SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

June 29, 2022

Sullivan’s Salvos 7/5/22

In this edition:

*Roe v. Wade

*How Did We Get Here?

*Did You Know?

*Roe v. Wade

It is important that we acknowledge what recently happened when 6 Supreme Court Justices saw fit to overturn Roe v. Wade. This is a travesty – the worst Supreme Court decision since Koramatsu. (They actually cited Dred Scott! WTF?) We all have a lot of work to do.

The next article is actually about how things have been going well for progressives in Johnson County. But none of that matters unless we manage some successes at the state and federal levels. Again, we all have a lot of work to do.

*How Did We Get Here?

I have had a couple of conversations recently that both illustrate the distance Johnson County has come politically over the past 25 years. Sometimes it takes a conversation or two like this to recognize just how much change has occurred.

The first conversation: At a recent retirement party for State Senator Joe Bolkcom, I joked with our friend Rusty Martin. You see, Rusty was always at the center of our local progressive political efforts in the 90s. He deserves a great deal of credit for laying the groundwork for the successes we now enjoy. Despite all his great effort, it was all we could do to get one or two progressives elected. Kubby to IC Council in ‘89. Bolkcom to the Board of Supervisors in ‘92. Kim Painter as Recorder in ‘98. Nick Johnson and Matt Goodlaxson to the ICCSD Board in ‘98. We had some wins, but we usually lost.

I teased Rusty a little bit, and said, “You left, and the progressives took over.” I was joking, but it is true!

In another recent conversation, I was at the opening of the new 501 Southgate building, a “housing first” facility operated by Shelter House. While there I began speaking with Dottie Pearson, a tremendous advocate for social justice in our community. Back when Shelter House was on Linn Street, Dottie and I both did “Shelter Overflow.” You see, the shelter was so crowded, that we had to drive people around to stay at various churches.

Basically, the impetus for the current Shelter House came from people of faith haranguing (and frankly shaming) elected officials into supporting the effort to build a new shelter. Even then, it took four lawsuits and a lot of heartache to get a new shelter.

Now? Shelter House has broad based community support. Rather than opponents, people line up to help. Dottie and I both agreed - it has changed dramatically!

So how did we get here? What happened? What changed?

There is a part of me that doesn’t even want to put this in print, for fear that it might give something away. But I truly believe that there is a more important reason to write it down – I fear that most people do not KNOW how we got here. It is critical that we understand our history. And I’m fairly certain most of us don’t.

These do not appear in any particular order. Like so many of the arguments we have, these are not, “either or” but “yes, and.” So, without further delay – how we got here!

Progressives got better (1): We owe an incredible debt of gratitude to the people I named before, among others. Karen Kubby was the gold standard. She was never outworked. She knew the budget better than anyone else. She did the blocking and tackling of city government better than the conservatives. Same thing with Joe Bolkcom. Always smarter, always worked harder. He brought “crazy liberal ideas” to the Board. But the ideas worked. The public liked it. Kim Painter? She may have been viewed as a political “radical,” but she ran the most efficient, effective office in the County. Nick and Matt? We can do more to serve our neediest kids without hurting the rest. In fact, it helps everyone! We had some truly GREAT people doing some truly GREAT work! (Usually in terrible circumstances. All these people were treated very poorly by other electeds, staff, and some members of the public.) These folks showed us the way. We need to know our history!

Progressives got better (2): There was a point where we nominated people because they were liberal. That has never been good enough, and really still isn’t. It’s no good to be liberal if you are neither honest nor hard working. Dems began to do a better job of recruiting candidates. Many served on Boards and Commissions. Many held nonpartisan office. People learned how to be elected officials before taking the leap into electoral politics.

Republicans got worse: As national Republican politics got more extreme, it became almost impossible to elect a Republican countywide. So your most conservative candidates were actually more conservative Democrats. This made it easier to move some issues forward at a local level.

