SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

June 24, 2025

Sullivan’s Salvos 6/26/25

In this edition:

*RIP John Stimmel

*Good Job, Hills!

*Scary High Nitrate Levels!

*A Bad Decision for Kids

*Did You Know?

*RIP John Stimmel

My old friend John Stimmel passed away recently. I am going to talk much more about John and his story in the next edition of Salvos. For now, I’ll just tease John posthumously about dying to avoid walking in the Coralville 4^th of July parade!

There will be a remembrance Sunday, June 29 at 5:30 pm at Mercer Park Aquatic Center.

*Good Job, Hills!

I just thought it was worth mentioning that there are a lot of really good things going on in Hills! A new songbird park, a new mural, new playground equipment, music in the park, food trucks… the list goes on! And that is on top of a well-managed city with good city services.

Congrats to Mayor Tim Kemp, the Hills Council, and the Hills staff for doing such good work!

*Scary High Nitrate Levels!

Bad news on the local front – the scary high nitrate levels that plague Des Moines (and cost them millions of dollars to mitigate) are here in Iowa City. Our water is running at just below the level to trigger the Safe Drinking Water Act, which will cost us millions to address.

The influence of Big Ag in Des Moines and DC does this to us. Let’s work to change that in 2026!

*A Bad Decision for Kids

The Board of Supervisors recently made a decision that will hurt kids and cost taxpayers more money. It has to do with our contract with Linn County for juvenile detention beds. And I am steaming mad about it!

A bit of background… Johnson County has never had a juvenile detention center, having always partnered with Linn County. Linn County built a new center in the 1980s, specifically putting it very close to Johnson County as an enticement. (It is just north of Swisher, just across the county line.) The relationship has been excellent my whole time in office. Linn County provides the best juvenile detention care in the state – there is no question in my mind.

Under our current agreement, Johnson County pays for 3 beds every day. If we need more, we can have them – but only if they are available. More and more, these beds are *not* available. When a bed is not available, we are forced to find a bed wherever we can, whatever the cost.

This has led to Johnson County taking kids as far away as Cherokee - 5 hours one way. It has led to more of our kids staying in less than desirable facilities. And it has led to more juveniles being forced to stay in adult jails.

There is a certain amount of irony here. Johnson County helped to lead the charge to get the state law changed regarding juveniles in adult jails. The law now says that they must be served in juvenile detention centers. That is, of course, unless no beds exist.

So, in part because of our own advocacy, Johnson County has seen an increase in the kids in juvenile detention. So when our group of local experts met, they recommended that Johnson County contract with Linn County for 4 beds rather than 3. This should help alleviate some of the statewide trips, poor service, and high costs.

But that was not to be. When it came time to vote on Thursday, June 12, we found out that Supervisors Remington and Fixmer Oraiz were going to oppose the contract. Supervisor Green Douglass and myself were going to support it. So we were stuck.

Here are just a few of the reasons voting no was a really bad decision:

1. It is worse for our kids. Claim to care about our kids? You just sentenced them to longer stays, farther from home. You sentenced them to worse conditions. And you sentenced many of them to adult jail.

2. It is not only worse for our kids, but for our families, our Juvenile Court staff, our County Attorney’s Office, our Sheriff’s Office, defense attorneys, and more. Basically, if you live in Johnson County and have anything to do with one of these kids, we just made it worse for you.

3. It is worse for our taxpayers. You get to pay for higher cost facilities. You get to pay the people who are on the phone at 3 AM finding a bed. You get to pay the Sheriff’s Deputy for an 11 hour round trip. (Some of that overtime, by the way.)

4. It was *TERRIBLE* process. We had this on the Wednesday, June 11 meeting agenda for discussion. Social Services Director Lynette Jacoby presented the proposal, and Chairperson Green opened the floor for discussion. I made a brief comment. That was it. Chairperson Green asked if there was further comment. There was not. He noted that the item would be voted upon the next day. We moved on to the next item.
The whole discussion was two minutes and twenty seconds. Two minutes! And neither of the people who ended up opposed to the contract said *one* word. Nothing. They had an opportunity to raise any and every concern. That was the appropriate venue – in public. But they said nothing. That is not how we should be doing business. Doing otherwise is disingenuous and dishonest.

