SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
January 18, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 1/22/26
In this edition:
*RIP Faith Wilmot
*RIP Bernie Cremers
*RIP Mark Martin
*Stone Soup Supper
*Big Brothers Big Sisters
*Congressional Pay
*Local Food Forum
*Did You Know?
*RIP Faith Wilmot
I was sad to see the passing of Faith Wilmot, formerly of Solon. Faith and I spent a lot of time working together on Democratic politics during the 1990s, and she was a wonderful human being and friend.
From her obit: Faith’s commitment to community building was evidenced in her political work with the democrats serving in various campaign and central committee roles. She worked with Iowa City area Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious leaders, law enforcement, and with staff from crisis intervention agencies to establish Hate Acts Rapid Response Team (HART) in the early 2000s. Faith served on the Board of Directors for the Quad Cities Women’s Center and on the National Association of Women’s Centers.
I spent a lot of time talking to Faith about being an adoptive parent before and after Faith and her spouse Monique adopted their daughter Miracle. It was fun to see the joy Faith felt. I know that joy never left her. RIP, Faith.
*RIP Bernie Cremers
I was sad to hear of the passing of Bernie Cremers of Iowa City. The Cremers lived about a block from my family for 24 years or so, and I got to know Bernie fairly well. It was easy to do – he was an incredibly smart, engaging, friendly fellow.
Bernie owned Towncrest Pharmacy for many years, and it is easy to see why he succeeded. His friendliness was contagious, and he seemed to know everyone. A good man, gone too soon. RIP.
*RIP Mark Martin
I do not even know what to say about this one. The Rev. Mark Wilson Martin, St. Andrew's senior pastor from 1987 to 2008 and pastor emeritus since 2018, died Jan. 12, 2026.
Mark was our pastor for ten years, but he was so much more than that. He was a friend, a confidant, and an inspiration.
I will admit, I was a little dubious about returning to church. I was a Catholic who decided in the late 80s I just couldn’t deal with Catholic Church teachings anymore. So I left the church.
Melissa actually left the Catholic Church at the same time, for the same reasons, although we had not yet met at that time. But she really wanted the kids to grow up in a church. I did not feel as strongly, and thought this might be something that forced me into cognitive dissonance for an hour each Sunday.
Then- as if by fate – Melissa and I each had a coworker suggest that we try St. Andrew. (It was Kip Murphy for her, and Lora Morgan Dunham for me.) We thought that was a good sign, so we showed up one Sunday. And honestly, Mark had me from “hello”!
I have been in several different worship services. I have attended hundreds of trainings, workshops, and the like. Mark Martin is – bar none – the best speaker I have ever heard. Week in and week out, he made me laugh, cry, and most importantly, he made me think.
We became friends; Mark was interested in the intersection of religion and politics, and so was I. We got lunch periodically, and I was always inspired by him. Every time. He absolutely helped me to be a better person.
Mark was not doing well the past few years. I hope his pain is gone. I love you, Mark, and I will miss you. Thank you for everything. RIP.
*Stone Soup Supper
The North Liberty Community Pantry is holding the 17th annual Stone Soup Supper, a warm community meal for every neighbor.
The event is January 26, 2026 | 5-6:30 p.m. | Hy-Vee Center at Centennial Park in North Liberty.
Join us for a warm community meal. Enjoy delicious soups from local North Liberty restaurants and hear a special presentation by our Executive Director, Ryan Bobst.
Want to pay it forward and cover the costs for a neighbor to attend? Choose the Pay It Forward ticket(s)! We can't wait to see you there!
*Big Brothers Big Sisters
The Sullivan for Supervisor team is once again raising money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County by Bowling For Kids’ Sake. It is our 22nd consecutive year of doing so!
BBBS is REALLY important! Statistics show that having a trusted adult mentor makes an unbelievable difference in the life of a child. Kids with BBBS matches do better academically, are less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, and are less likely to be involved in the criminal justice system. This simple idea WORKS.
