SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
May 7, 2024
Sullivan’s Salvos 5/9/24
In this edition:
*RIP Jim Pregon
*Happy Birthday Zuri!
*Happy Mother’s Day!
*Loan Forgiveness
*Vote for Sullivan!
*Upcoming Supervisor Forums
*Managed Care
*Dems Hall of Fame Event
*Did You Know?
*RIP Jim Pregon
I was sad to hear of the recent passing of Jim Pregon. Jim spent a couple of decades as a Deputy Treasurer for Johnson County, only retiring three years ago. Jim was an incredibly hard worker – literally the first person in the building in the morning and the last to leave at night. He was well-known for spending time out in the parking lot, helping customers to replace their old plates with the new ones. Jim could be a demanding boss, but he was one heck of a worker. I will miss his dry sense of humor. RIP, Jim.
*Happy Birthday Zuri!
May 10th marks the 7th birthday of Ms. Zuri Foote, our first grandchild! I can honestly say that being a grandfather is the best gig I have ever had! And Zuri makes it easy! She is sweet, kind, fun, and smart!
I found the following stats about grandparents today. I would have to say that I am in the majority in every category:
72% think being a grandparent is the single most important and satisfying thing in their life.
63% say they can do a better job caring for grandchildren than they did with their own kids.
68% think being a grandparent brings them closer to their adult children.
90% enjoy talking about their grandkids to just about everyone.
Happy Birthday, Zuri! Papa loves you!
*Happy Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 12. I know that this is a difficult day for many people, and I want to respect that. Yet I feel the need to talk about some special people in my life.
I want to wish a particularly Happy Mother’s Day to my Mom, Susan Sullivan Smith, and my wife, Melissa Fath. One is a birth mom, one is a foster and adoptive mom – both are amazing people who have touched many lives.
I sometimes wish people could actually see how amazing Melissa is. We’ve had over 50 foster children over the years, and she has never missed a beat. Melissa has done all that parenting, while at the same time doing full time cancer research. She is truly incredible!
Nine years ago at this time, I was afraid I might lose her. Melissa was fighting cancer, and we did not know exactly what to expect. Thank God things went well, and this incredible Mom is still with us today!
I hope all the moms out there have a wonderful day! You deserve it! Thanks for all you do!
*Loan Forgiveness
Stolen from the internet:
PPP loans were created in 2020. Within 1.5 years, 80% of them have been forgiven. Student loans are about 60 years old. Over that 60 years, less than 1% of all debt has been forgiven. Nobody has asked how we can afford business loan forgiveness, and no one seems to complain about paying off other people’s business loans.
*Vote for Sullivan!
Like most people growing up in rural Iowa in the 60s and 70s, I was raised to be humble. “Don’t toot your own horn,” was the phrase. But as an adult, I chose a profession that requires you to “toot your own horn” every four years if you want to keep your job. So if you will please indulge me, I want to use a few words to explain why I believe I deserve your support in the upcoming Supervisor Primary.
The following comes straight from my website: https://www.rodsullivanforsupervisor.com.
Rod Sullivan's accomplishments put Johnson County's people and their wellbeing at the center of his work. During his time in office, Rod has facilitated discussions, advocated and led changes that have improved the lives of tens of thousands of Johnson County residents. Those efforts include:
· Raising the minimum wage
· Increasing funding for affordable housing
· Creating the GuideLink Center
· Passing the Conservation Bond Initiative
· Passing the Human Rights Ordinance
· Creating the Free Tax Help Project
· Instituting the Buy Here Initiative
· Adding rural warning sirens
· Creating the Livable Community for Successful Aging Policy Board
· Creating the Local Foods Policy Council
· Adopting the Community ID
· Leading the transition to regional mental health care
From the very beginning, Rod has put the people and their community at the forefront.
· He provided steady leadership during the 2008 floods and over a decade later did the same during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
· He saved the Sutliff Bridge, preserved the Historic Poor Farm, and initiated the renaming of Johnson County after Lulu Merle Johnson.
· Rod started the 1105 Project with the gift of the old Public Health Building.
But it isn't just the people of Johnson County he fights for; it is also the land they live on. In his time, he advocated and passed the Sensitive Area Ordinance, Stormwater Ordinance, Wind and Solar Ordinance, and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan.
I’m proud of the work I have done. Moving forward, I plan to continue to focus on mental health, affordable housing, climate change, and more. I think we can accomplish more great things. That is why I would ask for your vote during the 2024 Democratic Primary.
*Upcoming Supervisor Forums
There are several Supervisor forums on the horizon. Here is a list:
May 7: Service Employees International Union (SEIU) at 6:30 pm at the Iowa City Public Library.
May 13: Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) at 6 pm at the Robert A. Lee Rec Center in Iowa City.
May 20: 100 Grannies at 6:30 pm, location TBA.
May 21: League of Women Voters at 7 pm at the Senior Center.
May 28: Solon Library at 6:30 pm.
Sorry, but I have no idea if any of these will be livestreamed. My guess is you can ask the sponsoring organization.
A huge thank you to the organizations that sponsored forums! I really appreciate these opportunities to answer questions about county government!
*Managed Care
You have probably heard of Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). They “manage” health care expense by making it difficult for people to access care. MCOs were forced upon Iowa Medicare and Iowa Medicaid by Governor Branstad and the Iowa Legislature back in 2017.
Since that time, Medicaid spending is up slightly, but less people have received services, and outcomes are worse. I was recently at a meeting where a woman said, “The MCOs just aren’t working.” Except that they are. They are doing exactly what they were designed to do.
MCOs were not put in place to help people on Iowa Medicaid. They were put in place to save State money. The MCOs then take a generous portion (10% or so) out of the money intended to help the sick and poor. The MCOs profit, and in turn, they make sizeable campaign contributions to Governor Reynolds and others. So they are doing exactly what they were designed to do.
When this happened, many of us protested loudly, claiming people would die. They have. But these people were old and/or have serious disabilities. So we do not care.
I sat in a meeting a while ago where someone said, “It is just so difficult to get services through these MCOs. They are not working.” Nope. It is the exact opposite. They are working exactly as planned.
*Dems Hall of Fame Event
The Johnson County Democratic Party is holding our Annual Hall of Fame Awards on Saturday, May 11 at 7pm at the Radisson in Coralville. 2024 marks the 15th consecutive year that the Johnson County Democratic Party has held a separate Hall of Fame event.
Please join us for coffee, desserts, and plenty of old war stories! A cash bar will be available.
The Hall of Fame inductees for 2024 are: Former County Attorney Janet Lyness, former County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek, longtime Solon activist and retired IBEW President Bill Hanes, and the late Kathy Stahmer. We hope you can join us in recognizing this remarkable group!
Tickets are available for a $50 suggested donation. People who cannot afford that amount should still feel welcome. Sponsorships are available at the following levels:
$125 includes two tickets
$250 includes 4 tickets
$500 includes a whole reserved table (8 tickets)
$1000 includes a whole reserved table plus special mention.
*DID YOU KNOW? During and following the Civil War, Ann Jarvis made a concerted effort to foster friendship and community between the mothers on both sides of the war. She started a committee in 1868 which established the first glimmer of today's holiday: "Mother's Friendship Day." Her daughter Anna Reeves Jarvis sought to honor her own mother by establishing an intimate day of observance that is very obviously the basis of today's holiday. The first Mother’s Day was celebrated in 1908.
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.
If you do NOT want the weekly E-mail, simply reply to this message, and type "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
If you know anyone else who might be interested, just forward this message. They can E-mail me at rodsullivan29@gmail.com with "subscribe" in the subject line.
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 @ 9:29 PM
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