5. Terrible process, part 2. We only had 4 Supervisors at the June 12 meeting; Supervisor Green was on a well-deserved vacation. We were poised to vote on the contract, but it became apparent the vote would be 2-2. Measures fail without a majority of the Supervisors present. So a 2-2 vote means no contract.
Let me emphasize this point. If the vote for 4 beds fails, we do not have a contract for 3 beds. We have no contract whatsoever. That hurts MANY more of our kids to a MUCH greater degree.
So what to do? Because they said nothing on Wednesday, the two Supervisors who opposed the contract created an all-or-nothing showdown. Supervisors who want to do the responsible thing are forced into a take-it-or-leave-it vote. It is exactly the same process used by Congress with the debt limit. It is hostage taking. But this time, the hostages are Johnson County kids.

6. Terrible process, part 3. We have experts in this arena. Justin Montgomery is the Juvenile Court Administrator for Johnson County. (He is a State employee.) He is a great guy, and good at his job. His office is located in the same building as the Supervisor’s offices. But did either of the Supervisors who opposed the contract ask him any questions? No, they did not. I’d be surprised if they even knew who he was, honestly.
Emily Voss is one of the Juvenile Attorneys in the County Attorney’s Office who deals with these situations literally every day. Did either of the Supervisors who opposed the contract ask her any questions? No, they did not. Again, I’d be surprised if they even knew who she was, honestly.
Did either of the Supervisors who opposed the contract ask any people who have spent time in juvenile detention? (I have had a few young people in my care spend time there, though it has been awhile.) Did they speak to the parents of anyone who has been there? My guess is no and no.
This decision was not made based upon facts. It was a decision made as part of a political agenda.

7. Terrible process, part 4. What is your plan? If you disagree with the plan the experts put forth, what is your plan? I am willing to listen. But they offered no alternative. And that is not OK. It is lazy. Kids deserve better!

8. Terrible process, part 5. Johnson County Social Services Director Lynette Jacoby was hung out to dry on this matter. They made her do a lot of extra work, made her stay late one night, and made her look like a fool. I am here to tell you that Lynette Jacoby is an absolute rock star employee – truly one of the best people I have worked with at Johnson County. She deserved to be treated much better.

The excuses I have heard for opposing the contract seem to be primarily around the idea of alternatives to detention. Fair questions. (They also could have been asked months ago.) Here is a quick response:

There were three previous detention alternative programs of which I am aware. We had one here in Johnson County for several years, partially funded by the state. (I worked with a few kids who were part of it.) State funding went away, and it folded. We paid Four Oaks to run a program for a few years, but they simply could not make a go of it. We contracted with Linn County Detention to run a program for a few years, but they also could not make it work. It is not just Four Oaks, and not just Linn County. We have done RFPs. None of our local providers made a pitch. None. No one here can make it work. So we currently have no detention alternative program.

It is not hard to figure out why alternative programs are difficult to set up. To be effective, you need at least a couple people to be on-call 24/7/365. Those people need backup, which means you are really talking 5-7 staff. That means you have to pay them, and pay them well. Even when they are doing nothing. Assign them other work, and that is when your calls come in. Linn County could not hire people for alternatives, just like they can’t hire people for the detention center. No one has been able to make it work.

V never bothered to ask about the history of alternative programs and why they have not worked. (To her credit, Mandi did.) Either Lynette or myself could have explained it. Our experts (who made the recommendation) could have explained it. If that is your objection, you have an obligation to get the facts.

Another argument is that “we don’t need to be putting kids in detention.” We are not doing that, to be clear. Judges are. Johnson County has zero say in the matter. We just pay the bill. We control one thing here and one alone – the quality of service our kids are going to get. And we whiffed.

So we have kids getting worse service, farther away, at higher cost. Why? Why would anyone vote for that? Politics, that’s why. This was just to make a point. Unfortunately, that point is made at the expense of both our kids and our taxpayers.

I am pissed off, and I think you should be as well.

*DID YOU KNOW? Hills added a water treatment plant and public water utility in 2015. (I do not know what their nitrate count has been.) Growth has been huge since! Hills was around 700 people in 2015, and sits at about 950 now. (Source: US Census.)

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

June 17, 2025

As usual, I am looking forward to the annual Pride Parade this Saturday. You know, it is interesting – there are now many, many groups of which I am a part that march in the parade. And that is great! And every year, multiple groups ask me to march with them. Also great! But every year, I continue to march with the Johnson County Democrats.

