SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

September 8, 2025

Sullivan’s Salvos 9/11/25

In this edition:

*Thank you, Laurie Haag!

*Wilson’s Orchard

*Caucus Versus Primary

*United Way Community Needs Assessment

*Good Work by Johnson County!

*Did You Know?

*Thank you, Laurie Haag!

My friend Laurie Haag recently announced her retirement from the University of Iowa, and I did not want to let that pass without a shout out.

Laurie has been a longtime stalwart presence at the Women’s Resource and Action Center (WRAC), and is a longtime local musician. She founded the Iowa Women’s Music Festival and kept it going for over 20 years. She created Girls Rock! Iowa City. And so much more.

Personally, I will always cherish Laurie as a person who showed patience and understanding with me. I was fresh off the farm, and very naïve when I hit Iowa City. I was naturally inclined to be an ally in her LGBTQ+ work, but I did not know how. Rather than noting that I was a fool and shoving me aside, she gently taught me how to do better. I think Laurie did that with hundreds of people over the years, and our community is better for it.

Thank you, Laurie, for all your good work, and congratulations on your retirement!

*Wilson’s Orchard

I’d like to encourage you to visit my friend Paul Rasch at Wilson’s Orchard. Paul is a great guy doing great things with a great place!

Located just a few miles north of Iowa City, just off Highway 1, Wilson’s Orchard has been around a long time. If you have never been there, go! There are 120 types of apples, but much, much more. It really is a local treasure, and people of all ages should visit! It is particularly a “must-do” for the kids and grandkids!

For more information, see: http://www.wilsonsorchard.com.

*Caucus Versus Primary

I have written this before, but I feel very strongly that the Iowa Democratic Party needs to give up on the idea of caucuses.

First, let me be clear – I am not talking about the issue of First in the Nation. As far as I am concerned, the two issue need to be separate.

The argument is simple: in order to participate in the caucuses, you need to be at a set location, at a set time, and be prepared to stay for several hours. It is crowded, hot, you can’t hear, and it is often not fully accessible. There is no system of absentee voting, so anyone who cannot be there for any reason is excluded. The process is clearly undemocratic when compared to a primary election.

This makes caucuses bad for seniors, people with disabilities, people who lack transportation, single parents, second shift and on-call workers, people who are claustrophobic, and anyone else who cannot stand there for two hours.

Additionally, I *hate* the public nature of the vote! If your vote is public, anyone with power over you (abusive spouse, boss, etc.) can manipulate your vote.

Finally, many precincts simply lack public buildings where 200-1200 people can move around. It just doesn’t work, and frankly, it creates dangerous situations.

Democrats simply cannot any longer claim to be the party of voting rights, then endorse a process that systematically prohibits a big part of the population from participating. So why do it?

I’m tired of fighting like crazy for better absentee voting rules – including a longer window – only to have the party big wigs pretend that does not matter when it comes to our own process. We need a full-fledged Presidential primary in Iowa. There is no amount of “tweaking” the caucus process that will ensure Iowans have the right to vote.

We are either for open, accessible voting or we aren’t. It is a version of the old labor question – “Which Side Are You On?” I am for voting. And I hope my party will join me! There is no excuse for anything less. The Democratic Party should never find itself on the side of making it harder to vote.

Here is a dirty little secret: being first never helped Iowa Democrats. It hasn’t helped us get the Governorship or the Statehouse. We have lost ground in courthouses across the state. Even city councils and school boards have moved the wrong direction. The caucuses are *supposed* to be this important organizing tool. But what they really are is a distraction.

Yes, a lot of money flowed into the state. But that money never came close to covering the very real costs – both monetary and human. Being first helped power brokers meet candidates. (I’ll be honest – it helped me meet candidates!) But it never did a damn thing for poor people in this state. Iowa Democratic Party mucky-mucks continue to be worried about going first. They need to start worrying about winning elections.

Trust me, I understand the luster of the Iowa Caucuses. I have written at length about my own participation, dating back to the very first one, when I was just a kid. I love the caucuses. I have fond memories of the caucuses. I have only missed one Iowa Caucus since the event started in ’72. But it is time for them to go.

Let me also comment briefly on the idea of “first.” Going first has been fun. It has allowed me to get to hang out with Dick Gephardt, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and countless other well-known politicians. I have met hundreds of really cool campaign staff people. So it has been good for me personally. But has it helped Iowa?

