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SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
June 28, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 7/2/26 In this edition: *Happy Independence Day! *USA 250 *Savannah Bananas *RIP Valerie Kemp *County Manager Form of Government *Looking for Work! *Did You Know? *Happy Independence Day! Happy Birthday to the USA! 250 years old! I hope you and yours enjoy a great Independence Day! Looking for ways to celebrate? The Jazz Festival is in downtown Iowa City, Fourth Fest in Coralville, and the 4th has parades in Coralville, Sharon Center, Oxford, and Hills. *USA 250 I hate to say it, but I am sad about America’s 250th birthday. I am old enough to have a lot of good memories from the Bicentennial celebration in 1976. I think it sucks that the current generation has no nonpartisan celebration of which to speak. *Savannah Bananas Iowa City is in for a treat on July 3 & 4 when the Savannah Bananas come to Kinnick Stadium for two shows! If you are not familiar with the Bananas, check them out online. Probably the easiest way to describe them is to call them the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. If you want to see one of the games you will need to hit the secondary ticket market, as both games have been sold out for quite a while. Even if you are not interested in going, be aware of these events! This will be a full Kinnick Stadium two consecutive nights! So have a plan if you need to navigate the area either night. Thanks to Josh Schamberger and the fantastic staff at Think Iowa City for lining this up. This is just one example of the hundreds of fantastic experiences they help to create in Johnson County every year. Whether it is sports, dining, arts, entertainment, festivals – Think Iowa City makes us better. *RIP Valerie Kemp We lost my friend Valerie Kemp a while ago, but her family was not comfortable putting anything out there until now. I was honored to say a few words at her service. I have reproduced some of that here. I first met Val back her days with Lutheran Social Services. We became friends, and stayed friends and colleagues through her long tenure with the Iowa Department of Corrections. Val was not just good at her job – she was once named the National Corrections Officer of the year! Valerie Kemp inducted into JC Dems Hall of Fame (HOF) in 2019. It is the highest honor the local party has. It is truly a lifetime achievement award. Val’s father Bob Kemp and stepmother Chris Kemp were actually in the first HOF class in 1997. Val was an organizer and a volunteer. If you needed to get something done, she was your person. If you needed to feed 300 people, she was REALLY your person! The biggest fundraiser for the JC Dems is the Fall BBQ. Has been since at least the 70s. Val was a key volunteer for every JC Dems BBQ starting from the first I ever attended on through about COVID. She volunteered for at least 30 years. Val assigned people to bring things, lined up volunteers, made food, set up tables, took down tables, and when it was all said and done, sat around the keg with the Carpenters, Laborers, Ironworkers, Teamsters, and drank beer. By the way – one of the Dems’ problems right now? We lost a lot of those labor folks. We don’t have a crowd that would sit around a keg today. Part of why Val loved those folks and they loved her was that she was a hardcore union activist. She was very involved in her union, and she always looked out for workers. We need more of that. A successful Democratic Party needs people who can hold the attention of a room. But it is even more important to have people like Valerie Kemp. Who reserved the room, invited the people, set it up, made the food, collected the money, and then cleaned the whole thing up. I miss Valerie Kemp. I admire her so much. She was smart, kind, hardworking, fair, generous, and funny. Thank you for allowing me a few moments to share these remembrances. *County Manager Form of Government On Thursday, June 25 the Press Citizen published an article that claimed the Board had “voted 3-2 to reject the idea of pursuing a County Manager Form of Government.” I do not feel this is an accurate portrayal of that meeting. First, there was no formal vote. So there is no "3-2" decision here. This was a discussion of the Strategic Plan, and whether the topic should be included in the Strategic Plan. Only Supervisor Fixmer Oraiz wanted it included in the plan. Supervisors Green and Green-Douglass described it as a “dealbreaker;” Supervisor Remington seemed solidly opposed. To be clear, I am not in favor of a move to a County Manager form of government. I did say that if enough members of the public asked for it, then the Board should discuss it. (I feel that way about most things, frankly; that is how representative government is supposed to work.) But agreeing to discuss the subject is not an endorsement of a different form of government. Each government is only as good as the people leading it. Period. It does not matter what form said government takes; good people in leadership positions will provide good governmental services. The wrong people in leadership will not get good results. That part is simple. I can understand why some people might be upset with the current Board of Supervisors. The past six years (ever since COVID) have been extremely challenging. But I do not believe a different form of government is necessarily the answer. The many criticisms of our current system make sense. It is hard to elect the right people. It requires 5 smart, hardworking, compassionate, strategic-minded people who are willing to compromise, put politics aside, and be willing to do what is right. They need to do so even at the expense of their own seat. They need to be good communicators who can manage people. That is a tall order. We have not always had that. So what can we do? We must start with this – Supervisors need to do the work! I am sick of people phoning it in, both literally and figuratively. Voters should be, too! But it is up to voters to hold Supervisors accountable. Secondly, Supervisors are very overpaid. Period. Most do not work anything close to a 40 hour