SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
December 22, 2021
Sullivan’s Salvos 12/28/21
In this edition:
*Happy New Year!
*Salvos Salutes!
*Did You Know?
*Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to all Salvos readers! I hope you and your loved ones enjoy a wonderful 2022!
*Salvos Salutes!
2021 is coming to a close, and it is time for honoring a few select Johnson County residents with that most treasured of honors, the Salvos Salute. A few observations:
* This is the sixteenth annual set of awards, and there are always more people who deserve awards than there are awards to give. We live in a great County!
* The focus is on Johnson County. It is certainly worth noting the daily heroism of someone like our firefighters, police, and paramedics. There are also examples that garner international attention. But we have everyday heroes right here in Johnson County that deserve a shout out.
* There are some people out there that could win every year. I am trying to honor different folks, but repeat winners are not out of the question.
* Salvos Salutes do not have specific criteria, but you can bet that in general, most of the winners are courageous, advocate for peace and justice, have good ideas, speak truth to power, avoid hypocrisy, and look out for the less fortunate.
Without further ado, your 2021 Salvos Salutes go to:
John Boller: The Executive Director of the Coralville Food Pantry, John has built that organization into a thriving, necessary piece of the local social safety net. In addition to running a nonprofit very well, John is a champion for those with less, a big advocate for all types of social justice, and a really nice person.
Becci Reedus: Becci started at Community Crisis Services during the 2008 floods, and retired during the COVID pandemic. Despite the rough beginning and end, Becci’s tenure saw Community successfully serve thousands of our neediest neighbors. Thank you, Becci, for all your years of great work!
Frank Lalor: 25 years ago, he helped to found Table to Table. In 2021, Frank decided to retire, leaving an incredible legacy. T2T has delivered over 25 million pounds of food during that time, feeding thousands of our neighbors while keeping good food out of the landfill. It was a great idea then, and even better now. Thanks, Frank!
Brian Finley: An Application Developer in the UI IT Department, Brian recognized that the State of Iowa had done nothing to get people signed up for vaccinations. So Brian put his know-how to use, and created a Twitter account - @IAVaccineAlerts – that automatically Tweeted out vaccine openings across the state. Tens of thousands of Iowans are safer today because of Brian’s efforts!
Kris Brown: Instead of relaxing after her retirement as the Director of the Solon Public Library, Kris went straight to work as a volunteer with Solon Senior Advocates. She got so much accomplished that Solon Senior Advocates named her the Senior of the Year! Knowing Kris, this comes as no surprise. Congratulations, Kris!
Doug Lindner: The greater Solon community suffered a huge loss when Doug Lindner decided to leave the newspaper business and take up farming in SE Iowa. The Solon Economist and North Liberty Leader long set the standard for journalism in Johnson County. When big papers said they couldn’t possibly cover the school board AND the city council, the Economist covered both, and the Supervisors to boot! Great local news coverage CAN be done. And if you want to know how, ask Doug Lindner!
Stu Mullins: After spending decades at United Action for Youth, Stu Mullins decided to hang it up. It would be a huge mistake to underestimate the impact this one person has had on decades worth of Johnson County youth. Whether in direct service or just keeping the doors open, Stu’s contributions to UAY are immeasurable. To top it off, he is a killer musician and a wonderful guy!
John Lundell: It was not long ago that Coralville’s relationships with Iowa City, North Liberty, and Johnson County were in very bad shape. Right now, those relationships are as strong as they have been in my memory. What happened? New leadership in a few key roles – notably John Lundell as Mayor of Coralville. John is an excellent communicator, hard worker, and straight shooter. He has done a very nice job, and has certainly earned this retirement! Thanks, John! I hope there are many Hawkeye games in your future!
Terry Donohue: North Liberty continues to experience growing pains – even though we have been saying that since the ‘80s! But over the past decade or so, folks have had few worries when it came to the role of Mayor. Terry Donahue has handled the role very capably and thoughtfully since 2017. Every politician says something about “listening to all opinions.” And I believe most are sincere. But I can’t think of anyone who really lives that out as much as Terry Donahue. He is a great guy with a great sense of humor, and he will be missed.
Jim Bartels: This Tiffin City Councilor is retiring after having served over 30 years in office! A lot has changed in Tiffin in 30 years, but one constant during that time has been Jim’s steady hand. It is not easy to serve on a City Council – especially when the city is undergoing great changes. Through it all, Jim has always been kind, thoughtful, and hard working. Thanks for your service, Jim!
Anji Jordan: Many good things are happening on the SE side of Iowa City. And if you look closely, you will likely find Anji Jordan right in the middle of it! From helping families navigate COVID to getting a beautiful community mural painted to getting kids bikes to helping pass a Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) to knitting to Chairing Better Together to well… basically doing everything, Anji is an irresistible force for good! We are SO lucky to have her as a part of our community! Keep up the great work!
Tracy Jon Sargeant: Tracy Jon is the founder of MDC Iowa. I will use his own words to describe his efforts: “The Multicultural Development Center of Iowa (MDC Iowa) is determined to create opportunities for Black, Indigenous, People of Color to pursue a STEM-related degree or career even if it is only one student of color at a time. MDC Iowa exists to create a more diverse workforce and increase the pipeline of BIPOC students interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, that will get us one step closer to STEM more accurately representing the communities that it serves." Tracy Jon is a cool guy. He’s going to get this done!
Crissy Canganelli: It is never easy when your job is to address the problem of housing and homelessness. It is a challenge made even more difficult when a small but vocal portion of our community decides to attack everything you do. We are lucky to have Chrissy Canganelli, folks! She is ethical, dedicated, smart, and has put Johnson County ahead of 99% of all the counties in the country when it comes to addressing homelessness. We have not eradicated this problem; we likely never will. But we are making great strides! Thank you, Crissy, for leading the charge!
Donna Brooks, Allison Wells, and Ray Forsythe: The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a huge, complex piece of legislation, the likes of which we have not seen since the FDR Administration tackled the Great Depression. While it offers great opportunities to local governments, it requires – as Allison said – “building the plane while you are flying it.” These three County staff people have stepped up and met the ARPA challenge, and done a fantastic job. If the task wasn’t hard enough, a sickening collection of local trolls has attempted to make these staff people miserable in and out of public meetings. But staff have not allowed the trolls to get them down. I am so impressed with the their positive, can-do attitudes! Thanks, all!
Cecilia Norris: We are 50 years in, and the Free Medical Clinic just keeps serving people who have no other access to heath care. One of the key players there is Dr. Cecilia Norris, who has done yeoman’s work in her 16 years as Medical Director. While her direct service is critical, Dr. Norris gets this Salute for her tireless efforts to combat misinformation around COVID-19 and the vaccines. Dr. Norris was constantly trying to correct misinformation and put out the correct info, whether at work, on social media, or whenever asked. It may seem futile, Cecilia, but I know you have saved lives. Please keep up the great work!
Tom Larkin (again): Mr. Larkin is a rare two-time winner of a Salvos Salute! Last time, Tom was honored for his excellent work representing US Senator Tom Harkin. This time, Tom is being recognized for being a great friend and a great realtor! As I have noted, my family and I are moving after 21 years in the same place. We couldn’t do it without Tom’s knowledge, kindness, patience, persistence, and friendship. Thanks, Tom!
Congratulations to all our winners!
*DID YOU KNOW? 225 individuals/groups have received a Salvos Salute since they were started in 2006.
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 @ 8:14 AM
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