Dems got involved in nonpartisan races: Do not underestimate this! I recall vividly my frustration with Minnette Doderer when it came to nonpartisan races. Despite being arguably the most liberal member of the whole Iowa Legislature, Minnette would regularly support conservatives for the Iowa City Council. You see, her husband Fred had served as the Mayor of Iowa City in the 60s, and Minnette just decided that she would never criticize or challenge any City folks, no matter how conservative they were. Had someone of her stature endorsed a progressive for Council, they would have won. But that never happened. Unfortunately, we elected a lot of City Councilors who were nominally Democrats, then acted like right wingers while in office. Finally, after years of effort from people like Bolkcom, Dave Leshtz, and others, Democrats began voting like Democrats when it came to the City Council.

Unions got involved: I have been a delegate to the Iowa City Federation of Labor for a long time. In the earlier years, we were not organized. We woke up 60 days before the election, dusted off an antiquated questionnaire, and maybe got endorsements done a week before the election – far too late to matter. Then we went to sleep again. Now endorsements come out early, and come with money and manpower. More importantly, there is year-round accountability for elected officials. Organized labor is a serious player in local elections, and that has changed things for the better.

Chamber changed: A lot of people do not remember this, but the Chamber of Commerce used to completely run Iowa City. They had a great farm system, and you could see the next council person coming through the ranks. But over time, the Chamber changed. Chamber members began to care about more than low taxes; they were no longer opposed to healthcare, diversity, and other issues. One key was the post-Bob Ray GOP began to regularly attack the UI. Many local businesspeople understood that their businesses depended upon a strong UI. Over time, the Chamber went from an enemy of Democrats to an ally.

Regina influence waned: In addition to the Chamber, the Regina Catholic Education system had a strong pipeline of elected officials. While these Catholics were all Democrats, most (but not all) were on the more conservative end of the spectrum. But over the years, the big Regina families have spread out, and the huge in-migration has diluted their power.

Lead and they will follow: This is my own big, personal “I told you so” to Tom Markus. Instead of starting wars with Coralville, North Liberty, and the County, just do the right thing in Iowa City. Pretty soon, the people who live in those other areas will demand the same thing from their elected officials. It happened exactly as I told Markus it would. Do the right thing when and where you can, and don’t worry about others.

Demographics changed (1): In just the past ten years, the number of black people in Iowa City doubled, from 4,000 to 8,000. The number of people identifying as two or more races tripled, from 1,700 to 5,000. And that is *ONLY* Iowa City! You will see similar numbers in Coralville and North Liberty. According to the census, there are 12,000 to 13,000 black residents of Johnson County. There are about 11,000 Asian residents. There are about 10,000 Latinx residents. The county as a whole is about 25% minority.

You know how many farm families there are? 1,261. In 1982, that number was almost 1,600. Take that times 3 people per household, which might be generous, and you have a little under 3,800 people. Rural interests used to be able to control County elections. They simply do not have the electoral numbers to do so today.

Demographics changed (2): In 1984, Mondale got 58% of the vote in Johnson County. In ’96, Bill Clinton got 62%. In ’08, Obama got 70%. In ’16, Hillary Clinton got 66%. In ’20, Biden got 71%.

As you can see, Johnson County is voting more Democratic. Some of that trickles down to local races. Plus, less and less voters are splitting tickets. They tend to vote a single party more now than 25 years ago.

Demographics changed (3): Americans have been moving to more and more homogeneous communities. People are self-sorting into like-minded areas. If you grow up LGBTQ+ in rural Iowa, you are probably moving to the city. More liberal-minded young people that grew up in smaller towns migrate to Johnson County. More highly educated people migrate to Iowa City.

The places they leave behind then become less LGBTQ+ friendly, less liberal, and less educated. And the cycle continues.

Momentum: We have done some pretty good things. Since I have been on the Board, we have made amazing strides in terms of civil rights, economic justice, social justice, environmental justice, and more. County government is fair and effective. And that is just one level of government. Do good things, and people will reward you with the opportunity to do even more good things. It is a virtuous cycle!

Hard Work: A lot of us worked very hard. Every year. For many years. Nothing is given to you. You need to earn it over and over again!

So that, in my opinion, is how we got here. Thoughts?

*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County grew from 111,000 population in 2000 to 155,000 in 2020. That is a 40% increase.

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

June 23, 2022

Happy Birthday to the USA! 246 years old! I hope you and yours enjoy a great Independence Day!

