SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

July 28, 2021

Sullivan’s Salvos 8/3/21

In this edition:

*Individual Rights

*Reynolds Repercussions

*General Strike?

*Things We Have Learned

*Staff Versus the Public

*Did You Know?

*Individual Rights

There is an old saying: “Your right to swing your fist ends at my nose.” There was a day when innocent Iowans retained certain rights: You don’t get to poison my water. You don’t get to give my kid COVID.

Somehow, the right to pollute and the right to spread viruses have become more cherished than the old right to be left alone. What can be done? We can’t do anything politically, because the Iowa GOP has decided this is what Trump wants. So I think it is time to begin suing.

Yes, clean water lawsuits have failed in Iowa. But we have not yet seen big vaccine lawsuits. Let’s start bringing them!

*Reynolds Repercussions

Sit with this for a moment: Governor Reynolds made it ILLEGAL in Iowa to do what the CDC now advises.

I know, right? It sounds too stupid to be true, but it is: It would be ILLEGAL right now for a school district/city/county in Iowa to follow current CDC recommendations. Unreal.

And to top it off, you don’t get access to public information – information YOU paid for! Why? Iowa has laws protecting our freedom to access government information, but they are being blatantly ignored. Because Reynolds feels she is above the law, and all Republicans in the House and Senate feel she is more important than the law. And so it goes.

*General Strike?

We have all hear the complaints from employers who cannot hire employees. This is particularly acute in the service industries. So what is going on?

I think we are seeing a very loosely organized general strike. Low wage workers have had enough, and they are just quitting. And why not? When you think about working terrible hours for low wages, with no sick or vacation time, no insurance, lousy working conditions, and being treated badly by both customers and management… yeah, why would anyone do that?

Thing is, I don’t think most of these businesses get it. They are complaining to get government intervention, and in places like Iowa, they are getting it. But even in Kim Reynolds’ Iowa they cannot force someone to work in fast food. And as our “general strike” demonstrates, it is precisely the wrong type of intervention. We need to give workers a reason to go back to work.

*Things We Have Learned

The pandemic is definitely not over; let me be clear on that. The people of Johnson County have done a pretty decent job of getting vaccinated. I hope and pray that the worst is behind us, but we will be prepared if it is not.

Meanwhile, at some point Johnson County needs to discuss what lessons we have learned from Covid-19. Here are a few of my takeaways:

1. We can put many less people in jail.

During COVID, significant efforts were made to keep people from going to jail. Judges released many more people on their own recognizance than was normal. It worked. I hope this showed judges that we should have many less people spending time in jail.

2. County employees can successfully work at home. We need to discuss what worked well and what could be improved.

Prior to COVID, Johnson County was pretty strict about allowing employees to work from home. It almost never happened. I think COVID demonstrated that County employees could accomplish a great deal remotely, and that we needed to be more flexible. (New work from home rules have already been adopted.)

3. Zoom meetings work well, and should be used often in lieu of travelling to meetings.

I don’t know that we have quantified a cost savings yet, but it is undoubtedly cheaper to use Zoom than to drive to CR for a 45 minute meeting. On the other hand, some meetings really do benefit from participants being there. Moving forward, we need to be smart about how we use our resources.

4. Payroll authorizations should stay electronic.

This gets pretty inside baseball, but the County has several forms that have always required the signatures of all 5 Supervisors. This was never really necessary, as the pandemic demonstrated. We need to continue to look for some of those “This is the way we’ve always done it,” things.

I am sure some of my colleagues have examples I didn’t think of. Meanwhile, I’ll keep you apprised of any changes we make.