There is a big reason for that. Despite my affection for all these other groups, the Johnson County Democrats were the group that marched when the others were too scared, or too uncomfortable, or too divided, or too unsure. Understand - we had lots of debates at JC Dems meetings. It took some convincing. But Pride won out. Long ago. And I am really proud of that!

Johnson County recently contracted with the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to study the quantity of water available in our local aquifer. The preliminary results are in, and worthy of discussion.

First, some background. Way back in 2005, my friend Jim Walters was expressing concern about the amount of water available to us here in Johnson County. We had been experiencing tremendous growth for almost two decades at that point, and it was a reasonable question to ask. The problem was, no one had an answer.

I went to our Planning and Zoning staff, and as luck would have it, the USGS was actually looking for a project in the area. I managed to find advocates on the Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, and Solon Councils, and they shared in the cost. The report came out in 2006, and actually said we were doing OK. There was some depletion of the aquifer, but it was minimal.

Fast forward to 2022. I had been asking our Planning, Development, and Sustainability (PDS) Department Director Josh Busard about updating the study. (We now call what used to be “Planning and Zoning” “Planning, Development, and Sustainability.”)

We got lucky once again with the USGS. Josh connected with the USGS back in 2022, and they had federal money available for a study; we just needed to come up with a match. Johnson County picked up most of the tab, with several cities in the area pitching in to help with the cost - Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin, Solon, West Branch, Mount Vernon, Fairfax, Lisbon, Swisher, Shueyville, Riverside and Atkins.

So, since 2022, a contracted team of hydrogeologists has collected data and studied the Silurian aquifer in the target area, an area spanning over 1500 square miles and reaching eight counties: Johnson, Linn, Benton, Iowa, Washington, Louisa, Muscatine, and Cedar.

The Board got to see a draft of the report just a couple weeks ago. What is the news? Well, I need to offer some caveats. This is a scientific study, and it requires scientific interpretation. I tried to push for some specifics, but the USGS staff just weren’t willing to go there, given that it is a draft report. And I respect that. (Once the final report is sent to us, it will be available on the PDS page of the County website.)

In my very rudimentary understanding? The aquifer is simply not recharging like it did two decades ago. Our climate has gotten drier over that period, and our temperatures are hotter. When we do get rain, it comes harder, and runs off more quickly. Meaning it leaves the area more quickly, and does less to recharge the aquifer. All seem to be a long-term trends. So less water is entering the aquifer.

On the other side of the equation, we are using more water. Not only is the population up a lot, but so is per capita water usage. Homes are using more water. Industries are using more water. Agriculture is using more water. Data centers are a huge water user.

So we have less water coming in, and more water going out. Both trends have accelerated over the past 20 years. The models do not show that changing. So we need to do something different. I think it is pretty obvious - we need to slow down our water usage.

We cannot create more water. So we need to start taking water conservation seriously. There are lots of innovations out there, from the American southwest to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Australia, and other locales. There are things we can begin to do now that might keep us from being as desperate as those places.

Some of these are easy and obvious: fix leaky faucets, toilets, hoses, etc. Take shorter showers. Don’t let the water run while you shave, brush your teeth, or do dishes. Do full loads in the washing machine and dish washer.

There are many additional actions we can take, including low-flow toilets, plants that require less water, and a myriad of technological fixes.

The big question will be: What actions do we take? I’m sure many people will voluntarily take steps to make things better. Others will not. Will we begin looking at changes to city and county ordinances? Will we use incentives, penalties, or both? What are we going to do?

This is not a reason to panic. But I hope it is enough incentive to act. I look forward to the official report, and I look forward to your ideas.

I took some time this week to meet with the striking workers from the Center for Worker Justice (CWJ). Unfortunately, these workers feel that working conditions have deteriorated to the point that they needed to walk off the job. This saddens me, as I have been involved with the CWJ since its inception. I hope the CWJ Board will come to the table and listen to the staff.

I have heard some people around the community claim that these workers are being manipulated. What a racist, arrogant, pompous, condescending thing to say! Because they are immigrants they don’t know when they are being treated badly? Bullshit!

I spoke to the workers in question. They know full well what they are doing. They are calling the shots. And they deserve to be respected, not just by the CWJ Board but by the community at large.

The CWJ workers may not get everything they demand. Workers rarely do. They deserve a fair process, and I hope CWJ will offer that. But to hear people minimize their personal agency and self-determination is quite frustrating.

President Trump recently announced that he would be renaming several US Military bases – some after men who were traitors! That is correct; men who took up arms against the US Government will have US Military bases named for them.

