SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
November 23, 2022
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/29/22
In this edition:
*RIP Maureen Donnelly
*Let the Voters Decide!
*Supervisors Not Alike
*Budget
*Did You Know?
*RIP Maureen Donnelly
Johnson County labor folks and Democrats lost a great one last week with the passing of Maureen Donnelly of Iowa City. Maureen spent much of her time volunteering for the causes she cared about. And those causes generally included anything that benefitted folks who lack power. A true fighter for justice, gone too soon. RIP, Maureen.
*Let the Voters Decide!
I am not a fan of city councils appointing new members when a councilor steps down. I favor elections in almost all cases. Especially in the metropolitan parts of Johnson County, where elections are taken very seriously. That is why I have been disappointed by recent decisions by the Coralville and Iowa City Councils to choose appointments over elections.
I know the big argument is cost. But democracy costs money! Trust me, we can all find $50,000 in any local government budget that we think is wasteful. Why is everyone suddenly a budget hawk when elections are concerned?
One concern that was mentioned was that turnout would be low. And it is true, Mayor Bruce Teague was elected in a special election that only saw 9% turnout. But he got 2200+ votes. The next councilor in Iowa City only needs to get 4. That’s 4 votes, not 4%. Four people get to decide.
Contrary to what some have stated, I think appointments drastically limit the number of people who might become a councilor. Realistically, is the Council going to appoint someone poor? It’s never happened. Someone young? It’s never happened.
Karen Kubby would never have been appointed. Ross Wilburn would never have been appointed. Heck, I doubt ANY of the current IC Councilors would have been appointed!
Who will get appointed? Well-connected people, known to all or most of the council. Probably someone who serves on a board or commission. Just look at our own history!
When Coralville held a special election, they got a young female Vietnamese immigrant who works at a food pantry. When Coralville appointed, they chose an old white male banker. (At the expense of a local union leader, no less!) So don’t try to sell me on the idea that appointments will bring diversity. They almost certainly will not.
Diverse ideas follow from this. The young immigrant woman (Hai Huynh) voted to help a bunch of minorities and minority owned businesses who were being displaced. The appointee did not. New ideas at work.
Look at Iowa City’s history. Mayor Bruce was elected just 5 years ago in a low turnout special election. And I’d like to remind everyone – an appointment process would not have awarded Bruce Teague that seat. The Council would have appointed their longtime P&Z member. And while she might have done a wonderful job, there would have been no Mayor Bruce to lead us through the summer of George Floyd/Black Lives Matter protests.
I am not suggesting appointments are always wrong. In some cases, there are only a couple of months left in a term; I get that. But the Coralville appointment was for multiple years, and Iowa City for a year. That is too long for someone who is unelected to serve. And the record on appointments is not good.
Substituting the judgement of elected officials for that of the voters is a bad idea, and it should be avoided. I hope someone gets a petition going to force an election. I will support them in the effort.
*Supervisors Not Alike!
This ran in Salvos way back in 2011. I edited out a part that wasn’t relevant any longer, but the rest of the piece stands the test of time.
I get a couple E-mails every week that refer to “you Supervisors” and then take us to task for doing (or not doing) something.
I find these E-mails extremely frustrating, because they only serve to demonstrate that the public does not see the huge differences of opinion that exist on the Board.
I blame much of this on the media. First, we are not covered much. Secondly, we are rarely ever asked about the differences of opinion that are clear to anyone watching a meeting. The public deserves to know what debates are taking place in their name, and exactly what their elected representatives think.
Elected bodies are made up of individuals. Yes, you get lots of unanimous votes to approve the agenda or send a letter thanking a volunteer. Those votes are perfunctory.
As my friend and former Iowa City Councilor Larry Baker once said, “95% of all votes could be cast by a trained monkey. You elect people for the 5% that really matter.” Amen. Larry nailed it.
So, dear citizens – pay attention. You will not get any help from the media – you are going to need to dig. But meetings are all online. I urge you to tune in. Find out what individual elected officials really feel, and ask why they voted the way they did.
You will find that Boards and Councils are made up of individuals – VERY different individuals!
*Budget
Johnson County is beginning the budgeting process for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), which will begin July 1st of 2023. Here are some ongoing budget issues, and my take on them:
General Fund versus Rural Fund: If you pay property taxes in Johnson County, you pay into the General Fund. All taxpayers do. If you live in the unincorporated area of the county, you also pay into the Rural Fund. The Rural Fund covers expenses specific to rural residents – mostly roads, but also libraries, landfill, and a couple smaller expenses. There are wide variations between counties as to what should be supported by the rural fund.
Any single individual can easily create a budget: It isn’t that hard to support the programs and services you like, then cut the ones you don’t. It is much more difficult to do this for 160,000 people. Similarly, it isn’t that hard to decide how much you think you ought to pay in taxes, then apply that County wide. It is more difficult when you then recognize how many valuable services would need to be cut. Creating a budget that works for 160,000 people is challenging.
Taxes versus services: I had a man complain to me about his taxes. The next day, his wife complained about the condition of their road. They simply can’t have it both ways! Yes, this is an anecdote, but it sums up the fundamental budgetary difficulty- people want to pay less in taxes, but get more services. It cannot be done.
Mandated versus optional services: Some services are required by law. For example, Johnson County is obligated to hold elections. Other services are optional. For example, Johnson County has no legal obligation to fund DVIP. This is a very real phenomenon, and Board Members need to be aware of it. On the other hand, I take issue with things being portrayed this simply. Let’s go back to elections. While elections are mandated, there is no mandate as to the amount of elections staff, computer equipment, or other expenses. The law says we must do it, but it does not specify the amount we must spend. Funding DVIP may, in fact, be a very productive way to work toward Johnson County’s mission.
Conservative budgeting versus low taxes: It is important for folks to recognize that the lowest possible tax rate does not equate to the most conservative budgeting. For example – the most conservative budgeting includes money for maintenance. You need to spend money on upkeep, whether roads, buildings, or vehicles – or you’ll spend more in the long run. And I REFUSE to buy into the idea that taxes are inherently evil! Taxes are the price of supporting a civilized society.
Want to know a government’s priorities? Look at the budget. With that said, I encourage citizens to join us at our budget meetings. (The calendar is on the website.) Meanwhile, what are your priorities? Now is the time to let us know!
*DID YOU KNOW? Beginning in January, the tenure of Johnson County Supervisors will be 0, 1, 4, 6, and 18 years.
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.
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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 @ 8:29 AM
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