SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 13, 2023
Sullivan’s Salvos 9/19/23
In this edition:
*RIP Shams Ghoneim
*RIP Deb Conger
*IC Getting it Wrong
*Affordable Housing Update
*Climate Change and Schools
*Wilson’s Orchard
*Johnson County Dems BBQ
*Did You Know?
*RIP Shams Ghoneim
Shams immigrated from Egypt to Iowa City in 1966 with her husband, Dr. Mohamed Ghoneim. She had an incredible commitment to Human Rights, and truly lived her life in service to others.
Shams served as the President of the ACLU of Iowa, the first Arab and Muslim to do so. Shams was a Human Rights Commissioner for Iowa City, sat on the advisory board for the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights, was a member of the editorial board of the Iowa City Press-Citizen and named chair and co-chair of the University of Iowa Council on Disability Awareness (CDA). She was the president of the Iowa City Consultation of Religious Communities (CRC), the coordinator of the Muslim Public Affairs Council of Iowa (MPAC), director of the executive board of the Iowa City Mosque and a support group member for the Mother Mosque of America in Cedar Rapids. Shams also volunteered at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital where she served as chair of the volunteers.
I always found Shams to be incredibly kind and full of grace. What a life! A true loss for our community! RIP, Shams.
*RIP Deb Conger
I was sad to hear about the passing of Deb Conger of Iowa City. Deb was a huge part of a county government shakeup in the 1990s. In 1997, longtime Recorder John O’Neill stepped down after 32 years in office. There was a petition filed to hold an election, and there were two Democratic Party candidates: incumbent Supervisor Steve Lacina, and a pretty much unknown local woman named Deb Conger. Conger fought the political machine of the day, and won!
Johnson County was growing and changing at this time. Lacina was quite conservative for a Democrat. The Democratic Party was changing, and beginning to flex against the conservative, male, rural, Catholic domination of local government. (I know this story quite well; I was elected Chair of the Democratic Party just a few months later.)
So the Democratic Party shocked many people when the nominating convention chose Deb Conger over Steve Lacina. Lacina was not done; he registered as “No Party” and ran against Conger in the election. (The GOP did not field a candidate.)
In an incredibly close race, Conger won by 17 votes – 4057 to 4040. Conger did not remain in office; remember, the election was to fill an unexpired term. In the 1998 election, current Johnson County Recorder Kim Painter defeated Lacina 53-47 in the Democratic Primary in 1998, setting the stage for her to become Iowa’s first out LGBTQ+ elected official.
Deb was a big part of the shift in the local political landscape. Beyond that, I simply liked her. My thoughts go out to all who cared about her. RIP, Deb.
A bit of wild trivia: From 1933 to 2023, Johnson County has only had 4 Recorders. And one of them (Deb Conger) served less than 2 years!
*IC Getting it Wrong
The City of Iowa City is considering a few changes to the Zoning Code that would essentially allow landlords/developers to create greater density in several areas… in exchange for nothing. This is a mistake.
It is important to note that the current Council – more than any that preceded it – is aware of our affordable housing crisis and is working to address it. That makes me very proud!
Unfortunately, the proposal they got from staff is nothing more than a windfall for landlords. And it pisses me off that it is being sold to P&Z, the City Council, and the public as increasing affordable housing. Staff is being played. Here is why:
You can get affordable housing one of two ways. You can require it, or you can incentivize it. Nothing else works. So these Zoning changes, standing alone, are just gifts to developers. The code needs to *REQUIRE* affordable housing *IN EXCHANGE* for these benefits. If we do not require it, we will not get it.
This is not a difficult fix. Just add affordability requirements to the proposed changes. If landlords/developers want to avail themselves of it, they need to guarantee something in exchange.
You rarely get something for nothing. The free market created this problem, and they will not fix it voluntarily. They never have. Government intervention is required to create affordable housing. The government must either incentivize it or require it. Iowa City is making a big mistake if they fail to require it as a part of these changes.
*Affordable Housing Update
Since we are on the subject, I wanted to give a quick update on the exploits of the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County (HTFJC), which funds affordable housing projects in our county. I have served on the Board of Directors of this organization for several years.
I found this 5-year total amazing: over the past 5 years, the HTFJC has leveraged $65 million dollars, and assisted 550 households in meeting their affordable housing needs. Pretty cool, I’d say!
The downside? 550 units in 5 years is not nearly enough. We need do about 7-8 TIMES that over the next 5 years to get close to where we need to be. We have a growing deficit, and even these outstanding efforts are not enough.
Affordable Housing is broken down into three categories based upon Area Median Income (AMI): below 30% or, extremely low; 30-50%, or very low; and 50-80%, low. Each of those groups should only be paying 30% of their income for housing.
The AMI in Johnson County is about $67,111. So 30% of that ($20,133) qualifies as extremely low income. That person should pay no more than 30% of that number in rent – so just a bit over $6000. That works out to $500/month. The median rent for one bedroom in Johnson County is $803/month. So you can see the problem.
Interested in helping? Contact Ellen McCabe at 319-358-0212 if you want to get involved.
*Climate Change and Schools
In the past few weeks, schools across Iowa have been letting students out early because of the oppressive heat. But not in the ICCSD, where every school building is air conditioned!
This is a result of the ICCSD Facilities Master Plan and corresponding School Bond, two committees upon which I proudly served. We discussed air conditioning thoroughly at that time, and noted how much it could do to improve student achievement. I think we have been proven correct.
As the last half of the Bond is implemented, I hope the ICCSD will continue to focus on climate change. Climate change is real, and it’s here. I’m glad we invested in building improvements when we did, not only because of climate change, but because it was probably 50% cheaper when we did it!
I think there are opportunities to do more in terms of solar energy, and there are still some spots in some buildings that need to be sealed up better than they are. But the ICCSD is off to a great start!
*Wilson’s Orchard
I’d like to encourage you to visit my friend Paul Rasch at Wilson’s Orchard. Paul is a great guy doing great things with a great place!
Located just a few miles north of Iowa City, just off Highway 1, Wilson’s Orchard has been around a long time. If you have never been there, go! There are 120 types of apples, but much, much more. It really is a local treasure, and people of all ages should visit! It is particularly a “must-do” for the kids and grandkids!
For more information, see: http://www.wilsonsorchard.com.
*Johnson County Dems BBQ
The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding our annual Fall BBQ on Sunday, October 8 at 5pm at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. This is an important fundraiser – please join us!
*DID YOU KNOW? In the classic Earth, Wind, and Fire song “September,” the lyrics “bah de ah” have no meaning. Alle Willis, who wrote the song, wanted to replace them, but lead singer Maurice White refused, saying, “They feel too good.”
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 @ 1:09 PM
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