SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 12, 2021
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/17/21
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday Melissa!
*Happy Birthday BJ!
*Happy 100th Birthday Mae Schatteman!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
*COVID Logic
*You Got the Formula Wrong!
*Work? Campaign? Personal?
*Happy Birthday Melissa!
My wonderful wife Melissa Fath celebrates her birthday on August 17th. I have got to tell you – Melissa Fath is AMAZING! Her ability to balance cancer research with her roles as a wife, mother, and community member – I have no words to do it justice! I guess I’ll just stick to: Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you!
*Happy Birthday BJ!
My son BJ turns 25 on August 22. He has already had several adventures, and there are no doubt more to come. BJ lives in Florida, pursuing his dreams.
BJ is funny compassionate, kind, and all around wonderful! I am very proud of him! Happy Birthday, BJ! I love you!
*Happy 100th Birthday Mae Schatteman!
Do you recall the feisty little old lady from Dave Loebsack’s early campaign commercials? First, she wasn’t acting! Second, her name is Mae Schatteman. Third, she turns 100 on August 17!
I spent a lot of time with Mae and her daughter Gina when they lived in Iowa City. Both were very involved in the local Democratic Party; Gina served 6-8 years on the Executive Board, including a stint as Treasurer. Both were elected into the Johnson County Democratic Party Hall of Fame in 2006.
Since then, Mae and Gina moved to Idaho, where Gina works in STEM-related consulting. I’m happy to report that Mae is as feisty as ever! Happy 100th, Mae!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
The Lone Tree Fall Festival is August 20 - 21 in Lone Tree. This event is a great opportunity to share some good times with the fine folks of Johnson County’s “panhandle”!
*COVID Logic
Let me get this straight… Governor Reynolds says it is OK for Tyson to require masks at meatpacking facilities, but not OK for schools to require masks. Can someone explain this to me?
*You Got the Formula Wrong!
Nothing makes me angrier than when my fellow Iowa Democrats make statements like:
“Our candidate has to be a man,” or
“We will lose if we run someone from Des Moines (or Iowa City),” or
“The candidate has to have a rural background.”
Honestly? All that is bullshit. Look at Iowa’s Second District in 2020. Rita Hart is a true farmer. She literally does farm work and makes farm decisions every single day. The farmer got beat by an ophthalmologist.
Dave Loebsack was a college professor living in Iowa City who represented the District for 14 years. Cindy Axne is from Polk County yet won her District.
Men have won and lost. Women have won and lost. Farmers have won and lost. Rich people have won and lost. People from Des Moines and Iowa City have won and lost. It is all bullshit. None of those things matter.
Here are a few things that *DO* matter:
Integrity.
Genuineness.
Charisma.
Good ideas.
Hard work.
It really isn’t that hard. Having these 5 qualities does not guarantee a candidate will win. But they are guaranteed to lose without them. So quit talking about stuff that does not matter. Good candidates can come in many shapes and sizes. Quit using the wrong formula to choose candidates!
*Work? Campaign? Personal?
I wrote this article for Salvos WAY back in 2013, but the issue continues to be of interest.
Supervisors face choices when they engage in certain activities in the community. Is the activity work, campaigning, or personal?
An example: I used to volunteer at the ICARE Pancake Breakfast. I volunteered for this breakfast for quite some time – longer than I have served as a Supervisor.
So, was I working? It hardly strikes me as work – it is a volunteer gig. Yet I know some Supervisors would consider it work.
Was I campaigning? I suppose a cynic would say that every public appearance by a Supervisor is campaigning. But it did not feel like campaigning to me.
I feel as though I was volunteering. (I also bought a ticket, even though volunteers ate free.) That makes it my personal time. I think that is the way the public would want it. But it is not always so clear.
Let’s use another example: I always attend the Solon Firefighters Pancake Breakfast. While I have not volunteered, I do purchase a ticket, which helps the cause.
Working? That would be a tough case to make! Volunteering? Only if you consider eating volunteer work! Campaigning? I would say yes.
Another scenario: while at Hy-Vee, three different people each stop a Sup and take ten minutes discussing work-related items. Is that work? If not, what is it? Volunteering? Can you volunteer at your job? (Union rules often strictly prohibit this so no abuses can take place.)
Is a Sup working when reading work related materials at home? Is it work to attend a Chamber luncheon? Is it work to just drive some gravel roads?
While this might be an interesting exercise for an elected official, it is only important to the public in one way: does the elected official put in enough work? Does she/he get results? Do they accomplish what needs to be accomplished? If you work enough, then it really does not matter if some of your time is spent campaigning and volunteering.
Much gets made of the fact that Supervisor is considered a ¾ time position. I have done my own time studies, and while there is no such thing as a “regular” week, I almost always work right around 80 hours every two weeks.
While this is more than ¾ time, there are other factors that should be taken into consideration. Supervisors do not punch a clock, so the hours get worked largely when each Sup wants. Some hours are at the office, some are in the community, and some are at home. The flexibility is amazing, and that is worth something.
As we all know, there are people who can work 80 hours every two weeks and get nothing done. There are folks who can work less and accomplish more. There are folks who you WISH would work less, because they tend to screw things up. There are also those who just go through the motions.
Personally, I think anyone who complains about the hours and/or the pay should quit whining and take another job. Nobody forces you to run for office. On the other hand, the pay must be substantial enough to attract good candidates.
Meanwhile, when one Supervisor works considerably less than the others, it has an effect. Those who are in the office take more calls from the public. They respond to more e-mail more quickly. They spend more time on employee concerns. They are viewed as more accessible by Department Heads, meaning they are consulted more frequently. That means some people work harder than others, though the pay is the same.
So, what are your thoughts? Maintain the status quo? Make Sups full time and pay them more? Reduce the expectations of time spent in the office? Should individual Supervisors be held to account for the hours they spend? Or do you have another suggestion altogether?
*DID YOU KNOW? Lone Tree derives its name from a giant elm that grew nearby in the pioneer era and served as a prairie landmark. This elm stood on a slight hill south of town. The tree succumbed to the Dutch Elm disease of the 1960s, although valiant efforts were made to save it.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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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 @ 7:44 AM
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