Looking for ways to celebrate? The Jazz Festival is in downtown Iowa City, Fourth Fest in Coralville, and the 4^th has parades in Coralville, Sharon Center, Oxford, and Hills.

I got some very interesting feedback on my piece last week about calling people what they want to be called. Most of the comments centered around pronouns.

I should mention right up front that the vast majority of the people with whom I spoke were interested in being supportive. Literally nine out of ten. And if that meant adjusting to using pronouns differently, they would attempt to do so. Interestingly, a few expressed concerns about people “ganging up on them” if they got it wrong.

I say “interestingly,” because I think those same people may not recognize the fear that trans folks feel every day. People are literally “ganging up” on them every day, be it the schoolyard bullies or the Governor of our State!

I think it is up to those of us in the majority, or with the power, or both, to do the majority of the work, rather than expecting an underestimated minority to do so. You should not demand and probably shouldn’t expect grace from someone who gets bullied every day, at every level. Instead, offer some grace yourself.

I also had someone make an interesting comment – maybe we should all just go to the southern “y’all.” As long as that is the only thing we do to be more like the south, I approve!

A couple of weeks ago, I brought up the idea of Johnson County doing some sort of Land Acknowledgement. For those of you not familiar, a Land Acknowledgement is a way to recognize the people to whom this land belonged, and from whom it was taken. The idea is to raise awareness and take some responsibility.

I am not exactly sure what form this might take, but I was pleased to learn that my fellow Supervisors are willing to hear more. I have contacted some folks at the UI Native American Council; the UI has a statement that is read before certain events. It sounds as though different governmental units address the issue quite differently. I look forward to hearing what the Native American Council has to say.

Meanwhile, I found some good advice on the topic from the Native Governance Center. Their advice to governmental units follows:

Start with self-reflection. Before starting work on your land acknowledgment statement, reflect on the process:

Why am I doing this land acknowledgment? (If you’re hoping to inspire others to take action to support Indigenous communities, you’re on the right track. If you’re delivering a land acknowledgment out of guilt or because everyone else is doing it, more self-reflection is in order.)

What is my end goal? (What do you hope listeners will do after hearing the acknowledgment?)

When will I have the largest impact? (Think about your timing and audience, specifically.)

· Names of living Indigenous people from these communities. If you’re presenting on behalf of your work in a certain field, highlight Indigenous people who currently work in that field.
Indigenous place names and language.

· Correct pronunciation for the names of the Tribes, places, and individuals that you’re including.

· Use appropriate language. Don’t sugarcoat the past. Use terms like genocide, ethnic cleansing, stolen land, and forced removal to reflect actions taken by colonizers.

· Use past, present, and future tenses. Indigenous people are still here, and they’re thriving. Don’t treat them as a relic of the past.

· Land acknowledgments shouldn’t be grim. They should function as living celebrations of Indigenous communities. Ask yourself, “How am I leaving Indigenous people in a stronger, more empowered place because of this land acknowledgment?” Focus on the positivity of who Indigenous people are today.

Don’t ask an Indigenous person to deliver a “welcome” statement for your organization. Build real, authentic relationships with Indigenous people. In addition to normal employment and family obligations, Indigenous people are working to heal their traumas, learn their languages, and support their nations. If you reach out for help, lead the conversation by asking an Indigenous person what you can do for them. Chances are, they’re likely overworked and could use your help.

Compensate Indigenous people for their emotional labor. If you do plan to reach out to an Indigenous person or community for help, compensate them fairly. Too often, Indigenous people are asked to perform emotional labor for free.

Understand displacement and how that plays into land acknowledgment. Land acknowledgment is complicated. Remember that the United States government displaced many Tribes from land before treaties were signed.

There are many types of land acknowledgments. Don’t expect to find a specific formula or template. Land acknowledgments that come from Indigenous people vs. non-Indigenous people look different, too.

Land acknowledgment alone is not enough. It’s merely a starting point. Ask yourself: how do I plan to take action to support Indigenous communities? Some examples of ways to take action:

Support Indigenous-led grassroots change movements and campaigns. Encourage others to do so.

Commit to returning land. Local, state, and federal governments around the world are currently returning land. Individuals are returning their land, too. Research your options to return your land.