ISU economist Dave Swenson has pointed out that the caucuses have surprisingly little economic impact. (Most media are owned by out-of-state corporations that do little to recycle ad dollars through Iowa’s economy.)

More importantly, are we better organized? I would say no. I believe the caucus takes our eye off the ball. We are worried about being first, when we should be worried about organizing.

It is time to replace the Iowa Caucuses with a Presidential primary.

*United Way Community Needs Assessment

Johnson County is one of several organizations that collaborated with the United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties on a Community Needs Assessment. I am going to spend four weeks of Salvos highlighting four different areas of community need. This week: Community Resilience.

Some alarming stats:

*Iowa had 27 billion-dollar disasters between 2020-4; by far the most ever in any 5 year span.

*6% of Johnson County residents lack reliable transportation.

*Johnson County trails the state and nation in social associations.

*20% of Johnson County residents are limited in their ability to speak English.

Community Goals:

1. Residents are prepared for and able to recover from disasters.

2. Residents feel connected to their neighborhood and the broader community.

*Good Work by Johnson County!

September 2, 2025 (JOHNSON COUNTY, IA) – Today the United States Court of Appeals for the 8^th Circuit held that the government has satisfied its burden to show that a lifetime restriction on the right of forcible felons to possess firearms, subject to a gubernatorial pardon, is consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition of firearms regulation.

Anthony Browne was convicted of a forcible felony in Iowa in 1991 and was thereafter prohibited by Iowa law to possess firearms, apply for restoration of firearms rights, or to receive a permit to acquire a handgun. Browne sued Iowa Governor Reynolds and Johnson County Sheriff Brad Kunkel on the grounds that his Second Amendment rights had been violated.

Chief Judge Stephanie Rose of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa ruled that Iowa Code § 914.7 does not violate the Second Amendment and dismissed his complaint for failure to state a claim, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this judgment. Assistant Johnson County Attorney Dave Van Compernolle argued the case on behalf of Johnson County.

*DID YOU KNOW? A record 240,000 Democrats turned out for the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, which were won by Barack Obama.

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

www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov.

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---Rod

September 1, 2025

I ran into many great friends at the annual Iowa City Federation of Labor Labor Day Picnic. But I wanted to offer a special shout out to my longtime friends Nick Johnson and Mary Vasey.

Nick always seems to have just the right anecdote, and he came through again today. We were discussing how the successful Democrats in this environment are the ones connecting with regular people. Then Nick reminded me of this story:

When FDR’s funeral procession was going by, a man was so distraught that he fell to his knees. A person helped him to his feet and said, “Did you know the President?” The man answered, “No, but he knew me.”

By this point, we are all familiar with the recurring headline of articles published by the Onion after every mass shooting: “No Way to Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens.” The headline satirizes and laments the unique failure of the US to prevent gun violence.

We simply must stop pretending there is nothing we can do. Every Republican in office needs to go. Period. Given the choice, they always choose guns over the lives of our kids.

Oh, and one more thought… Remember how many of these folks claimed to be arming themselves against government overreach? We are currently experiencing the greatest government overreach since the Confederate states decided to secede. Where are these wannabe patriots?

The first installment of Johnson County property and mobile home taxes is due on Sept. 1, 2025. Payments must be delivered to the Treasurer’s Office, paid online, or postmarked by Sept. 30 to avoid a 1.5% monthly penalty that will begin Oct. 1. The U.S. Postal Service postmark is the only date recognized for date of mailing. The date written on a check, or a business metered date, cannot be accepted as proof of the mailing date. Residents who would like a receipt must include a self-addressed stamped envelope with their payment.

In-person payments must be made at the Treasurer’s Office, located on the first floor of the Johnson County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque St. in Iowa City. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Treasurer’s Office will be closed Monday, Sept. 1, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

To make an online payment, visit https://pay.iowataxandtags.org. You can pay with an e-check, debit card or credit card. Those methods of payment, whether online or at the Treasurer’s Office, are subject to a convenience fee. Iowa Tax and Tags now has customer accounts to manage property tax, receive reminders about upcoming bills and schedule future payments. Contact the Treasurer’s Office at 319-356-6087 if you have questions about Iowa Tax and Tags customer accounts.

