change
Beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, the URL for the Johnson County, Iowa, governmental website will change to www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov. Johnson County governmental email addresses will also change to [name]@johnsoncountyiowa.gov.
The change comes because the Iowa Secretary of State now requires all county election commissioner websites to exist on the .gov domain. The change has been recommended by the United States Department of Homeland Security and the National Association of Secretaries of State.
This will not affect any Johnson County services, or response to email messages.
Though the change takes place on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the old website URL (www.johnson-county.com) and email addresses ([name]@co.johnson.ia.us) will continue to work and rollover to the new website URL and emails for at least one year. Even with the continued rollover, it is important to update URLs and email addresses.
For questions or more information, contact Johnson County Information Technology at 319-356-6080 or bhorning@johnsoncountyiowa.gov.
*DID YOU KNOW? Coralville voters can cast ballots now for the September 29 Special Election to fill the City Council seat left open by the resignation of Tom Gill.
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.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:05 AM
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