SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
January 14, 2021
Sullivan’s Salvos 1/19/21
In this edition:
*Chaos in the Capitol
*Free Speech?
*Congratulations Dana!
*Spreading Salvos Love!
*Different But Both Good
*Did You Know?
*Chaos in the Capitol
January 6, 2021 is a day that will live in infamy. My granddaughter will undoubtedly learn that date as she studies history. Donald Trump is the worst President in American history. I am so saddened by the horror this horrible man has wrought upon our country. I hope people have learned from this experience, but I’m not sure they have.
*Free Speech?
There has been a great deal of buzz in the aftermath of President Trump being thrown off of Twitter. Most of the buzz gets the law completely wrong. Here are some helpful hints:
The First Amendment only applies to government and speech. It does not apply to private businesses.
Private businesses DO have to follow nondiscrimination laws. Specifically, Twitter can ban Trump because of what he does, not who he is. An analogy: A business owner may not ban a patron because the patron is black. The owner can ban that black patron because he got into a fight in the business. The owner may not ban all black people because one black person got into a fight.
Again, you cannot be refused service because of who you are. You can be denied service because of what you do. Trump was denied service because of his behavior. Which is a totally acceptable thing for Twitter to do.
*Congratulations Dana!
Congratulations to Johnson County Finance Director Dana Aschenbrenner, who has achieved the designation of Certified Public Finance Officer from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). GFOA is the gold standard when it comes to public finance; if a governmental unit has awards from GFOA, you can rest assured that they are doing things well.
Johnson County has received GFOA awards every year for the past 6 years or so; our Finance Department was only created in mid-2013, with Dana at the helm. As for the designation - Dana had to study long and hard for this, all the while doing his regular volume of work. It is a great achievement by a great guy. Congratulations, Dana!
*Spreading Salvos Love!
I have been sending Salvos out since I began as a Supervisor in January of 2005. (Actually, the first couple editions came out in December of 2004, just before I took office.)
The newsletter was not named “Sullivan’s Salvos” at that time; that name came from my friend Charlie Funk. Meanwhile, over the past 832 weeks, subscribers have received around 800 issues of Salvos. (I have taken a few editions off for deaths in the family, vacations, etc.)
I really wasn’t certain that I would be able to maintain this volume of writing. And I’d be lying if I said it was easy. But it is a bit of a labor of love.
Hopefully, folks have found it interesting. I have been intrigued by the responses. A few dozen folks have unsubscribed in protest over one issue or another; some have returned, but not all. There are a handful of folks who offer their thoughts frequently; I really appreciate this! Two or three people actually respond at length on occasion; I feel as though I have made a couple of friends this way! Most subscribers stay subscribed, but I don’t really know if they read it or not. And that is OK.
I have not done much to increase readership since those earliest weeks. The number of subscribers quickly grew to 500, dropped off to around 480, and has remained within about ten of that number ever since.
Johnson County is a very transient community, and it is truly remarkable how many people come and go. Unfortunately, many readers have died during this span. Many of my readers no longer subscribe because they moved away. And just as people go, new people arrive. I know there are people new to Johnson County who might be interested in subscribing. Given that, I decided to reach out a bit – hence this article.
I ask that you please do me a favor. Forward this edition of Salvos on to a few friends. Encourage them to sign up. I’d like to add a few new readers to the mix.
Thank you for sharing, and thank you for reading! I look forward to your feedback in the future! It has truly been a pleasure!
*Different But Both Good
As you know, the Board of Supervisors has had significant turnover the last few years. The two most recent additions to the Board have now served two years each, and have become the Chair and Vice Chair. And I thought it was a good time to write a bit about how much I enjoy working with them both.
One thing that is obvious right from the beginning is that there are a number of differences between the two of them. Pat Heiden grew up on a dairy farm in western Iowa. She came to Iowa City to go to college. Pat sees things through the lens of a successful businessperson, and brings some much-needed management skills to the group.
Royceann Porter grew up in the projects in Saginaw, Michigan. She came to Iowa to work at a meatpacking plant. Royceann sees things through the eyes of the very first person of color ever elected to countywide office. This perspective has been sorely lacking for a long time, and serves as a critical addition to the Board.
After reading that, you are probably thinking, “Wow. These women are so different. They must not get along.” Actually, nothing could be further from the truth. They get along very well, and I have discovered a surprising number of similarities.
Foe example: Both women keep their ammo dry. They don’t talk just to talk. But when they do speak up, they mean business. Both women have great senses of humor. Both look out for others.
There are other interesting similarities. Both women lost their fathers (one permanent, one temporary) when they were young. In both cases, things looked grim. But in both cases, their mothers stepped up, took charge, and saw things through for the families. Their mothers are gone now, but in both cases, they had heroes for mothers. You know that helped shape them into the women they are today.
I really, really like working with Pat Heiden and Royceann Porter. They bring good things to the Board. And I am certain they will handle the leadership of the Board just fine.
*DID YOU KNOW? Four times in history has the outgoing President skipped the inauguration of his successor. Those were John Adams in 1801, John Quincy Adams in 1829, Andrew Johnson in 1869, and Richard Nixon in 1974. Donald Trump will become the 5th.
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
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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 @ 9:25 AM
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