SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 13, 2024
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/14/24
In this edition:
*RIP RJ
*Happy Ramadan!
*Saint Patrick’s Day!
*St. Patrick’s Day Trivia
*Bob Sullivan
*Reynolds Endorses Trump
*Suggestions for Iowa City Charter Review
*Did You Know?
*RIP RJ
I was extremely sad to hear about the recent passing of RJ Moore. RJ served the people of Johnson County as the Assistant Director of our Planning and Zoning Department, now known as Planning, Development, and Sustainability. RJ worked for Johnson County for a long time, and was as responsible as anyone for our movement from “anything goes” zoning to our current “smart” development.
I learned a LOT from RJ Moore. I wanted to learn things as a young Supervisor, and he was willing to teach me. He was smart and passionate, and took every decision very seriously. I really liked and respected him.
RJ also had a pretty amazing life story. He had a difficult childhood (to say the least!) and spent several years in foster care. He enlisted in the US Army immediately following his high school graduation, and ended up in Viet Nam. Once again, the story of his service was unbelievably wild. RJ returned to Iowa with a lot of scars, both physical and emotional. But he vowed to overcome these obstacles, and with the help of his wife Colleen, he graduated from the UI twice, including a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning. RJ also served as one of Johnson County’s Veteran’s Affairs Commissioners.
I have not known many people who had lived through as much as RJ Moore. It made it all the more impressive that he was a smart, kind, decent, fair-minded, and accomplished man. RIP, RJ.
*Happy Ramadan!
Happy Ramadan to those who celebrate it! Ramadan runs March 10 – April 9 this year. Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and heightened devotion and worship. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam. The fast (sawm) begins at dawn and ends at sunset.
*Saint Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day on March 17! St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year. While not an “official” holiday, this day has long been considered a holiday by my Irish family.
March 17 is a Sunday this year, but we should still be able to celebrate correctly! Meanwhile, I hope each and every one of you is touched by a little luck o’ the Irish!
*St. Patrick’s Day Trivia
Here are some interesting St. Patrick’s Day facts:
*With 23 percent of the population of Celtic ancestry, Massachusetts has a higher proportion of residents of Irish descent than any other state, edging out New Hampshire (20 percent) and Rhode Island (18 percent). The remaining New England states -- Connecticut, Vermont and Maine -- also rank among the top 10 in this category, as do Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Montana.
*New York City has more residents of Irish descent than any city in the world, including Dublin! Boston, however, has the largest percentage of Irish residents of any large American city.
*22 - Gallons of beer consumed per capita by Americans annually. (The equivalent of 176 pints per year.) I used to bring that average way up. Now I bring it way down!
*13 million - In 2017, it was estimated that 13 million pints of Guinness would be consumed worldwide on St. Patrick's Day. And in 2020, it was estimated that in America, overall beer sales would be up 174 percent. In fact, it's the biggest day for bars in the country. And in general, in 2020, it was expected that Americans would spend over $6 billion celebrating the holiday.
*9 - Number of places in the US which share the name of Dublin, Ireland's capital. Dublin, OH was the most populous, at 31,392, followed closely by Dublin, CA at 29,973.
*There are many more Americans of Irish origin than there are Irish in Ireland. (36 million Americans claimed Irish ancestry in 2008; the population of Ireland was 4.4 million at the time.)
*You can't attend a St. Patrick’s Day event without hearing a cry of "Erin go Bragh." What's the phrase mean? It's a corruption of the Irish Éirinn go Brách, which means roughly "Ireland Forever."
*Bob Sullivan
March 17 holds a special place in my heart that goes beyond St. Patrick’s Day. That was also the birthday of my late father, Bob Sullivan.
Dad was a proud union man, Hawkeye fan, and Irishman. We were father and son, but also best friends. I can honestly say he was probably the most fun person I have ever known.
Unfortunately, he left this world much too soon, and never got the chance to meet any of his nine grandchildren. I miss him every single day, but especially on St. Paddy’s Day.
So, if you are looking for an extra toast on St. Patrick’s Day, allow me to suggest that you raise a glass to Bob Sullivan.
Happy birthday, Dad.
*Reynolds Endorses Trump
I was not surprised when Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced she was endorsing Donald Trump. In spite of the nasty things he has said about her, Reynolds quickly got in line.
Reynolds loves to bully trans folks, schools, and poor children. But when faced with a bigger bully, she rolls over like the unprincipled hypocrite she is. It would be shameful, but a person who refuses to take federal money to feed poor children clearly is not capable of shame.
We can do better, Iowa!
*Suggestions for Iowa City Charter Review
I wrote last week about my frustration at being passed over for the Iowa City Charter Review Commission. This week, I want to focus on the changes I would like to see happen to the Iowa City Charter. Below are the things I feel are most imperative, listed in order of importance:
1. Maintain the referendum process: Iowa City has a limited referendum process. By “limited,” I mean there is an extensive list of things for which no referenda are allowed. This includes anything having to do with taxes, salaries, or anything in any way financial. Obviously, this is extremely limiting. But I find it important that the voters have some say outside of elections. I love that Iowa City has at least some minimal ways in which the public can be heard. I think it is extremely important to maintain this process.
2. District votes for District Councilors: Iowa City has one of the worst and most convoluted systems imaginable in terms of who gets to vote in District Council elections. Under the current system, only District voters vote in a primary; all voters get to vote in the general election. This is extremely confusing, and frankly, unnecessary. District voters should be the only voters in District elections. I know some voters feel they should be able to vote on every seat, but that is why At-Large seats exist. Hell, that is why Districts exist! This change would clean things up and strengthen Districts.
3. Directly elect the Mayor: Even though the Mayor position is not dramatically different from that of the other councilors, it still means something. The public cares who represents them to the outside world, and they want to have a vote in the matter. Because of this, I firmly believe Iowa City should create an At-Large Mayoral seat.
4. More Districts, less At-Large seats: The 2004 and 2014 Charter Commissions spent a lot of time on this topic. There are good arguments for only having Districts – there is a greater chance that individual neighborhood concerns, demographics, etc. get represented. On the other hand, it is entirely possible that the two best people for the job live on the same block. Because of this, IC has always favored a hybrid system.
I agree that a hybrid system is a good solution. But I would lean into Districts just a bit more. In my perfect system, you keep 7 Councilors, with 4 District seats and 3 At-Large seats. One of those At-Large seats is the directly elected Mayor.
This would give more power to Districts, but also keep an At-Large option. And here is the cool part – every voter in IC could still vote for a majority of the Council. They could vote on their own District Councilor, two At-Large seats, and the Mayor. 4 out 7. Yet Districts have a bit more power.
So, what do you think of my list? Agree or disagree?
*DID YOU KNOW? Saint Patrick was born Maewyn Succat to a Romanized family in Britain (not Ireland.) He took the name ‘Patricius’ in his writings.
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.
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 2:15 PM
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