SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 14, 2023
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/20/23
In this edition:
*RIP Mark Sertterh
*Congratulations Bruce!
*Free Bus Service in IC
*Presidential Pay Raise
*Calling People What They Want to be Called
*Iowa Senate Democrats
*Did You Know?
*RIP Mark Sertterh
I was so incredibly sad to learn of the passing of Mark Sertterh of North Liberty. Mark was the Associate Executive Director of Shelter House, and a wonderful advocate for unhoused and underhoused people. I interacted a great deal with Mark over the past decade or so, and he was simply wonderful. Smart, caring, funny, and just a great guy. My condolences to all who knew and loved him.
*Congratulations Bruce!
Bruce Vander Sanden is retiring after 34 years with the Iowa Department of Corrections Sixth Judicial District. This one is near and dear to me!
Bruce and I met as freshmen at the UI. We became good friends, and have been for 40 years now. We took a few of the same classes along the way; while I was not exactly sure where I was headed, Bruce was always interested in criminology.
Bruce started at the 6th doing overnights at the Hope House in Coralville, and worked his way up to the Director. Impressive! I spent a decade teaching Batterer’s Education classes at the 6th and later served on the Board of Directors – which no longer exists. So I had an up-close view of Bruce’s work.
It’s not easy to be the boss, and I know Bruce had his detractors. But he is a straight shooter who always managed to balance the many competing interests facing corrections.
Corrections is a very important but often unrecognized piece of our criminal justice system. There are thousands of people on probation and parole, and in various additional correctional programs. As with most state-run services, the State of Iowa is badly underfunding this Department.
Thanks, Bruce Vander Sanden, for 34 years of fine service, and congratulations on your retirement!
*Free Bus Service in IC
I was happy to see Iowa City move forward with free bus service. This is a great move, and I am very proud of my city!
The change to no fares will be a pilot program, and should begin in 2023. The pilot program will last for at least two years. Fare revenue the city will lose over that time will be backfilled by the federal government, who will monitor the success of the program.
I have to throw this in – Gary Sanders campaigned for free busses during a 1981 run for Council. I guess some people are just ahead of their time! J
Free bus service has been successful in other locations. I’m really glad to see us giving it a try here. Thank you, IC!
*Presidential Pay Raise
I just saw that UI President Barbara Mason received a $50,000 pay raise. The 7.69 percent raise increases her yearly salary to $700,000.
Look, I’m sure President Mason is a nice person. But a $50,000 raise? A 7.69% raise? I could not in good conscience accept either one!
For a little context – which you will not find in the Press Citizen – the median household income in Johnson County is about $65,000. The UI just cut all funding to Summer of the Arts. Merit employees at the UI are prohibited from getting more than a 2% raise. And most won’t get that!
How about $1000 more to 50 adjunct faculty? How about more for the AFSCME or UE-COGS workers? This is simply sad. The UI is a great place to work – if you are at the top!
*Calling People What They Want to be Called
This ran exactly one year ago in Salvos. I feel it bears repeating.
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.
*Iowa Senate Democrats
As you may have seen, Senate Democrats in Iowa voted out Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville, replacing him with veteran Legislator Pam Jochum of Dubuque. While Senators are free to elect their own leaders, I think this was a huge mistake.
The demotion was ostensibly about the firing of two long time Senate staff members. There might be 50 Democrats in all of Iowa who give a damn about how Senate Dems staff things. This is a bunch of self-important bullshit that does not send a message of, "We understand what Iowans want and need." We should be talking about things Iowans care about – not this. That is strike one, Senate Dems.
I am even more bothered by the idea that this is "unanimous." The kids can see mommy and daddy fight, OK? The fact that they claim the vote is 16-0 is simply disingenuous, and again, does not engender trust. There were clearly issues here. Tell us what they were. I have served in government for 19 years. We don’t get to “caucus;” we do our work in public. Tell us the truth. That is strike two, Senate Dems.
This move also leaves Johnson County – BY FAR Iowa’s most Democratic County – completely unrepresented on the “Steering Committee” the IDP created earlier this year. That is totally unacceptable to me, and should be totally unacceptable to all Democrats in Johnson County. I think all Johnson County Democrats should pause all donations to the IDP until we are represented by a person of our choosing. That is strike three, Senate Dems.
And now we see that Senate Dems are still taking orders from Mike Gronstal. I’ll be clear – I HATE Mike Gronstal! He always thought he was fabulous back-room dealmaker. All he actually ever did was give things away to the GOP. Go away and stay away, please! And give us Zach Wahls back!
I am hugely disappointed in the Iowa Senate Democrats.
*DID YOU KNOW? The Iowa Democratic Party Central Committee “Steering Committee” consists of all Dems elected to federal office (we currently have none); all Dems elected to statewide office (we currently have one, State Auditor Rob Sand); the House and Senate Democratic Leaders; the Chair and Vice Chair of the IDP; and one Central Committee member from each of the 4 Congressional Districts. The Steering Committee now consists of nine people, 4 of whom are from Polk County. Johnson County has no representation on this body.
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 @ 1:36 PM
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