SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
January 11, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 1/15/26
In this edition:
*ICE Shootings
*The World Keeps Spinning
*MLK
*Closing Johnson County?
*Moses Bloom
*Did You Know?
*ICE Shootings
It has come to this: an evil man has been elected President (a second time!) and created his own secret police, who operate extrajudicially, killing whomever they wish. The President and Vic President claim it is all “fake news”, and Republicans in Congress cower in the corners.
It fills us with anger, sadness, fear, and more. Please take care of yourself and those close to you. And let this serve as a reminder that we can start the process of fixing our country with elections this year!
*The World Keeps Spinning
In the past week, I have had several family members endure struggles. Additionally, two good friends have been diagnosed with cancer. A good friend’s mother went into hospice. A good friend’s young daughter was in a horrific car wreck. So much sadness in the world.
No matter what happens in politics, the world keeps spinning. It is tough out there! Please take care of yourselves!
*MLK
Monday, January 19 marks the federal holiday celebrating the birthday of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior. I am so pleased that our country has chosen to honor this great man, and I hope you enjoy the holiday in his name. As usual, the Board of Supervisors will do a proclamation in his honor.
We would like to think America has come a long way since the 60s. After the 2016 and 2024 elections, I’m not certain I feel that way any longer. Race was a HUGE issue in the 2016 election, and the team the racists supported won. In 2024 and since, overt racists have felt emboldened to do and say almost anything.
Look at America today. Black Lives Matter was a response to the epidemic of black men being killed by police. The US Supreme Court killed much of the Voting Rights Act, and they are likely to kill Affirmative Action. Black women die in childbirth at ridiculous rates. Black men are more likely to go to prison than college. The list goes on and on. Our society still has a deep racial divide.
We also need to recognize that King was a radical. America grudgingly accepted racial reforms because they were less dangerous to the status quo than the other issues King championed – namely economic justice. King took seriously the Biblical teachings that the love of money is a sin, and that rich men will not be welcomed into Heaven. (King was a Democratic Socialist!) He proposed seismic changes to the political and social structures that exist in America. In addition, King was adamantly anti-war. He was NOT beloved by all in his day; he was jailed 29 times! To the status quo, he was the most dangerous man in the world.
Take some time this week to read some of the great books that are out there on Dr. King. More importantly, take some time to read the things he wrote himself. A couple of years ago I read the biography of MLK by Jonathon Eig entitled King: A Life. I highly recommend it!
And if you are so inclined, there are several worthwhile local celebrations. The University of Iowa and the City of Iowa City both have a list of events. Iowa City will host a community Day of Service with volunteer opportunities, food, and activities at Mercer Park Aquatic Center. The U of I will likely hold its Celebration of Human Rights Week events, so check the University's MLK page for the full schedule.
I cannot let MLK Day pass without looking at our situation locally. It should come as no surprise that the local African American community is not monolithic. There are many different backgrounds, personalities, religions, opinions, and more. Meanwhile, I have heard from a number of local African American leaders who are quite unhappy with the current situation.
We have SO much work to do. We cannot forget that. But we also need to take the time to celebrate our successes. Happy MLK Day!
*Closing Johnson County?
At a recent meeting, Supervisor Fixmer Oraiz brought up the idea of closing Johnson County between Christmas and New Year’s Day. I happen to believe this is a very bad idea.
First, it is important to note that Johnson County never “closes.” Our emergency services departments operate 24/7/365. 911 dispatchers, Sheriff’s Deputies, Ambulance staff, Medical Examiner’s staff, and Emergency Management are all 24/7/365. The jail and GuideLink are both 24/7/365. This encompasses a lot of our employees. In addition:
*Secondary Roads will work depending upon the weather conditions.
*I know that our General Services folks are very concerned about how long it is taking to get an appointment. They will not want to further burden our neediest residents by closing even more days.
*I am certain the Treasurer will say the same thing – the end of every month is very busy in that office, but this time of year is particularly busy. It is the end of the month, end of the Second Quarter, and end of the calendar year.
*There will still be domestic violence, rapes, and other crimes occurring during this time period. So the County Attorney’s Office will need to be open.
*People will want to get paid, so the Auditor’s Office will need to be open.
*Finance is working hard on budget preparations during this time; I doubt they want to completely close and delay all that work.
*SEATS riders still have medical appointments to attend and groceries to buy. I doubt SEATS will want to leave all those needy people stranded for 5 days.
*Because you have all these Offices and Departments that are going to want to be open, you probably have to have the internal-serving Departments at work as well. So that means Facilities, Information Technology, and Human Resources all need to work.
So, basically, damn near everyone is going to keep their offices open anyhow. So who would we be doing this for? Supervisors, who really don’t come in to work unless they want to? Clearly there was not much discussion of this idea with the people who run our operations.
There is also a pretty big financial impact to this. There are going to be 4 or 5 days that the county would be “closed” each year, depending upon the calendar. Since over half the workforce is going to be working anyhow, they are not going to just sit back and watch as their colleagues get 5 more days of vacation. They will demand 5 more days of vacation, and rightfully so.
By my very rough calculations, 5 extra vacation days for every employee in Johnson County will cost about $900,000. Add in overtime, and you are at well over $1 million annually. So we would add that expense in a year where we only have $1 million in new revenues? It makes no sense at all. Most employees would much rather have a cost of living raise rather than 5 more days off. Under this scenario, we could not do both.
Plus, most employees do not even use the leave they currently have. 5 additional days would be a huge expense with almost zero benefit to show for it.
I simply feel this is a very bad suggestion that was clearly not well thought out. A quick, 5-minute conversation with 3-4 veteran Department Heads or Elected Officials would have made it clear that this was a bad idea. But because of the time, place, and manner in which it was presented, everyone is scrambling.
It bugs me that our hardworking Elected Officials and Department Heads even need to take the time to respond to this proposal. They deserve better. Taxpayers deserve better! Any time spent on this is money out of their pockets!
The Board is going to discuss this proposal at some point. As you can see, I will be adamantly opposed.
*Moses Bloom
As many of you know, for the last 4 years I have lived in an old (1904) home at 514 North Linn Street. Our house is a part of the Northside Neighborhood Historical District, meaning there are a lot of cool old homes in the area.
As it turns out, I did not realize until recently that I was living next door to the home of one of Iowa City’s most prominent residents – Moses Bloom.
Bloom was born in France in 1832, and came to Cincinnati in 1849. Bloom came to Iowa City in 1857, where he opened a clothing store that he ran for the next 27 years.
Bloom was elected to the City Council in 1860, and served on President Lincoln’s Inaugural Ball Committee. Bloom was elected Mayor of Iowa City in 1874 and reelected in 1879. This made him the first Jewish Mayor of a moderate-sized city in the whole US. Bloom was elected to the Iowa House, and to the Iowa Senate in 1885. Bloom was famous for his support of the University of Iowa, and finally secured ongoing state funding for its operation.
Bloom bought a lot at 522 North Linn Street (across the alley north from my house) in 1891, but barely lived in the house before his death in 1893. Despite raising funds and securing land for a local Jewish cemetery, Bloom was buried back in Cincinnati. (A street is named for him out in the Peninsula Neighborhood.)
Meanwhile, the house is still there, and is absolutely gorgeous! It is now broken up into a few apartments, and owned by the Egenbergers. I do not really know them, but they seem like very nice people who work had at maintaining the property.
So, I’m going to take a bit more time and learn about the person who would have been my neighbor 133 years ago. He sounds like a great man!
*DID YOU KNOW? The only Americans to have their birthdays observed as a National Holiday are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, MLK, and Cesar Chavez.
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 @ 7:52 PM
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