SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 21, 2022
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/26/22
In this edition:
*Happy Anniversary!
*Swisher Fun Days
*Hills Elementary
*Don’t Blame Democrats!
*Filibuster = Tool of Racism
*Work? Campaign? Personal?
*Did You Know?
*Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary on August 1 to my wonderful wife, Dr. Melissa Fath. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I know I got a great deal here! Melissa is the best wife and mother a person could ever hope for!
Happy Anniversary, Honey! It has been a great ride! I hope we celebrate many more!
*Swisher Fun Days
Fun Days in Swisher runs Friday, July 30 and Saturday, July 31. If you have never visited Johnson County’s northwest corner, give it a try!
For event details, see: https://swisher-fun-days.square.site/fbclid=IwAR3zfe7qrTZOtiZQIwdqahkMK4MqQjfmHhMEMtTBkSS4v0Fxrx01o3-GIV8
*Hills Elementary
A member or two of the ICCSD Board is questioning whether or not the ICCSD should invest in a new Hills Elementary. I think the decision is easy, and the answer is yes!
I was on the committee that helped to pass the bond. We told people in Hills we were going to build them a new school. Heck, I LITERALLY went in front of a group of 30 people at the Hills Community Center and told them that! Securing their support, then changing the plan would be the worst possible type of bait and switch.
I understand that Board Members are not going to always agree. And there is nothing wrong with asking questions. But in this case, a promise was made to a couple thousand residents of Hills and the surrounding area. The ICCSD should keep that promise.
And it is not like this is a bad investment. Hills is ten minutes from UIHC. The town is growing at a brisk clip. Iowa City continues to grow to the south. And just like the people who argued for neighborhood schools like Lincoln, Mann, Longfellow, and Coralville Central, the folks in Hills have a neighborhood school. Let’s support them!
*Don’t Blame Democrats!
Democrats in the US House have passed some great legislation. Are you aware of that?
Since January of 2020, the US House of Representatives has passed bills doing the following: Codifying the right to vote, codifying Roe v. Wade, passing sensible restrictions on guns, passing protections for trans people, raising the minimum wage, extending healthcare benefits, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, increasing renewable energy, passing net neutrality, protecting Dreamers, improving the lives of Indigenous people, implementing child tax credits, passing the Pro Act, adopting an infrastructure bill, and much more.
All of these bills have been passed with zero Republican support. Zero. Democrats have tried to do all these things; Republicans have fought them at every step.
All of these bills have moved on to the US Senate. Where they get filibustered and die. The filibuster stops every single bit of good legislation. Again, all of these bills have zero Republican support. Zero. Democrats have tried to do all these things; Republicans have fought them at every step.
President Biden would sign these bills. But they cannot reach him because of the filibuster. Everything gets stopped because of the filibuster.
What can you do? Vote for Democrats! We simply need a couple more Democrats in the House and Senate, and all these great things can happen. It is that simple. A couple more Democrats in the US Senate, and the filibuster goes away.
*Filibuster = Tool of Racism
People who defend the filibuster as some honorable Senate tradition are full of crap. The filibuster is and has always been a tool to prevent civil rights. “It’s been a tool used overwhelmingly by racists,” says Kevin Kruse, a historian of race and American politics at Princeton University. To learn more, see: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/3/25/22348308/filibuster-racism-jim-crow-mitch-mcconnell
*Work? Campaign? Personal?
This first appeared in Salvos way back in July 2012. (That will explain a few outdated references.) But the issue is still much the same today.
Policy versus politics. Supervisors deal with a similar issue when they engage in certain activities in the community.
An example: about seven weeks ago, I volunteered at the ICARE Pancake Breakfast. I have 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 attended the Solon Firefighters Pancake Breakfast. While I did not volunteer, I did 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 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.
So, what are your thoughts? Maintain the status quo? Make Sups full time and pay them more? Reduce the expectations of time spent for the office? Or do you have another suggestion altogether?
*DID YOU KNOW? On November 20, 2008, UNESCO designated Iowa City, Iowa, the world’s third City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Iowa City joined Edinburgh, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia to become the third UNESCO City of Literature.
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 @ 12:58 PM
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