SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

April 29, 2025

Sullivan’s Salvos 5/1/25

In this edition:

*RIP Phil Mears

*RIP Wally Chappell

*RIP Becky Schmitz

*May Day

*Farmer’s Markets

*Johnson County Agricultural Data

*Statewide Agricultural Data

*Farm Roots

*Did You Know?

*RIP Phil Mears

Phil Mears passed unexpectedly a few days ago, and it is a big loss. Phil was well-known for his incredible garden at his home on College Street in Iowa City, but there was much more to the man. Phil was an attorney who did a lot of appellate work, often with folks who were facing long odds. He was very committed to folks with less, and gave much time and money to food banks and other charities. He was a hardcore, unabashed liberal, and liked to talk politics. RIP, Phil.

*RIP Wally Chappell

I was sad to hear of the passing of Wally Chappell of Iowa City. Wally was a true giant in the arts world, almost certainly appreciated more globally than right here at home. Wally ran Hancher Auditorium from 1986 to 2001, and is a big reason Iowa City is known for the arts. His influence was also felt as a board member, serving long-term on the boards of the Kronos Quartet, The Englert Theatre and The Riverside Theatre.

Wally and I used to run into each other around town, and he always wanted to talk a little politics. I can assure you he was a good guy and a wise man. RIP, Wally!

*RIP Becky Schmitz

I was sad to hear that former State Senator Becky Schmitz has passed. Becky was the Iowa State Senator from the 45th District, serving from 2007 till 2011. That District contained all of southern Johnson County at the time, so I got to know Becky very well. She was a very smart and caring person, and represented us very well. We knocked on a lot of doors together in Hills, Lone Tree, and other areas, and she was always fun to be around.

Becky was elected to the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors in November 2012, and served one 4-year term. RIP, Senator!

*May Day

In much of the world, May Day is a worker’s holiday. It used to be a holiday here, too, until an unreasonable fear of communism clouded our collective national judgment.

May Day used to commemorate the Haymarket Incident. For those of you unfamiliar, the following is lifted largely from Wikipedia:

The Haymarket affair occurred during the course of a three-day strike that involved common laborers, artisans, merchants, and immigrants. Following an incident in which police opened fire and killed four strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. plant, a rally was called for the following day at Haymarket Square. The event remained peaceful, yet towards the end of the rally, as police moved in to disperse the event, an unknown assailant threw a bomb into the crowd of police. The bomb and resulting police riot left at least a dozen people dead, including seven policemen.

A sensational show trial ensued in which eight defendants were openly tried for their political beliefs, and not necessarily for any involvement in the bombing. The trial led to the eventual public hanging of four anarchists. In the following years, memory of the "Haymarket martyrs" was remembered with various May Day job actions and demonstrations.

So, on this May Day, I plan on tipping back a cold beverage in honor of the people who gave us the weekend!

*Farmer’s Markets

It is almost May, and that means it is time for our local Farmer’s Markets! My mouth is watering!

People who know me know that I am a farmer’s market fanatic. I can be found at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market pretty much every Saturday. I love the food, I love the farmers, I love the customers … I love everything about it! See you at the market!

*Johnson County Agricultural Data

The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers provided these statistics for both Johnson County and the State of Iowa:

There are 1,257 farms in Johnson County, totaling 304,239 acres. That is an average of 242 acres per farm. If I had to guess, I’d say these folks are defining a “farm” quite liberally.

And beware of averages! There are very few 242-acre farms out there. It is more like 8 twenty-acre farms, one 300-acre farm, and one 2000-acre farm. The average does not tell the story.

Johnson County is one of the only counties in Iowa where the number of farms is going up, but the acres farmed is going down. This reflects our strong local foods culture.

In 2022, the market value of Johnson County crops was $143 million. The value of livestock sold was $76 million.

Agriculture and ag-related industries accounted for 4,044 jobs, about 3% of the county total. Ag and ag-related industries accounted for $171 million in wages, and $867 million in sales.

Johnson County is a bit better than average when it comes to farmland; our average Corn Suitability Rating (CSR) is 69, while statewide it is 68. But of the land in production, the average CSR is closer to 80. We have more woodlands than most counties, which also affect things.

