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-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 4:14 PM
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