*Staff Versus the Public

I have worked with Supervisors who almost always threw County staff under the bus. An example: A person calls up to complain about the condition of a road. A Supervisor hears the complaint, and says, “I am so sorry. You deserve better. I’ll have it fixed right away.” The Supervisor then calls out to Secondary Roads, and demands that the County Engineer and Maintenance Superintendent meet him out there in an hour. They drop what they are doing and go to the road in question. The complainant shows the three County folks the issues he has with the road. The County Engineer says something to the effect of, “This really isn’t a problem.” The Supervisor then upbraids the Roads employees, demands that they do something to the road, and apologizes to the complainant. The complainant leaves feeling justified, the Roads employees leave angry and unsupported, and the Supervisor leaves with his chest puffed out. Meanwhile, nothing gets fixed – because there is nothing to fix – and County employees rightfully feel undermined.

I have also worked with Supervisors who almost always support County staff no matter what. Even when staff were very much in the wrong. That can be just as bad. So what is a Supervisor supposed to do?

Start with your own motivations. If you see that complainant as a vote you can snag, you are in it for the wrong reasons. On the other hand, if you feel your relationship with staff is so important that you cannot offer criticisms, you are also in it for the wrong reasons.

I suggest listening to all sides before weighing in. And I specifically say, “all sides” because there are often more than two. Supervisors need to do the best they can to be fair and consistent. The best way to achieve that is to resist jumping to conclusions.

*DID YOU KNOW? Only 5 counties in Iowa are currently above 60% fully vaccinated: Johnson, Linn, Dubuque, Polk, and Dallas. (Source: CDC.)

Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-

www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov.

"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.

If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.

As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!

---Rod

July 21, 2021

Happy Anniversary on August 1 to my wonderful wife, Dr. 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!

Fun Days in Swisher runs Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31. If you have never visited Johnson County’s northwest corner, give it a try!

For event details, see: https://swisher-fun-days.square.site/?fbclid=IwAR3zfe7qrTZOtiZQIwdqahkMK4MqQjfmHhMEMtTBkSS4v0Fxrx01o3-GIV8

Coralville Mayor John Lundell announced that he will not be seeking reelection in the fall. John is a very kind and decent fellow who worked very hard in his role as Mayor. The amount of time he dedicated to the position was enormous, and much of it took place out of the public eye.

I think John deserves tremendous credit for his efforts in ending what were essentially ongoing feuds with Iowa City, North Liberty, Tiffin, and Johnson County. It was not all that long ago that those groups were experiencing a great deal of animosity between them. The previous way Coralville had dealt with these issues was to ignore them; that approach was not getting good results.

John went a different direction. Nothing was ignored. We could discuss differences, even publicly. John wasn’t willing to completely change course, but he was willing to listen, negotiate, and find common ground where possible. Coralville has stepped into spaces the city did not even acknowledge ten years ago, and done good work. Things are SO much better than they were just a few years ago, and John Lundell deserves much of that credit.

I just learned that Raygun has Lulu Merle Johnson t-shirts available! How cool is that? And a portion of each sale goes to the African American Museum of Iowa!

The shirts come small through 3X, and can be purchased online or at the downtown Iowa City location. I am getting mine – I hope you’ll join me!

Count me among the many people that burst with pride over Iowa City’s designation as a UNESCO City of Literature. And while I appreciate all the “big” things that make it so, such as the UI Writer’s Workshop, I also appreciate the little things. Foremost among these is the practice of walking while reading.

If you live in Iowa City, you know exactly what I am talking about. All over town, you can see people reading as they walk. Newspapers, novels, random sheets of paper – all over town, you see people reading while they walk. I have travelled many places, and I don’t know if I have ever seen this anywhere but Iowa City. (Actually, I have seen it in Coralville, too – befitting the metro area!)

I have tried reading while walking. It is hard. You stumble a lot. You step in puddles and bird poop. Still, our walking readers stride on.

I love this about Iowa City. This idea that there is simply not enough time in the day to read everything we want to read. So much so that we cannot put our reading down even to walk from point A to point B. I love it, and I think it says, “City of Literature.”