Starting somewhere is better than not trying at all. We need to share in Indigenous peoples’ discomfort. They’ve been uncomfortable for a long time. Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Dakota and Muskogee Creek) says, “We have to try. Starting out with good intentions and a good heart is what matters most.”

Visit our resource page for more helpful land acknowledgment tools! And read our own land acknowledgment statement: The Land We’re On.

The University of Iowa is located on the homelands of the Ojibwe/Anishinaabe (Chippewa), Báxoǰe (Iowa), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Omāēqnomenēwak (Menominee), Myaamiaki (Miami), Nutachi (Missouri), Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha), Wahzhazhe (Osage), Jiwere (Otoe), Odawaa (Ottawa), Póⁿka (Ponca), Bodéwadmi/Neshnabé (Potawatomi), Meskwaki/Nemahahaki/Sakiwaki (Sac and Fox), Dakota/Lakota/Nakoda, Sahnish/Nuxbaaga/Nuweta (Three Affiliated Tribes) and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Nations. The following tribal nations, Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha Tribe of Nebraska and Iowa), Póⁿka (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska), Meskwaki (Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa), and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska) Nations continue to thrive in the State of Iowa and we continue to acknowledge them. As an academic institution, it is our responsibility to acknowledge the sovereignty and the traditional territories of these tribal nations, and the treaties that were used to remove these tribal nations, and the histories of dispossession that have allowed for the growth of this institution since 1847. Consistent with the University's commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, understanding the historical and current experiences of Native peoples will help inform the work we do; collectively as a university to engage in building relationships through academic scholarship, collaborative partnerships, community service, enrollment and retention efforts acknowledging our past, our present and future Native Nations.

We here in Johnson County have a lot to learn, but I am looking forward to the process! I am not really certain what we will do, if anything. I’d like us to do something, but I have yet to speak to anyone with experience. I believe it is safe to say I do not even know what I do not know! If you have knowledge of this process and want to help, please contact me!

I find myself often experiencing cognitive dissonance when thinking about people I know. While this is a bit disconcerting (it is cognitive dissonance, after all!) it is really important that we do not always try to reconcile things. Because sometimes, two seemingly incongruous things can be true.

Here are some examples as to how this desire to reconcile things can cause decision-making problems at my job: I like this person, therefore they must be good at what they do. I like this person, therefore they must be honest. I agree with this person politically, therefore, they should hold public office. He is a real asshole at work; therefore he must be a terrible father. We disagree on everything else; why would I agree with her on this?

It seems as though these couplets should be true. And in some cases, they are. In other cases, they are not. We need to learn to live with the realization that two incongruous things can be true!

*DID YOU KNOW? Native people arrived in Iowa with the receding of the glaciers about 14,000 years ago.

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!

June 16, 2022

A tip of the cap to Brian Loring, who is retiring after a long career as the Executive Director of Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County (NCJC).

Brian has led NCJC through lots of growth, innovation, and some turbulent times. Bottom line? His work has improved the lives of thousands of Johnson County residents – including my own children.

Brian is truly one of the good people in Johnson County. I am proud to call him a friend. Congratulations, Brian – you deserve it!

I have a very strong commitment to calling people what they want to be called. If the person is named Joseph but wants to go by Joey, fine by me. If they want to go by Joe? No problem. Joe wants to be called Sally? Up to them. I believe they have a right to be called what they wish. It is a simple matter of respect.

This has not really been a topic of conversation until recent years, as issues related to gender have risen to a prominent place in public discourse. Transgender issues, gender roles, gender definitions, gender fluidity, and so much more is now on the radar. This has led to a large group of people who lack the appropriate vocabulary. Some say things wrong to be cruel; others say things wrong out of ignorance. And many folks, like me, are still making mistakes as we try to do the right thing.

I want to get it right, but I still have some struggles. In trying to get at the root of my struggles, I have come up with two reasons why I think this is difficult for me:

First, I use “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, sir” more than most Northerners. I always have. And until recently, it usually got me props. People generally viewed it as me making an effort at being respectful – which is exactly what I had been trying to do. Unfortunately, I know of a few instances where I said, “Yes ma’am” or “Yes, sir” to someone who does not use those pronouns.