We think of Johnson County as an “urban” county, and rightfully so. All of these ag numbers have dropped over the past 10 years. Yet it is important that we recognize the huge role that agriculture plays in our local economy.

*Statewide Agricultural Data

Statewide, the economic impact of agriculture is truly staggering. Ag accounts for one out of every three dollars in the Iowa economy. One in 5 Iowans works in ag or ag-related industries. Iowa ranks number one in hogs, corn, soybeans, and eggs, and in the top 5 for cattle, chickens, and turkeys.

*Farm Roots

Anyone who has known me long knows that I grew up on the family farm. It is not just any family farm; both my maternal grandmother and maternal grandfather both came from families that settled in Iowa prior to statehood. We have two family farms that have been in the family seven and eight generations, respectively. My family has been on the same land since 20 years before the start of the Civil War! So yes, I am proud of my family farm roots.

After growing up out on the farm, on a gravel road, miles from the nearest town, I moved to Iowa City. And while I love the things city life offers, I often miss the farm. One small connection that I maintain is my screensaver.

Both home and at work, my screensaver is a photo of my Grandpa, Ed Jack, winning the 1961 State Corn Picking Championship. I love the photo for a lot of reasons, but primarily the way in which he holds his hat in his hands. Though he had become quite wealthy through farming, he was a very humble man. The photo really captures that. And despite the fact that he had been using a mechanical combine for several years, he obviously had not lost his touch when it came to picking corn.

We used to pick a lot of sweet corn when I was a kid. If you have ever seen anyone pick corn by hand, you know that it is not easy. And my Grandpa was a perfectionist – you had to do it right! I knew intuitively why he won that contest – he had the cleanest row and fewest deductions. Sure enough, that was true.

My Grandpa loved to enter contests. He liked to experiment, and he had a competitive spirit. So his house was full of trophies and plaques. Only one, however, was first place. That was the State Corn Picking Championship.

Also on a shelf were about a dozen trophies earned in various statewide competitions. There were 5^th, 4^th, 3^rd, and 2^nd place trophies – in some cases, multiples. Most of the awards were in yield competitions.

He got second in a statewide highest yield contest in the late ‘50s, and once averaged 200 bushels per acre, which was the farming equivalent of breaking the 4-minute mile. The statewide average now is 189 bushels per acre, so technology has certainly caught up.

I remember the importance he placed on watching the markets. The guys who were working on the farm came into the house every day at EXACTLY 11:55. They washed their hands with Lava soap, filled their plates, and started to eat dinner. There was no “lunch” – dinner at noon, supper for the evening meal!

Then they put on the WMT noon news, with the volume cranked, because years on the tractor (no cab) had ruined my Grandpa’s hearing. (KCRG showed a soap opera at noon and had no noon news. That was an unforgiveable heresy in the eyes of my Grandfather!)

They would intently watch the markets, then decide what to do that afternoon. Maybe you got things ready to go to town and sell. Maybe not. The whole plan for the next 24 hours depended upon the market and the weather.

Nowadays, the commodities are presold on contract. There is no need to closely monitor prices and react. It is probably a lot less stressful. But at the time, it certainly seemed exciting to a kid watching it all unfold!

My Granny played a different role, and we kids were her helpers. Each family had HUGE gardens – between the 5 families, the garden space (not counting sweet corn and fruit trees) was probably over 2 acres. We spent all summer picking strawberries, asparagus, beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, apples, pears, lettuce, cabbage, radishes… then Granny showed us how to clean them, cut them, and store them.

Farming has changed a lot since I was a kid. I was recently asking my Mom who was renting the family’s various plots of land. She reported that there are only 3-4 people farming in the whole area, and that these operations have become so large that what used to be considered a sizeable farm (say, 250 acres) is barely worth their time to rent!

I never wanted to go into farming – I realized right away that I was a people person, and agriculture could get lonely. But I miss those days, and remember them fondly.

*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa has 49,065 women active in farm operations, 34% of the total number of farmers.

Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-

www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov.

"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

April 22, 2025

I was saddened to hear of the death of Pope Francis. While my Sullivan family has some very deep Catholic roots, I left the church a long time ago.

But that does not dampen the deep respect I have for this man who did so much to lift up the poor among us. Income inequality is not just the biggest problem of our current moment; it was the issue Jesus mentioned the most.