I believe that we are in the most important American political period since the Civil War. States have passed enough anti-democratic legislation to forever alter our country. Those things are already done. We have only one hope – that the US Senate passes a bill to fix things. And they are running out of time.

Let’s turn to Wikipedia for a brief history: The John Lewis Voting Rights Act (also known as HR4) is proposed legislation that would restore and strengthen parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, certain portions of which were struck down by the US Supreme Court in 2013 by Shelby County vs. Holder. Particularly, it would bring back the requirement that certain states pre-clear changes to their voting laws with the federal government. It is named after late Georgia Representative and Civil Rights activist John Lewis.

The For the People Act (introduced as H.R.1) was a bill in the US Congress to significantly federalize state elections, change campaign finance laws, ban gerrymandering, and create new ethics rules for federal officeholders.

The act was originally introduced in 2019, as the first official legislation of the 116^thCongress. The House passed it by a party-line vote of 234–193. The bill was viewed as a "signature piece of legislation" from the Democratic House majority. After the House passed the bill, it was blocked from receiving a vote by the then Republican -controlled Senate, under Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

In 2021, congressional Democrats reintroduced the act as H.R.1 and S.1. The bill passed the House of Representatives on a near party-line vote of 220–210, advancing to the Senate, which is split 50–50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote. The bill had unified support among Democrats, but Senate Republicans blocked the bill with a filibuster in June, 2021. Some Senate Democrats expressed support for abolishing the filibuster for the bill, but a few in their caucus remained opposed or expressed reservations about doing so.

So, we have two separate bills, but the same basic problem: the Republicans in the Senate will filibuster anything Democrats pass. Democrats MUST kill the filibuster, if only for this bill.

It is hard to understate the importance of this period in our history. We need all Federal elected officials to focus on this until it gets done. Everything else pales in comparison.

I wrote the following back in 2018, but it certainly seems appropriate still today:

Nothing makes me angrier than a politician on the campaign trail telling Americans “We can’t” do a given thing. Maybe it is difficult. Maybe it is unlikely. But DO NOT tell me we can’t!

Do we need to win the Presidency, House, and Senate? Tell me that. Do we need some fresh faces on the Supreme Court? Tell me that. Will it be expensive? Tell me that. Should we focus elsewhere? Tell me that. But DO NOT tell me we can’t!

Remember “Si Si Puede!”? Yes We Can! Politicians – your job is to inspire us. If you cannot do that, step aside, and let someone else lead!

*DID YOU KNOW? On November 20, 2008, UNESCO designated Iowa City, Iowa, the world’s third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Iowa City joined Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia to become the third UNESCO City of Literature.

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.

If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.

As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!

July 15, 2021

The Johnson County Fair runs from Sunday, July 25 through Wednesday, July 28. This is a great opportunity for the whole family to visit our agricultural roots!

I love the way the Johnson County Ag Association manages the County Fair. I am particularly fond of the fact that there is never an entry fee, and parking is free. In many counties, you would pay $10 to park and $5/head admission, if not more. That is $30 minimum for a family of four before you have even done anything!

The Board of Supervisors will be out there holding listening posts – please stop by and let us know what is on your mind.

Yes, it is typically hot out there. But that is why they sell ice cream! So, please stop out and enjoy the Fair. You’ll be glad you did!

For the full daily lineup of events, see: http://www.johnsoncofair.com/entertainment.html

I cannot believe I even have to print this, but as of this writing, I am still fighting to get Johnson County’s historical election results posted on the County website.

The records had always been there previously, but disappeared as the County moved to a new website. Apparently the metrics showed that not that many people were visiting old election results, so it was cut back to just the past five years.

First, the Board asked that all the records be maintained on the website over two years ago. Then-Supervisor Rettig had gotten word that they might be dropped, and asked the Board to vote to maintain them. The Board did so. The issue was decided. Whatever else is going on seems simply subordinate.

Secondly, there is no big cost to avoid. County staff are plenty capable of putting this information out there.