County Treasurers collect property taxes on behalf of all jurisdictions in the county and then distribute the taxes collected to the other jurisdictions, including the property owner’s city of residence, school district and other taxing bodies in the county.

Questions about payments should be directed to the Treasurer’s Office at 319-356-6087 or rblack@johnsoncountyiowa.gov. Additional information about property taxes is available at

We recently got some updated precinct population data from the Auditor’s Office, and I found some interesting stats. I should note that this info is out of date. Because it is based on old census data, it shows the Johnson County population as 152,854. In actuality, the current Census Bureau estimate for Johnson County is 160,080. It is reasonable to think Johnson County will be pushing 170,000 by the time of the 2030 census.

This population growth should help Johnson County in terms of gaining representation in the Iowa Legislature. Right now, Johnson County has the population of about 4.9 House seats, and 2.4 Senate seats. As of 2030, we should be looking at 5.5 House seats and 2.74 Senate seats. That should lead to one more Democrat representing Johnson County in the House, and could lead to one more Democrat in the Senate. Every little bit helps!

There are 5 precincts that have less than 1000 population: Graham at 470, Madison at 524, Hardin at 539, Cedar at 545, and Union at 688. In the future, one might see some of these precincts consolidated with others.

Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 49.3 sets out a limit of 3500 population per voting precinct. This is a *REALLY* good law! 49.3 is why Iowa does not have 6 hour wait times for voting the way Texas, Georgia, and some other states do. If one assumes about 2/3 of the population might be eligible to vote, that means a precinct could have around 2300 voters. Over the course of a 13-hour day, that is almost 175 voters per hour. Needless to say, because we do not have 100% turnout and because there are early voting options, no precinct approaches that 175 voter per hour figure. But even half that amounts to a very busy day!

Johnson County has ten precincts over 3000 right now; two in Coralville, seven in Iowa City, and the City of Solon. The single largest precinct is Iowa City 5, with 3388 residents. (IC5 is primarily eastside dormitories, and ironically, typically has relatively few actual voters.) After the 2030 census, Iowa City, Coralville, and Solon will need to add precincts. My guess is that North Liberty and Tiffin will need to do the same.

The largest rural precinct in Johnson County is Penn Township at 2560, followed by Newport at 2200, and Scott at 2057.

Johnson County had 52 precincts following the 2010 census, and 65 following the 2020 census. Assuming similar growth, Johnson County will need to add another 10-15 precincts after 2030. That means 10-15 precincts worth of voting equipment, and 10-15 precincts worth of poll workers. These are significant expenses, and are the responsibility of Johnson County, not the state or feds.

*41% of Johnson County families are “ALICE”; asset limited, income restrained, employed.

*A single parent with a young child in Johnson County needs to earn $28.35 an hour to meet basic needs.

I recently heard some interesting political analysis on the Pod Save America podcast that I thought was worth discussing. One of the hosts noted that the biggest divide in the Democratic Party right now is not liberal/moderate/conservative. The divide is how big of a threat to democracy do you feel Donald Trump is?

To illustrate, pretend you rank elected Democrats on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being the most conservative member of the party and 10 being the most liberal. He noted that Bernie Sanders (not technically a Dem but play along) would be a 9, Elizabeth Warren an 8, JB Pritzker a 7, Gavin Newsome a 5, and Alyssa Slotkin a 4. Yet all five of those elected officials feel we need to have urgency as we oppose Trump.

On the other side, Kamala Harris is a 7, Chuck Schumer is a 6, Gretchen Witmer is a 5, and Rahm Emanuel is a 2. Yet all four of those elected officials seem to believe that the system will hold, and Dems need to be patient and stick to the rules.

I will be the first to admit that I do not have all the answers. If I did, I’d be rich, and everyone would be following my lead. But my inclination is to side with the folks who are alarmed. I’d rather take more drastic steps and avert a crisis than wait and wonder if we should have done more.

Frankly, I think it just comes down to leadership, which does not accrue to any one set of values. What are your thoughts?

*DID YOU KNOW? The population of Johnson County, Iowa in 2022 was 156,420, up 19.1% from the 131,344 who lived there in 2010. For comparison, the US population grew 7.7% and Iowa's population grew 4.9% during that period.