Thank you, Pope Francis for your humility and continued focus on those with less. Rest in Peace.

As of this writing, there are several Democrats who have expressed an interest in running for the US Senate against Joni Ernst. And what do I see every time this is discussed? Criticism.

They are too young. Too old. Too male. Too white. Too conservative. Too liberal. They can’t win.

Really? Feel that way? Then run for office yourself! Or go find the person that has the exact qualifications you seek, and convince them to run.

I am just *SO* tired of the haters! Find a candidate, and support them in the primary with everything you have. But remember, when the smoke clears, the winner is running against Joni Ernst. Ernst, WHO HAS HELPED TRUMP DO EVERY SINGLE HORRIBLE THING TRUMP HAS DONE!

One more thing… to those of you who want someone not male and not white – did you go all in for Kamala Harris? Did you knock doors? Did you go all in for Deirdre DeJear? Did you send her money? Because not many people did! Did you go all in for Royceann Porter? If the answer is yes, complain away. If not, maybe check yourself.

Please, for the love of God, show a bit of grace. You don’t need to vote for *ANY* of these folks in the primary. But can you just save the criticism for Senator Ernst?

Iowa has approximately 30,600,000 acres of cropland right now. Currently, about 24,000,000 of that is in corn. HALF of that land – 12,000,000 acres – is currently dedicated to the production of ethanol.

Now let’s look at solar energy. Just 180,000 acres could provide enough solar energy to meet ALL of Iowa’s energy needs. That is one seventieth (1/70) of the acres, and much more energy! That might sound like a lot of land, but it amounts to two 40-acre fields in each township. That would not even be noticed.

Plus you get much improved water quality, much improved soil quality, much improved air quality… and much of the land can be freed up for recreation, conservation, and growing actual food!

This is a no-brainer. But it will not happen with the GOP stranglehold over Iowa and our farmland. I say vote for solar!

Income inequality is the highest it has ever been. 60 people now have wealth equal to the poorest half of the people on earth. If the United States had the same income distribution it had in 1979, the bottom 80 percent of the population would have $1 trillion – or $12,000 per family – more. The top 1 percent would have $1 trillion less.

Remember when I mentioned perspective? I find the following comparison helpful in terms of understanding the difference between a million and a billion:

Imagine I give you a one dollar bill every second. All day, every day, one per second. At that rate, it would take me 11 days to give you a million dollars.

Now imagine we do the same thing, but I am giving you a billion dollars. I give you a one dollar bill every second. All day, every day, one per second. At that rate, it would take me 32 years to give you a billion dollars!

That last statistic has always been very helpful. People have a very difficult time wrapping their heads around the concept of a billion. Comparing a billion seconds to a billion dollars really helps.

So, if you are reading this? You are likely pretty well off. And there is a small group of people hoarding the world’s resources!

Now that Governor Reynolds has signed the “Supervisor Districts for Blue Counties” Bill, I thought it would make sense to explain what happens next.

First, a temporary redistricting committee (TRC) is appointed. This group will consist of two people appointed by the Board of Supervisors, and one appointed by the Johnson County Republican Party. That group must be appointed by the end of May. The task of the TRC is to do some re-precincting, then hold a public hearing on their work. (In reality, the Auditor’s Office will do most of the “work;” the TRC is simply guiding and directing an expert staff.) Assuming the Board of Supervisors approves their work, this is sent off to the LSA no later than 10/1/25.

The map is drawn by the Legislative Services Agency (LSA), a nonpartisan agency created to serve all legislators regardless of political party. This is the same group that creates our Congressional maps every ten years.

Parties will be holding primary elections in 2026 anyway. Under normal circumstances, two Supervisor seats would be up for election, those held by Supervisors Jon Green and V Fixmer Oraiz. Now, all five seats will be on the June ’26 primary ballot. Once parties choose their nominees, those individuals move forward to the General Election in November.

On January 2 of 2026, there will be a random selection by the County Auditor where the terms for two of those Districts are four years in length, while the terms for the other two Districts will be two years each. This keeps Johnson County with 5 County Officials being elected every two years – 3 Supervisors, Sheriff, and Auditor in Presidential years, and 2 Supervisors, Recorder, Treasurer, and County Attorney in the Gubernatorial years.