Secondly, I spent time as a kid and as a young adult learning proper English. I was pretty adept at code-switching. I could talk shit with the old boys at Sutliff, which is the way I was raised. I could also hold my own with my English professor. It was a useful skill.

In that proper English realm, it was strictly verboten to say, “Hand me their coat,” or “Their eyes are so blue.” Their would have referred to multiple people. And using it in those two instances would have amounted to improper English. So using “their” to describe a single person still sounds wrong to me. Heck, my computer underlined me using it here!

Please understand – I am not making excuses. Just explaining why this has been a bigger challenge than I had expected. I know I need to do better. And I am trying. I have been very lucky to receive so much grace from so many people as I try to get it right.

Meanwhile, I hope you will join me in calling people what they want to be called. Any minor inconvenience it causes you is small potatoes when compared to making another person feel valued. It is absolutely the right thing to do.

I wrote about this last week, but I really think it is becoming a problem. We need to discuss it in even greater detail.

Last week, I wrote: Statewide, Iowans chose Mike Franken to be our US Senate candidate. I have to be honest; I am *REALLY* sick of the argument, “Franken is the only one who can win.” Based upon what? Abby had won an election for Federal office; Franken lost his first attempt. All that “only one who can win” stuff has sounded like to my ear is we need an old man rather than a young woman.

In fairness, when I confronted people about it, many had other, more acceptable (to me) reasons for supporting Franken. I hope they recognize that the way in which we frame these races can be very misogynistic if we are not careful.

The bottom line is that voters are trying to be too clever. What type of Democrat might appeal to Republicans out in Sioux County? The answer? None of them. Democrats are not going to win there. What we need to do is find a darn good candidate for Treasurer, Recorder, or Auditor, and work to get them elected. Then they can change the conversation a bit to local issues. Meanwhile, a couple good local candidates – in concert with a good candidate at the top of the ticket – might cut the margin in the US Senate race in Sioux County from 80-20 to 65-35. That would be huge!

Also remember – 60% of Iowans live in ten counties. Just ten. If we could get 60% in those ten counties, Democrats would be almost unbeatable. But we only won 6 of those ten counties. Johnson, Linn, Black Hawk, and Story Counties did pretty well. We won Polk and Scott, but must do better there. We lost Dubuque for the first time in 60+ years! And while Woodbury, Pottawattamie, and Dallas Counties were all close, they still voted Republican. These are all urban areas. You don’t need to be a farmer to win those counties. You need to show that you care about improving the lives of the people in those counties.

There is another group of counties – ISU economist Dave Swenson refers to them as “micropolitan” – that also matter a lot. These counties are home to cities in the 30,000 population range. They have a hospital, a community college, and people from the area commute in for employment opportunities. And these cities – Mason City, Fort Dodge, Clinton, Ottumwa, Marshalltown, Burlington – have gone from Democratic strongholds to solid GOP in only about ten years. Democrats must regain some ground in these areas.

But we will not get there by playing pundit and refusing to support any candidate who is not a straight, old, white male. That’s what “pundit voters” think Sioux County swing voters want. But there *AREN’T* many Sioux County swing voters! But there are sure as hell a lot of Polk County swing voters! And Scott County! And Dubuque County! And our micropolitan areas!

Cook Political Report wrote back in 2019: the fixation on electability is turning many Democratic voters into pundits, deciding who they will support based not on who is most experienced or qualified, or who shares their positions and values, but who might have the best chance of winning. Certainly not all Democrats are focusing exclusively on electability, but more are doing so than we have ever seen.

Winning is obviously the most critical thing for Democrats. But we will not get there by trying to guess what people want. We need to listen, work, and deliver!

I heard a great point on the Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell show. He’s not exactly my favorite, but this bears repeating.

O’Donnell noted that some of the children who died in the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas were actually decapitated by the automatic weapon that took their lives.

Imagine, for a moment, that Al Qaida or some foreign government decapitated 2-3 American soldiers. We would be engaged in a full-fledged war. But decapitate 2-3 schoolchildren here at home? That’s just a cost of doing business.

*DID YOU KNOW? The Johnson County Emergency Communication Center (JECC) is the agency that responds to all 911 calls. JECC takes approximately 150,000 calls per year.

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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