SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
December 8, 2025
Sullivan’s Salvos 12/11/25
In this edition:
*Christmas Music
*A Few Good Holiday Gifts
*Moen Sheriff’s Sale
*UI Center for Intellectual Freedom
*Expertise
*Did You Know?
*Christmas Music
I know that as many of you are driving around with Xmas music filling the airwaves, you are thinking, “Who wants this stuff from Thanksgiving to the New Year?”
The answer? I do! I LOVE Xmas music! Carols, standards, silly songs – I love almost every one. And yes, I can listen for a whole month! So I am the guy you hate!
*A Few Good Holiday Gifts
Just in case you are looking for a few good holiday gifts, here are a few suggestions from me:
1. Donate to the United Way in someone’s name. There are literally scores of worthwhile nonprofits in this community. One good way to reach a lot of them at once is with a gift to the local United Way. Your gift stays local and helps people in need right here.
2. Give a subscription to local/progressive journalism. Little Village, Bleeding Heartland, Men Yell at Me, Iowa Starting Line, and Iowa Public Radio are just a few of my favorites.
3. Give a Downtown Iowa City gift card, good at virtually every downtown business. The person you give it to will definitely find something they like!
4. Remember childhood, when you didn’t have any money? My siblings and I would give our Mom gifts that were hand-written coupons. They were good for things like “an hour of extra chores,” or “15 minutes of massage.” Those ideas still work! Drive someone to visit their hometown. Shovel snow for a neighbor. Babysit. Care for a pet. Do an hour-long singalong. The only limit is your imagination!
Good luck and Happy Holidays!
*Moen Sheriff’s Sales
By now you are probably aware of the big Sheriff’s Sale that took place for all the downtown properties once owned by Marc Moen. Green State Credit Union got no bidders at the sale, so they now own the $26 million of downtown property that includes much of the Chauncey, Plaza Tower, Park 201, and other properties.
I do not have any special knowledge of Moen’s finances, nor do I have any special knowledge of these properties. I am frustrated, however, by the people who are celebrating this outcome. This is a big blow to Iowa City’s downtown, and a big blow to the local economy. Celebrating it is just wrong.
Trust me, nobody (and I mean nobody) has spent more time and effort on the topic of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) than I have. I argued against the use of TIF in every single one of these cases. I took my lumps. I thought Iowa City was giving up too much and getting too little in return.
But there is no glory in sitting here typing, “I told you so.” Once the projects began, I wanted them to be successful. Our downtown needed something, and this was what the City Council and City Manager at the time chose. I always thought there was too much public money in these projects, and I never felt the City got enough control in return for that money. That said, I sincerely wish this had not happened.
It is important to note that all the TIF money has been repaid to Iowa City. So Iowa City did not “lose” anything, per se. The problem is that now we are stuck with too many empty luxury condos downtown in a market where we desperately need other types of housing.
I will also admit that I have no idea why Green State (who now owns everything) would decide to close the hotels (Vetro and Chauncey.) But it is concerning. Green State is ostensibly member-owned. I hope those of you that are members will urge them to work with the City of Iowa City to create the softest possible landing for downtown. If Green State goes all in on recouping every possible cent, it will not be good for downtown or Iowa City as a whole.
Meanwhile, do your part to support our many great downtown businesses. They had nothing to do with this, and they need your help now more than ever.
*UI Center for Intellectual Freedom
The ironically named UI Center for Intellectual Freedom held its inaugural meeting on the UI Campus recently. It is even worse than you might have thought. Just one more reason to elect Democrats at every opportunity!
*Expertise
I am interested in the recent discussions around the idea of expertise and the roll it plays in our lives.
It is important to note – the whole Johnson County economy is dependent upon the idea of expertise. Doctors, Pharmacists, Dentists, Nurses, Attorneys, Engineers, Scientists…the list goes on and on. People come here to the University, where a tremendous amount of expertise exists. These people gain expertise, and add their own contributions to the cannon. The process repeats, and the level of expertise deepens. Doctors today know a lot more than doctors did 100 years ago. They are better trained. And that is a good thing!
Unfortunately, the politics of the day have promoted a huge Republican pushback against this expertise. Vaccine recommendations are ignored, and policy makers choose the side without the expertise. Don’t like the Bureau of Labor jobs report? Fire the expert who is in charge of the data. The GOP attacks clean energy despite years of good science. They ignore decades-long science related to climate change, clean air, and clean water.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, between January 20th and September 30th of this year, there have been 506 attacks on science. (They define attacks on science as actions, statements, or decisions that undermine, co-opt, or ignore science in the federal government.)
Republicans at the federal level do not have a monopoly on attacks on science and knowledge. Republicans in the State of Iowa are doing everything they can to squelch science and free speech at state universities.
We see the state and federal impacts here. Excellent scientists and doctors have already left the UI for universities where they can do their research free of interference from right-wing zealots. More excellent scientists and doctors will follow them out the door as Republicans give tax cuts to wealthy corporations and starve the UI – the state’s biggest employer.
Attacks on expertise are often fueled by jealousy. People who do backbreaking jobs in western Iowa sees that these folks with their Ph.Ds. make better money and have better retirements. Rather than banding together to improve their own situations, they attack the Ph.Ds. And the race to the bottom continues.
It is important to note, however, that it is not just the GOP who attacks expertise. Locally, many on the left have joined the chorus of folks who attack the idea of expertise.
It is true that expertise has expanded into additional areas. 200 years ago, if you told someone you were an “expert” in carpentry, animal husbandry, nutrition, or child development, they would have just laughed at you. Those were viewed as basics, passed on from mothers to daughters and fathers to sons.
But remember that part about the cannon expanding? We know today that there actually *IS* expertise in carpentry, animal husbandry, nutrition, and child development. As we recognized this fact, society adapted. And as the number of professions grew, we needed a way to figure out who was legit when it came to possessing expertise.
We did this in several ways. We created licensing. An electrical inspector for Johnson County is licensed. A food inspector is licensed. Sheriff’s Deputies are graduates of the Law Enforcement Academy. Other occupations have different requirements of licenses, certifications, degrees, etc. It also extends to whole Departments. Johnson County has nationally accredited Ambulance, Medical Examiner, and Public Health Departments, just to name a few.
I see this as positive in the macro. The public needs to know that the people who serve them are good at their jobs. While all these licenses, certifications, degrees, etc. can not guarantee an employee or department will do a good job, it is much better than nothing.
One area where I see expertise constantly attacked is Social Services. The Johnson County Social Services Department is very well-credentialed. People are licensed, certified, and degreed. Not to mention experienced. But this is an area where the average person feels they know enough to question every decision. This extends to local nonprofits, too. Many have achieved national accreditation, of which they should be proud. But locals poo-poo this experience and expertise.
Local nonprofits are actually damned good at what they do. If you take the time to look, you’ll see a tremendous amount of expertise exists within these organizations. It goes well beyond rolling out a cot or handing out a loaf of bread. These are trained professionals, who deserve to be treated (and paid) as such. It is ironic to see the same folks who attack Republicans for ignoring expertise be so willing to attack expertise themselves.
Experts are not always correct. That is why you get two estimates on your car repair, and why you seek a second opinion from another doctor. But we ignore expertise at our peril. I hate seeing how deeply that flows on both the far right and far left. If any place should respect expertise, it is Johnson County – home to many experts on many things.
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa went 30 years without a Jewish member of the Iowa Legislature. Johnson County alone now has three Jewish Legislators – Senator Janice Weiner, and Representatives Elinor Levin and Adam Zabner.
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 @ 8:19 AM
0 Comments