What will the maps look like? The districting rules actually tell us a lot. First, districts need to be very close in population. Second, we know they are using old (2020) census numbers. In the 2020 census, Johnson County had 153,740 people. (It is about 160,000 now.) So each district will have to be close to 30,748 in population. For what it is worth, that is really close to the population of a Statehouse seat.

Other rules shape this even further. If a city is smaller than a district, it cannot be divided. So Coralville (2020 population 22,500) cannot be divided. So Coralville plus 8,000 is one district. North Liberty (2020 population 20,000) cannot be divided. So North Liberty plus 10,000 is a district.

Another rule – you cannot divide a city into more districts than the population allows. So in the case of Iowa City, the 2020 population is 77,000. So Iowa City is almost exactly two and a half districts. That means Iowa City cannot be divided into 4 or 5 districts; it may only be divided into three districts.

Another rule – districts are to be geographically compact. So you can imagine a district that includes North Liberty, Swisher, Oxford, and Tiffin, plus neighboring rural areas. You can imagine a district includes Coralville and Solon, plus neighboring rural areas. Then you would have three districts left. Iowa City has to be a part of all three. The only real question is do they create two districts that are exclusively Iowa City and one that contains 15,000 Iowa Citians plus most rural parts of the county, or do they create three districts that each have about 26,000 Iowa City residents and each have a third of the rural population?

I think we all know the answer. This legislation was passed to elect a Republican to the Board of Supervisors, plain and simple. So the map is going to have the biggest possible rural population plus 15,000 Iowa Citians.

The maps have to be finished by December 31, 2025. So we will officially know what happens at that time. But I think we have a pretty good idea already.

Meanwhile, this could all be for naught. There are legal minds out there who feel this law is unconstitutional, and that voters in these three counties are losing part of their franchise. That would require a voter from one of these three counties to sue and win. That could happen, but I am unaware of any efforts underway.

*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa City native Mary Harlan Lincoln led an amazing life. The daughter of US Senator James Harlan, she married Robert Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln. Robert Lincoln pursued a successful career in law, business, and politics, serving as Secretary of War from 1881 to 1885 under Presidents Garfield and Arthur. The Lincolns lived in London as Robert served as Ambassador to the UK from 1889 to 1893 under President Benjamin Harrison. Afterwards, he returned to practicing law. Lincoln was made quite wealthy by his law practice, which included General Counsel to, and later President of, the Pullman Car Company. Mary passed away in Iowa in 1937 at the age of 90.

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!

April 15, 2025

Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! Please take care if you are travelling, and have a safe holiday.

Longtime Johnson County Conservation Natural Resources Manager Dave Wehde is retiring after 39 years as a full-time employee. (He also served as a seasonal employee during college.)

Dave has always been one of my favorites. First, he’s just a great guy. Secondly, Dave is an absolute expert in the flora and fauna of our area, and his knowledge is respected far and wide. I love the way that Dave tells the history of a spot – where as some folks would start during the time of indigenous peoples, and others might start at the time of Lewis and Clark, Dave will start his story using geological time.

You do not replace people like Dave Wehde. It is like Michael Jordan retiring. You just move on, knowing that you were lucky to work with someone like that. Congratulations, Dave, and thank you for you service to the people and the land of Johnson County!

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has announced that she is not running for reelection in 2026. Good. She is the epitome of evil. She has needlessly, callously hurt *SO* many people. It is unconscionable. I will just take the high road, and hope she requests and receives forgiveness before her judgement day.

As usual, Johnson County is doing a proclamation noting Earth Day, and urging the people of Johnson County to act in defense of our planet.

But did you know the history of Earth Day? First, there was a photo. The iconic “Earthwise” image snapped by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders from lunar orbit on Dec. 24, 1968, showed our planet as it really is: a lonely and fragile outpost of life suspended in an endless, inky-black void. That new perspective jolted many people awake and lit a fire under others, helping the nascent environmental movement gain cohesion and momentum, experts say.

