SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 4, 2024
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/6/24
In this edition:
*Election Results
*Thank you!
*People Skills
*SCOTUS Get Out of Jail Free Card
*Animal Vs. People Stats
*Loneliness
*I Feel Fine
*Did You Know?
*Election Results
Tuesday, June 4 was Election Day in Johnson County. Compared to most elections, there were very few races on the ballot.
On the GOP side, Johnson County (and the First District) chose incumbent Marianette Miller-Meeks to be their candidate for Iowa’s First US House District. Miller-Meeks received just 55% of the vote against challenger David Pautsch of Davenport. MMM moves on to face Democrat Christina Bohannan in November.
House District 91 includes all of Iowa County plus Swisher, Shueyville, Oxford, Tiffin, and large portions of rural Johnson County. Republicans there were choosing a replacement candidate for Representative Brad Sherman, who resigned. Judd Lawler of Oxford defeated Adam Grier of Williamsburg. Lawler moves on to face Democrat Jay Gorsh of Williamsburg in November.
On the Democratic side, State Representative Elinor Levin was at one time challenged by Ty Bopp, who later dropped out of the race, but still appeared on the ballot. Levin triumphed handily, winning with over 90% of the vote.
Johnson County Supervisor was the other contested race. The results there were Rod Sullivan 4263, Lisa Green Douglass 3925, Mandi Remington 3820, Royceann Porter 2963, and Bob Conrad 2387.
As for the turnout? It was an abysmal 8%. I’m pretty disappointed to see such a low number. Local government matters! I guess I need to own some of this; clearly my own GOTV efforts left a lot to be desired.
I sincerely hope Democrats are ready to work this fall, because Dems did not turn out Tuesday! Hopefully they care more about Congress than local races.
Thank You!
There is a lot going on in our world right now. Honestly, local politics is low on the list of important topics. But I would be remiss if I did not say some thanks after being renominated.
I was renominated on Tuesday with the highest total vote. (Measuring the vote in a multi-seat race is always difficult to explain. Simplest explanation is the top three vote getters win.) I have several people to thank:
1. My wife, Melissa Fath. It is not easy to be the spouse of an elected official. I am SO blessed to have Melissa as my partner!
2. The voters. I have worked really hard. I think we’ve accomplished some great things. It feels great to know most of the voters approve!
3. My Treasurer, Gary Smith. Keeping track of the money and filing the official reports is tedious, thankless work. I could not do it without Gary’s dedicated behind-the-scenes service!
4. The other candidates. Primaries make us all better!
5. The Iowa City Federation of Labor and Laborer’s Local 43. The endorsements mean a lot, deep in my heart. I am so proud to be a delegate to Iowa City Fed!
There are plenty of other people I could thank, but readers would grow weary of the whole list. Please allow me to just offer a big THANK YOU! to everyone who helped with this election. I promise to do my best to make you proud!
*People Skills
There are lots of skills and abilities that can assist an individual in the role of County Supervisor. Over the years, I have become more and more convinced that the most important of these can loosely be grouped as “people skills.”
Supervisors need to build trust with the general public, county employees, and other elected officials. How does one build that trust?
First, you show up. In good times and bad. To both friendly and hostile crowds. And you keep showing up again and again.
Second, you need to listen. That does not mean you need to agree. But people need to know you heard them.
Third, you need to be honest. Nobody wants to be lied to. It can be difficult to tell someone you disagree, but people always appreciate honesty.
Fourth, do the right thing. Sometimes the right thing is not popular. Sometimes it is not easy. But do the right thing.
Fifth, be consistent. People hate inconsistency. If you can explain the differences between two situations, and why consistency is not at issue, definitely do so.
Sixth, get your facts straight. People deserve the truth!
Even if you do all these things, you may not earn trust right away. It can take time. You need to give it that time.
I believe that when people do these things, they become viewed as good communicators, or are seen as having “people skills.” But it strikes me that it is not so much a set of skills as it is just good, hard work.
*SCOTUS Get Out of Jail Free Card
I hope every plaintiff to appear before the US Supreme Court uses some version of, “It was my wife’s fault,” just to force Justice Alito to react to the argument. Every. Single. Plaintiff.
*Animal Vs. People Stats
There are 9 states with more cows than people: Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming.
Similarly, there are only 9 states that have more chickens than people – Iowa leads that group by far with over 60 million chickens; Ohio is second at about 45 million.
Only two states have more hogs than people – Nebraska has 3.6 million hogs and 2 million people, while Iowa has 27 million hogs and 3 million people.
*Loneliness
From the Associated Press: “Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic.
About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an 81-page report from his office.
“We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy told The Associated Press in an interview. “Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right. That’s why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.”
I understand this. And I want to talk more about it. Want to talk about it? Call, email, or message me.
*I Feel Fine
One of the things Melissa and I bonded over many years ago was a shared love of the Beatles. Interestingly, with so many of us feeling so much despair over the past few years, the Beatles have definitely helped!
Sure, there is the music. That’s a given. Pick the right songs, and they will really cheer you up. But let me suggest a couple additional things:
1. Watch The Beatles: Get Back on Disney+. While this is not as uplifting or fast-moving as my next two suggestions, this gives us all a rare opportunity to see a true genius (Paul McCartney) doing genius things. That piece, for me, was like watching someone touched by God. It made the 10-hour documentary worth it!
2. Watch Carpool Karaoke with James Cordon and Paul McCartney on YouTube. While this came out in the fall of 2018, it made us feel good through the whole pandemic. This is one of the most heartwarming 23 minutes you will ever experience.
3. Watch Yesterday (2019). The idea behind this charming movie is that a struggling young musician wakes up one day, and he is in an alternate universe where the Beatles never existed. He is the only person on Earth who knows the music. It was absolutely delightful!
As the Fab Four themselves might say, “I hope you get by with a little help from your friends!”
*DID YOU KNOW? The Beatles last album, Let It Be, was released in May of 1970, almost exactly 55 years ago.
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 @ 10:39 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home