Here is how stupid this is: The attack on Pearl Harbor killed 2500 Americans. Did we name a Naval base after Emperor Hirohito? The 9/11 attacks killed 3000 Americans. Did we name an Air Force Base after Osama bin Laden? America lost 410,000 in WWII. Did we name a military base after Adolph Hitler?

Robert E. Lee was a traitor. He turned against his country, and is responsible for the deaths of 360,000 American soldiers. He should have been hung for treason, but General Grant felt a parole agreement would help the country to heal. Lee was shown much more mercy than he ever showed others.

My daughter Rachel served at Fort Lee. I was always amazed at the name, and I was glad President Biden changed it. This makes me sick. It should make everyone who cares about our military sick.

Johnson County has over $22 billion in assessed valuation. Remember, that does not include any property owned by the UI, Johnson County, any cities, or any school districts, as they are tax exempt! Yes, Johnson County is thriving!

Our borrowing capacity is now at over $1 billion, though we only have about $13 million borrowed. I am (and have always been) proud of the way we handle our finances in Johnson County!

The GOP – including Marianette Miller Meeks and Joni Ernst - decided to stand by and watch as Donald Trump and Elon Musk destroyed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). That decision has cost over 300,000 people their lives around the world.

According to Dr. Brooke Nichols of Boston University, who mathematically models infectious diseases, the destruction of USAID is killing about 103 people an hour, most of them very poor children. In addition, about 1500 babies a day are born with HIV because Republican cuts stopped their mother’s medications.

So Miller Meeks and Ernst have decided that in order to make billionaires richer, poor kids must die. It is sickening.

*DID YOU KNOW? The Silurian Period was a geologic period spanning from approximately 443 to 419 million years ago. It is known for significant changes in Earth's environment and the evolution of life, including the rise of coral reefs and the diversification of fishes. The Silurian also saw the beginning of land colonization by both plants and animals.

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!

June 10, 2025

Praying for everyone involved in the ICE riots in LA. We have a truly evil President – the next three years are going to be very hard. I just hope protesters will stay nonviolent. Again, praying for all of us!

And do not forget – as serious as things are in LA, it is all a distraction. Donald Trump wants you to forget about Medicaid cuts. Do not let that happen!

Father’s Day is June 15. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! I know both Mother’s and Father’s Days can be very difficult for some people, for a variety of reasons. If that is you, you are in my thoughts.

Being a dad is the best thing I have ever done. It is also the most difficult. I imagine that is the case for most fathers. And sometimes, we are not birth fathers; we are just folks trying to help the best we know how.

It has been decades now since I have had the pleasure of enjoying a living father or grandfather. If you are lucky enough to have a father or grandfather around, please take a moment to reach out to him this weekend.

Johnson County is working with a number of community partners to present Juneteenth activities! There are several events, all listed on the webpage.

By the way, in 2021, The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for union and non-union employees. The decision followed President Joe Biden declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday for the first time a few years ago and many other Iowa cities doing the same.

One difference? Most cities and counties took away a different holiday in order to acknowledge Juneteenth. Many, for example, swapped it out for President’s Day. Johnson County simply added a new holiday. I am proud of that.

Johnson County is once again flying our Pride Flag outside the Admin Building. I have found it interesting to see that there is some online buzz around this – after all, we have been flying that flag every June for 16 years! But I’m glad folks are paying attention, and I’m glad it is serving as a rallying point. Happy Pride!

The number of attacks on Jews in America has skyrocketed recently. We have seen huge throngs chanting, “Jews will not replace us.” Antisemitism is on the rise, and it must stop!

1. Some blame attacks on US Jews as retaliation against the Israeli government. First, violence is never an appropriate response. Second, the horrible Likud government in Israel has nothing to do with attacks on American Jews. Most Jews (especially in the US) do not support Likud.

2. The Trump Administration uses the idea of antisemitism to attack science, higher ed, and more while actually being the most antisemitic US administration since James Buchanan. To do so disingenuously in the name of Jews only adds insult to injury.

You may get tired of me mentioning another crisis, but I wanted to update everyone on yet another huge problem in Iowa – low Medicaid rates. I used to work with the Iowa Medicaid program when I worked for DHS. I learned a lot about who gets Medicaid and why. More importantly, I learned how many things could be improved.

