SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 24, 2022
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/29/22
In this edition:
*Eviction Diversion
*Some Budget Info
*ATV Law
*Iowa Caucuses
*Trump, Ukraine, and Putin
*Did You Know?
*Eviction Diversion
Johnson County is working to increase housing stability by reducing the number of evictions in our community through the expansion of the eviction diversion program. The expansion is a result of Johnson County’s investment of funds received from the federal government through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The COVID-19 pandemic caused economic hardship and housing instability for many Johnson County residents, especially for low-income individuals and households. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) instituted a national eviction moratorium in September 2020 to provide relief and stability to renters during the height of the pandemic. The moratorium expired in August 2021, but many people are still at risk of homelessness due to eviction.
In order to legally evict a tenant in the State of Iowa, landlords must use a court procedure – Forcible Entry and Detainer (FED). The number of FED filings in Johnson County increased significantly once the eviction moratorium was lifted. Johnson County’s Eviction Diversion Program provides landlord and tenant mediation services, rent assistance, a staff help desk at the Johnson County Courthouse during FED hearings, and tenant legal guidance and representation. The program is a collaborative effort of Johnson County Social Services, City of Iowa City, Iowa Legal Aid, Johnson County Affordable Housing Coalition and Shelter House.
The Board of Supervisors voted to allocate $337,500 to expand the program during the next three fiscal years. More information about ARPA and how it impacts Johnson County is available at https://www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/arpa.
*Some Budget Info
The County recently approved the FY23 budget, which begins July 1st. Here are a few interesting tidbits about the Johnson County budget:
*The Countywide levy rate has decreased 5 consecutive years.
*Johnson County ranks 66 out of the 99 counties in rural levy.
*Johnson County borrows every year, yet has reduced the outstanding principal 10 of the past 11 years. Johnson County borrows at less than 1% of its debt limit.
*While the population of Johnson County rose 16.5% in the last decade, the number of new employees increased just 5.4%.
I chose to highlight these items because we often hear that Johnson County Supervisors spend wildly. I do not believe that to be the case.
*ATV Law
The Iowa Legislature recently passed a law permitting the use of ATVs/UTVs on county roads. Previously, the decision to allow these vehicles on county roads was a local one. Now, as in so many cases, the State has taken away local control and decided for us.
Johnson County has always prohibited these vehicles, despite a large ATV advocacy group lobbying us for the past decade. Why have we opposed it? The answer is pretty simple: these vehicles result in far too many serious injuries and deaths. (A woman I knew from rural Solon died on one just over a year ago.)
Johnson County is home to several experts on this subject, from our Medical Examiner’s Office to the College of Public Health to the Department of Emergency Medicine to the Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health. These and other experts are uniformly, adamantly against legalizing these vehicles for county roads. As we tend to do, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors listened to the experts and listened to the science, and disallowed these vehicles.
But Republicans in the Iowa Legislature can do whatever they want. So led by Bobby Kaufmann, they took away local control. Look for more serious injuries and deaths soon!
*Iowa Caucuses
My good friend John Deeth made some noise last week when he announced he was “quitting” the Iowa Caucuses. I stand 100% with Deeth! Even though I have only missed one Iowa Caucus since the event started in ’72, I support his stance.
Democrats simply cannot any longer claim to be the party of voting rights, then endorse a process that systematically prohibits a big part of the population from participating. We know that the caucuses are difficult for seniors, people with disabilities, people with young children, people who lack transportation, people who work second shift, and more. So why do it?
I’m tired of fighting like crazy for better absentee voting rules – including a longer window – only to have the party big wigs pretend that does not matter when it comes to our own process. We need a full-fledged Presidential primary in Iowa. There is no amount of “tweaking” the caucus process that will ensure Iowans have the right to vote.
We are either for open, accessible voting or we aren’t. It is a version of the old labor question – “Which Side Are You On?” I am for voting. And I hope my party will join me! There is no excuse for anything less.
Here is the dirty little secret: being first never helped Iowa Democrats. It hasn’t helped us get the Governorship or the Statehouse. We have lost ground in courthouses across the state. Even city councils and school boards have moved the wrong direction. The caucuses are *supposed* to be this important organizing tool. But what they really are is a distraction.
Yes, a lot of money flowed into the state. But that money never came close to covering the very real costs – both monetary and human. Being first helped power brokers meet candidates. (I’ll be honest – it helped me meet candidates!) But it never did a damn thing for poor people in this state. Iowa Democratic Party mucky-mucks continue to be worried about going first. They need to start worrying about winning elections.
*Trump, Ukraine, and Putin
I was in the process of writing almost exactly this when I found it in the LA Times. So, below, a slightly-edited version of an LA Times article that says what I was thinking:
“Trump’s impeachment — the first of two — began in the Democratic-led House on Dec. 18, 2019, and ended with a trial and acquittal in the GOP-controlled Senate on Feb. 5, 2020. It stemmed from an infamous call on July 25, 2019, that the then-president made to Ukrainian President Zelensky, who had just been elected.
In the call, Zelensky pleaded for more military weaponry — including the Javelin missile systems that are now helping to stall Russian advances on Ukrainian cities. Trump agreed but said that first, he wanted Zelensky to “do us a favor.”
The favor involved investigating Biden’s son Hunter and his lucrative position with the Ukrainian oil conglomerate Burisma. Zelensky resisted, with his staff insisting on a formal request for an investigation if the U.S. wanted one. His staff also emphasized to State Department officials that Zelensky was leery about getting involved in U.S. politics.
Trump had already frozen the aid, a $391-million package of military equipment and other assistance that had been approved by Congress with bipartisan support. At least 25 Ukrainians died in fighting in the east in the weeks that followed, according to an investigation at the time by the Los Angeles Times.
Only after members of Congress on both sides of the aisle learned about the halt in aid was it finally released on Sept. 11, 2019. It was the first time the U.S. provided lethal military aid to Ukraine, an important, albeit delayed, milestone.
“That chapter, which resulted in the former president’s impeachment, sadly was an encouragement to Putin and weakened Ukraine even in this fight,” said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California), who led the first Trump impeachment inquiry.
Schiff added that Putin anticipated if he started a broader invasion of Ukraine, he could count on Trump either to praise him or to criticize Biden.
Trump has done both.”
In addition, remember when the GOP tried to blame Ukraine for interfering in America’s elections when it was clearly Russia? I do!
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County is bordered by six other counties. (Linn, Cedar, Muscatine, Louisa, Washington, Iowa, and Benton.)
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 @ 1:12 PM
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