That photo led to Earth Day. The rest of the story, from Wikipedia: In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed at the United Nations. A month later, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970. He hired a young activist, Denis Hayes, to be the National Coordinator. Nelson and Hayes renamed the event "Earth Day". Denis and his staff grew the event beyond the original idea for a teach-in to include the entire United States. More than 20 million people poured out on the streets, and the first Earth Day remains the largest single-day protest in human history. Key non-environmentally focused partners played major roles. Under the leadership of labor leader Walter Ruether, for example, the United Auto Workers (UAW) was the most instrumental outside financial and operational supporter of the first Earth Day. According to Hayes, "Without the UAW, the first Earth Day would have likely flopped!" Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his work.

The Great American Novel – The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – turns 100 years old this month. I hate to admit it, but the first time I read Gatsby, I just wasn’t mature enough to appreciate it. The next time I read it, only about three years later, it clicked. I have read it 2-3 times since, and my appreciation grows each time.

Economic disparity remains the biggest problem in our world today. Take a moment to reread Gatsby, and you’ll see that Fitzgerald laid this out for us 100 years ago. So we beat on. Happy Birthday, Gatsby!

I get pretty wonky when it comes to economics, tax policy, and the like. I find it fascinating, and love researching the topics. But there is only so much you can do about the economy as a County Supervisor. Even less since Governor Reynolds stripped most of our Home Rule authority.

So, I decided, just for fun, I’d pretend I was King for a bit, and lay out the economic policies that make sense to me. Here it goes:

1. Institute the Elizabeth Warren Wealth Tax. If you recall, this is a 2% annual tax on the net worth of households and trusts between $50 million and $1 billion, and a 1% annual surtax (3% tax overall) on the net worth of households and trusts above $1 billion. This would raise about $3 TRILLION dollars over 10 years!

2. Increase the personal income tax using a very progressive model, with almost everyone paying something. (I like the buy in of almost everyone contributing something.) The top rate should be at least 75%.

3. Make every dollar of income taxable under Social Security. In other words, lift the cap. This takes care of funding Social Security – probably forever – with no benefit cuts.

4. Institute a small tax on all stock trades. (Also known as Bernie Sanders’ Stock Speculation Act.) This raises $2 trillion over 10 years, and helps to end speculation on Wall Street.

5. Institute strong rules to stop billionaires from avoiding these taxes. Institute strong rules for capturing the tax even overseas. (Warren can explain in depth how this can be accomplished if you want to check it out.)

6. Using this money, we greatly expand healthcare, getting to universal coverage. We pay for families to have free childcare. We increase Medicare and Medicaid payments to care providers, and require them to pay much higher wages. We increase SNAP benefits. We offer free community college. We invest hundreds of billions in affordable housing. We invest hundreds of billions in alternative sources of energy. It is a New Deal - like the 1930s, but designed for the 2030s!

7. We need to focus our manufacturing on things Americans need. Double down on factories that process food. Create more factories that produce drugs, medical supplies, and medical devices. Invest in factories that produce wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries. Invest in technology. Invest heavily in scientific research. Quit investing in plastic crap – other countries can produce that.

8. We need to invest heavily in a caregiving economy. We need people to be doctors, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, therapists, daycare workers, and in-home caregivers. We need to raise the pay for these jobs and create hundreds of thousands more of them. There are an unbelievable number of jobs that can be created caring for kids, seniors, and people with disabilities. It is meaningful, important work – we just need to compensate them accordingly. (Much of this can be paid for by having almost no private health insurance sucking money out of the system.)

9. We slowly right-size and modernize the military. We have no cuts in pay for service members, but we also do not buy outdated technology just to provide jobs in any given Congressional District.

10. Make actual progress on the debt and deficit. Republicans pretend those are not important now. As soon as Trump is out of office, the GOP will claim they are the biggest threats facing America. They are lying both times. But we do need to begin to address these issues.

I recognize that all of this is pie-in-the-sky. The wealthy will - primarily through the Republican Party – fight every bit of this. And these are huge changes that would take a long time to implement. But they could all be done. Much of the world already does it. This is just an exercise is thinking about a perfect world. That, in a nutshell, is “Sullinomics.” What do you think?

1961: The Bay of Pigs Invasion - A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.

1982: The Canada Act, also known as the Constitution Act, was proclaimed, making Canada a fully independent and sovereign state.

1989: The Exxon Valdez oil tanker crashed off the coast of Alaska, causing a massive oil spill.

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!

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