Thirdly, we are the custodians of this history. If we do not make these available, no one else will. And that means posterity has nowhere to go to learn about our County.

Fourthly, have you listened to any news lately? The Big Lie is believed by about a third of all Americans. The best way to combat misinformation is by being fully transparent will all of our election records. These are the people’s results. They deserve unfettered access.

I hope you agree with me that keeping Johnson County’s election records easily accessible is critically important. If so, please email Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert at tweipert@johnsoncountyiowa.gov and the Board of Supervisors at BOS@johnsoncountyiowa.gov. Your advocacy may make a difference!

Beginning Wednesday, July 14, 2021, in addition to the regular in-person work sessions and formal meetings, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors will provide an option for members of the public to participate via Zoom.

Members of the public are welcome to attend in person, and a livestream is available at bit.ly/jocomeeting.

The Meeting ID is 843 8801 0803 and the Passcode is 4468. To access the meeting via phone, dial 312-626-6799.

Meetings are generally held in the Johnson County Administration Building Second Floor Boardroom, 913 South Dubuque Street, Iowa City, Iowa 52240. Work sessions begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays. Formal meetings begin at 9 a.m. on Thursdays, except for the second Thursday of the month, when they begin at 5:30 p.m.

For those unable to join the work session or meeting, public comments related to items on the agenda may be emailed to: sups@johnsoncountyiowa.gov or relayed via telephone at 319-356-6000 for distribution to Board members.

You hear a lot of people saying this in jest. But in all seriousness, how in the world did Brittney Spears’ situation come to be?

My guess is that the Spears situation is going to lead several states to review their laws around guardianship and conservatorship. And reviewing these laws is a very good thing. We talk a lot about civil rights, but in these situations, courts are being asked to *literally* take rights away from people. It is very serious business and should not be done lightly.

That said, it is hard for me to imagine a Spears-type of situation happening in Iowa. I know many people who have sought guardianship and/or conservatorship over their adult daughters and sons. In each of these cases, the adult children had significant intellectual disabilities, significant mental illnesses, or both. Yet most parents have found it almost impossible to gain the type of control they feel is required to adequately help their children.

Again, none of this can be done lightly. It SHOULD be rare and limited. But from my experience, Iowa law seems to favor the individual over those seeking guardianship in a pretty overwhelming way. Any experts out there? What is your take?

From NPR: “In a victory for student speech rights, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a former cheerleader's online F-bombs about her school is protected speech under the First Amendment.”

“But in an 8-1 vote, the court also declared that school administrators do have the power to punish student speech that occurs online or off campus if it genuinely disrupts classroom study. But the justices concluded that a few swearwords posted online off school grounds, as in this case, did not rise to the definition of disruptive.”

“At issue in the case was a series of F-bombs issued in 2017 on Snapchat by Brandi Levy, then a 14-year-old cheerleader who failed to win a promotion from the junior varsity to the varsity cheerleading team at her Pennsylvania school.”

This was a huge win for free speech. While Levy’s speech may not have been as noble as that of the Des Moines children in Tinker v. Des Moines, the school district in this case was really overreaching. They had no right to punish Levy, and allowing them to do so would have been a terrible precedent.

I served two years on the Board of Supervisors with a local farmer named Mike Lehman. You won’t find a better guy. Mike and his brothers are now marketing their local beef direct to the consumer. I know a lot of Johnson County residents want to know where their meat comes from. Here is a chance to do just that!

They have a Spring calving herd and a Fall calving herd so they have calves pretty much year round. They simply need to schedule locker appointments at the Tipton Locker. If you are interested, look up one of the Lehman Brothers (Mike, Jerry, Barry and Chris) or send me a message and I’ll pass it along.

*DID YOU KNOW? Prior to the pandemic, the Johnson County Fair routinely drew over 50,000 visitors.

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.

If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.

As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan29@gmail.com. I look forward to serving you!

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