Please contribute to the Sullivan for Supervisor team at:
https://secure.qgiv.com/event/account/2217839/campaign/
*Congressional Pay
I often see people noting things like the US House only worked 87 days in 2025. (That statistic is true!) People are extremely frustrated with Congress, and rightfully so.
But the response people often have is cutting Congressional pay. And while I certainly share the anger, cutting Congressional pay is actually the exact opposite of what we need to do. We actually need to pay them more!
Here are the facts: Members of Congress earn $174,000 per year. Yes, that is a lot of money. But after taxes, the Member takes home about $10,000 per month. Yes, still a lot of money.
Now consider: they need to maintain two residences! Imagine a mortgage of $2000 per month here in Iowa, plus another $5000 per month in additional expenses. Rent on a 2-bedroom apartment in DC is about $4000 per month. Figure another $1000 or so in expenses – the Member of Congress is spending $1000 more per month than they earn!
In addition, while a Member of Congress can have travel to and from their District paid for, travel is not free for a spouse or other family members. Hard as it might be to believe, a person of average means may not be able to afford to serve in Congress!
We need to raise Congressional pay to make the option of serving in Congress available to average folks. We are already governed almost exclusively by millionaires. If we do not raise Congressional pay, it will get worse!
Do we need to hold Congress accountable? You are damn right we do! We need to stop *all* their investing. We need to get the money out of campaigns. We need to expect much, much more.
But paying them less will only make things worse.
By the way, this is an even bigger deal at the Iowa Statehouse. Members of the Iowa House and Iowa Senate only earn $25,000 annually (plus a per diem if outside of Polk County). Granted, they are part time, and only in Des Moines for 4-5 months.
But the same problems exist. Most folks are not earning their regular salary during those 4-5 months. So they get $5000 per month to cover expenses. But if they are paying what our imaginary member of Congress is paying - $2000 per month mortgage, plus another $5000 per month in additional expenses – they are going broke serving in the Iowa Legislature.
Because of this, you get an overabundance of wealthy business owners serving in Iowa. Who else can afford to do it?
There is some real irony here, as Republican Bobby Kaufmann is the person making the case at the Statehouse. But he is right on this one. Yes, it is easy to note that he votes for the millionaires at every opportunity. So what does it matter if a millionaire Republican or a non-millionaire Republican serves? You get the same result.
I’d rather see Bobby advocate for increasing the minimum wage. We did that here in 2015, then he helped *undo* it. So yeah, this is strange bedfellows. But the fact is, we *do* need to pay Legislators more.
*Local Food Forum
The 11th annual Johnson County Food Policy Council public forum is rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at Dream City, 611 Southgate Ave, Iowa City. The forum will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m., with doors opening to the public at 8:30 a.m.
This year’s forum, “Our Food, Our Future: Community Voices on the Food System,” will spotlight the experiences and ideas of residents who shape Johnson County’s food landscape. The forum will open with reflections from local nonprofits working on the frontlines of food access, farm viability, and community well-being. The panel will discuss how recent shifts in the food system are affecting neighbors, businesses, and organizations across Johnson County.
Following the panel, the forum will move into interactive breakout discussions to identify emerging community needs and opportunities for collaboration. Forum participants will help shape the next Food Policy Council Strategic Plan by weighing in on where the community should focus its efforts in the coming years. The goal of the forum is to inform and refine a Strategic Plan that reflects current community needs, priorities, and assets.
The event is free and open to the public. Breakfast and coffee will be provided. Registration information and additional details are available on the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/share/17idFWAfU9/?mibextid=wwXIfr and Johnson County’s website at www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/localfoods.
The Johnson County Food Policy Council was created in 2012 by the Board of Supervisors to guide on food and agriculture issues. The council is charged with providing annual recommendations on how to improve our local food system, holding public forums to obtain feedback on food system issues and to educate County residents on the value of supporting a strong community-based food system.
*DID YOU KNOW? The world’s oldest known land animal (a tortoise named Jonathon) turned 193 on December 4! (Source: Sierra Magazine.)
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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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 @ 6:08 PM
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