SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
July 8, 2025
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/10/25
In this edition:
*Juvenile Detention Part III
*Great Job Lauren Whited!
*Something Great in Iowa City!
*Nuclear War
*What Kind of Country Do We Want?
*Did You Know?
*Juvenile Detention Part III
Two weeks ago, I wrote about the dispute over whether the Board should contract for 3 or 4 juvenile detention beds. Last week, I wrote that I thought V and I were in agreement. Obviously, I was wrong. We are not in agreement.
I suppose our Social Services Director, the head of the Juvenile Court, the Juvenile Advocate, and the Juvenile Attorney could be wrong. I suppose our Social Services Director, the head of the Juvenile Court, the Juvenile Advocate, and the Juvenile Attorney could be evil. I just simply do not believe either of those things is true. I think the Board should heed these experts.
I still believe this is a bad move by the Board, and will be harmful to kids who deserve better. Particularly African American kids. They will be shipped away and get worse services. But I have already made that case to my readers.
I’d urge folks who are interested to simply watch the meeting for themselves. Go to the Johnson County website. Near the top of the page is a gray bar. It says, “Board of Supervisors Meetings and Agendas.” Click there.
You see a list of upcoming events. Scroll down to “archived events.” Click on “Board of Supervisors.” Then click on the Wednesday, July 2 work session. Click on Video, and you can simply watch the meeting. The whole thing goes from about 9:06 am until 10:06 am.
Happy viewing!
*Great Job Lauren Whited!
Lauren Whited is a member of the Solon City Council. Recently, she had been hearing complaints from some of her constituents that Solon was becoming too expensive. So Lauren did an admittedly non-scientific survey to see what folks in Solon thought about the issue of housing.
As you might imagine, there were a range of responses, but Lauren felt there was quite a bit of pushback against building more apartments in town. It just so happens that Lauren is the only member of the Council who rents, and the only one who lives in an apartment. So she wrote a piece about being a renter in Solon. I thought it was lovely, and I wanted to share it here. The piece follows in its entirety.
“80 people replied to my informal housing survey. I have a lot to share and I will over the coming weeks. But I need to address something up front.
One bummer that came through in this survey is that there are folks in this community who are against affordable rentals because of the “demographic” it would bring in to town. These words were used more than once.
It really hurt my heart to see that because there’s only one way to interpret it… people who aren’t wealthy aren’t welcome. People who struggle should leave or better yet, never come in the first place. They’re bad neighbors. So we shouldn’t make space for them.
Well my friends, I am this “demographic.” I’m a single mom on a teacher’s salary living in one of Solon’s last affordable rental apartments. And I think that I and my neighbors are great.
I’ve been in this building for 3 years and most of my neighbors have been the same since I moved in. My neighbors are different ages and work all kinds of jobs, some are disabled, some are retired. One has been living here for over 10 years and we’re also getting brand new neighbors this summer. The kids who’ve grown up here can walk to school or the SRNA. We take care of each other’s pets and packages, Ioan each other things like pumpkin carving kits and vacuums, and smile and wave at each other. Our landlord mows and maintains the buildings. We’re *great* people to have in Solon.
If you’re afraid of “low income” people who rent apartments, I suggest you come meet some of us who already live here so you can realize that being good neighbors has nothing to do with our paychecks. We’re really nice.
If you like *us* as lower income neighbors because we’re already here, but not *others* because they’re lower income outsiders, I encourage you to ask yourself why. My sincere hope is that it comes from a place of fear over change (understandable, and which can be overcome through experience and information) and not a place of close mindedness to having neighbors of different backgrounds, incomes, and lifestyles. I can’t guarantee that every new resident will be a great neighbor—but that’s true whether they rent *or* buy, rich OR poor.
I *can* guarantee that, without rental “s and housing available at lower price points, we will drive good people *away* from our community. What about our fresh college grads or newlyweds who want to come back home to start their families? What about grandma who doesn’t need a 4 bedroom house anymore? Are they suddenly bad neighbors because of their different needs? We want Solon to keep its multigenerational small town feel but are driving out our youngest and oldest residents (who tend to make the least money).
When we base our housing policy out of fear of outsiders, we overlook the damage we may cause to our community and the folks already here. When we shut out folks because of their income we miss out on amazing neighbors, amazing leaders, and amazing contributors to our community.”
Well said, Lauren!
*Something Great in Iowa City!
I LOVE the Iowa City Ambassadors! In case you are unfamiliar, I took the following from their website:
“Launched in 2024, the Downtown Iowa City Ambassador Program is a collaborative effort between the City of Iowa City and the Iowa City Downtown District. The goal is to make downtown a vibrant, safe, and inviting place for everyone to shop, dine, play, and conduct business. To support enhanced experiences, a significant portion of the ICDD budget with support from the City of Iowa City parking and transportation services is dedicated to keeping the area clean, safe, and welcoming all year round.
Our team of 18 ambassadors work daily from 6:00 AM to evening, providing essential services such as trash removal, sidewalk cleaning, and pressure washing. In addition to keeping our streets clean, the ambassadors serve as helpful resources for both locals and visitors, offering information, assistance, vehicle help, and safety escorts, while reporting issues that need attention.
Not only does Iowa City look much better, the few Ambassadors with whom I have interacted have been exactly that – Ambassadors for Iowa City! I am really impressed with the results of this program!
*Nuclear War
I just finished reading a book called “Nuclear War: A Scenario” by Annie Jacobsen. It was absolutely terrifying. But you probably need to read it, anyway. Unfortunately, it has just gotten much more relevant. Available at your local public library.
*What Kind of Country Do We Want?
The US is currently at an inflection point. We really have not seen anything like this since the Great Depression. Are we going to be a country of robber barons, lording over a poor, sick, hungry country? Or are we going to be a country that lives up to the goals laid out in the Declaration of Independence?
The poor and middle class are under attack from the Republican Party, whose sole purpose is to take money from the poor and middle class and hand it to the rich. The GOP is not even pretending anymore. They are trying to recreate the America of the 1880s, where life was short and brutal for most, while a few lived in castles.
No one else is going to stop this. You and I are going to have to do more than ever before. You and I are going to have to step outside of our comfort zones. It is up to us.
I leave you with a part of a speech from FDR. He knew America could do better, and he taxed the rich to make it happen. We need to do so once again.
“There are two ways of viewing the government's duty in matters affecting economic and social life,” FDR said in his speech accepting the 1932 Democratic nomination for president. “The first sees to it that a favored few are helped and hopes that some of their prosperity will leak through, sift through, to labor, to the farmer, to the small business man.” The other “is based upon the simple moral principle: the welfare and the soundness of a Nation depend first upon what the great mass of the people wish and need; and second, whether or not they are getting it.”
*DID YOU KNOW? When Jonathon Jordahl won election as a Supervisor in 1996, he had the second-highest vote total behind incumbent Joe Bolkcom. Jordahl outpolled two incumbent Supervisors – Charlie Duffy and Don Sehr. There were three seats available, so Bolkcom, Jordahl, and Duffy formed the next Board with Sally Stutsman and Steve Lacina. 1996 is a unique election - it is very difficult to beat one incumbent, let alone two!
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:03 AM
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