Some background: Medicaid is a program of the Great Society efforts the Johnson Administration passed in the 1960s. This was absolutely groundbreaking legislation! Prior to FDR in the 1930s, the US had a system of County poor farms. That was it. Many Americans starved to death, and few lived to old age. The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes had a famous quote that fit the situation perfectly. He argued in his book Leviathan that, without government, life would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Hobbes was right. And FDR did a lot to help improve that situation. FDR addressed this primarily through ending child labor and the creation of Social Security.

FDR had proposed a system of national healthcare several times, but it never had the votes. Meanwhile, the poor in America, while certainly much better off than before, were dying from easily treatable medical conditions. Finally, in 1965, Medicaid and Medicare passed the US Congress. But it was never easy. Conservatives opposed their creation, and have fought to weaken, undermine, and diminish these programs since the day they passed.

Medicaid provides health insurance coverage to poor people across the US. These poor people include many disparate groups. Most are senior citizens living in care facilities. Medicaid is the top payor of this service. Others covered include poor children, foster children, people with disabilities, and in many states, the working poor. Medicaid eligibility is always income dependent, so recipients must meet income and resource guidelines.

Medicaid is primarily a federal program, but with a smaller state match. Over the years, states have been given greater and greater flexibility in terms of designing and administering Medicaid. This has led to several good innovations, but has more often led to conservative states diminishing this benefit for their poorest residents.

In Iowa today over 1 in 4 residents receives Medicaid. One in four! But Iowa has a created a HUGE problem with its Medicaid program – unsustainably low rates.

What does that mean? Medicaid has set rates for every available service. If you need an appendectomy, there is a set rate. If you need nursing home care, there is a set rate. If you need a ride in an ambulance, there is a set rate. These rates rarely cover the cost of the service provided; that is a problem nationwide. But in Iowa, the problem is at a crisis level, and getting worse. Rates in Iowa are SO low that services are at risk.

For example, Iowa underfunds fund group home settings for folks with intellectual disabilities. (Locally you may be familiar with Systems Unlimited or Reach for Your Potential; there are others.) These organizations do incredible work caring for our most vulnerable residents. And Iowa is making it impossible. Medicaid rates are so low that these agencies cannot even figure out how to pay minimum wage. It is a crisis.

Another example: Iowa is almost devoid of substance misuse providers. (Locally you may remember MECCA, later known as Prelude, then acquired by CFR.) There are only a few counties in Iowa where you can get treatment for substance misuse. Agencies have simply closed, and more are closing. Medicaid rates are so low that these agencies cannot keep the doors open. It is a crisis.

One more example: I recently sat in on a meeting of folks trying to get dental appointments for poor kids. Almost ZERO dentists in Iowa accept Medicaid. Literally almost ZERO! It is a money loser, and dentists are not required to take it. So they don’t. Meanwhile, thousands of children from all 99 of Iowa’s counties flock to the UI to be treated at the College of Dentistry. Waiting lists are so long that the associated health problems become serious. The kids are seen in emergency rooms. They suffer lifelong serious consequences because they couldn’t see a dentist as a kid. Meanwhile, the dentists you know make a lot of money. It is a crisis.

Those are just three examples. There are likely 3000. The government of the State of Iowa is quite simply underinvesting in the Medicaid program. Which means we are failing our most vulnerable residents.

What can be done? It’s really quite simple – Iowa could raise the Medicaid rates for these and other services. We have the money – Iowa is sitting on a lot of money! Iowa ended Fiscal Year 2023 with a $1.83 billion surplus in the general fund, in addition to $2.74 billion in the state's Taxpayer Relief Fund and $902 million in reserve funds, according to the March Revenue Estimating Conference. (Note: Iowa received about $6 billion from the federal government as part of various federal relief programs.)

So yes, we have the ability to greatly improve these situations. We can do it, we should do it, and I believe we must do it. But don’t hold your breath! This Governor has sat idly by and watched poor Iowans die on a number of occasions – Medicaid Managed Care, COVID, etc. She will do it again. Our poorest residents are dying. She refuses to help. She’s got to go.

*DID YOU KNOW? State Medicaid matches are based upon each state’s relative wealth. Connecticut (1) has the highest state match, while Mississippi (50) has the lowest. Iowa’s match is 35% - ranking us 31^st. Not at the bottom, but poor. (When I worked there in the 90s, Iowa was 24^th. We have fallen.)

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!

Previous Posts

Archives

SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

June 24, 2025

June 17, 2025

June 10, 2025