week, yet earn just under $100,000. This is simply too much compensation given the lack of accountability. One Supervisor has suggested that Supervisors could take a 10-15% cut in salary to pay for a County Manager. I believe that if a County Manager is hired, Supervisors need a 60-70% cut in salaries. Again, the public must demand more accountability, not less. But professional managers systems are not perfect, either. I remember all too well the 1996 Eric Shaw killing in Iowa City. No situation has ever made a better case for the leader of your law enforcement being directly elected. That is why I love direct elections of the Sheriff and County Attorney. If those people are not reflecting the will of the people, the people can vote them out. There is a level of accountability in the current system that would be gone in a County Manager form of government. And I simply do not see how that improves anything. I keep coming back to what I said earlier – it is the people that matter the most, not the form of government. I truly believe Johnson County MUST do better. But changing the form of government is likely not the answer. *Looking for Work! Because I was defeated in the June 2 Democratic Primary for District 4 Supervisor, I am going to need to figure out what comes next. Let me begin by acknowledging that I am very fortunate. I technically hold this seat until the end of 2026. I have that long (if I need it) to figure out what is next. I recognize that many people lose jobs on the spot, or with a two-week notice. So again, I know I am blessed. What is next? I do not know! That is a bit scary, and a bit nerve-wracking. It is also quite exciting. I have interest and experience in many different areas, and I am pretty open to suggestions. That is where you come in, Salvos readers! Please let me know if you are aware of any opportunities that you feel might be appropriate for me. I appreciate any leads you might have! *DID YOU KNOW? John Adams wrote multiple times about how July 2nd would be celebrated for years to come as the day the Declaration of Independence was signed. What Adams did not consider was that copies got made on July 3rd, and only the signers and the printer saw it until July 4th. Obviously, July 4 ended up being the day we celebrate. Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website- www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov. "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
June 21, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/25/26 In this edition: *The History of My Seat *Longest Serving Supervisor? *Did You Know? *The History of My Seat (I have been asked on occasion to reprint this piece, which has run a couple of times previously in Salvos. The timing seems good, since the move to Districts essentially breaks the chain I describe here. I hope you enjoy some history!) One thing that is extremely cool in my individual circumstance is that I can track the history of the seat I hold on the Board of Supervisors. This cannot always be done exactly, because sometimes multiple Supervisors choose to retire at the same time. For example, in 2000, both Charlie Duffy and Johnathon Jordahl chose not to run for reelection. Both Pat Harney and Terrence Neuzil were elected to open seats. So you cannot really say who replaced whom. My seat, on the other hand… wow! I can track it back to 1947! Here it goes: *In 2004, I was elected to replace Carol Thompson, who chose not to seek reelection. *In 1998, Carol Thompson was elected to replace Joe Bolkcom, who had been elected to the Iowa Senate. *In 1992, Joe Bolkcom was elected to replace Dick Myers, who chose not to seek reelection. *In 1982, Dick Myers was elected to replace Mike Cilek, who chose not to seek election. *In 1982, Mike Cilek was appointed to fill the last 4 months of his mother’s term after she passed away. *In 1972, Lorada Cilek was elected to replace Ralph Prybil, who chose not to seek reelection. (It gets a little hinky here, because the Board changed the terms of Supervisors. Cilek was not seated until ’74.) *In 1968, Ralph Prybil was elected to replace Emil Novy, who chose not to seek reelection. *In 1958, Emil Novy was elected to replace Robert Mahoney, who chose not to seek reelection. Mahoney was first elected in 1947. Quite a list, huh? There is a lot to consider here. Robert Mahoney goes WAY back – he was born near Oxford in 1876! He served as a Supervisor until almost 80, lived until age 88, and still has a lot of family in the Oxford area. A relative of his (Clayton Mahoney) served on the Board in the late ‘60s. Emil Novy was born in 1904 and lived until 1998. He farmed near North Liberty, and later lived near Shueyville. A Google search did lead me to a story about the large walnut cross at the North Liberty Methodist Church, which he crafted. He owned land near the area where Penn Street turns into North Liberty Road. While I don’t know much about him, I’m sure he would be amazed to see that area now! Prybil passed away in 2004. He had farmed near Lone Tree, and volunteered on many boards and commissions, including the Lone Tree School Board, Johnson County Board of Health, Johnson County Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Board of the Mental Health Center. He came into office with one heck of a resume! In a small world twist, I always buy sweet corn from his stepson, Marv Hotz! Lorada Cilek was the first woman elected to countywide office. What an honor to sit in her seat! And interestingly, Lorada Cilek was an important person in my young life! You see, I grew up near Sutliff. In the 1970s, the state required Johnson County to close the old one lane bridge. There was a great debate over whether to build a new structure. Without a bridge, people in my area would have to drive into Lisbon, over to Mt. Vernon, and down Highway 1 to Solon. It turned a 5-mile drive into a 17-mile drive. This was terrible for area commuters, and would have been tragic for area farmers. It only affected a few hundred county residents, but it really affected them a lot! Cilek came to Sutliff and listened, and became the biggest supporter of building a new bridge. The modern concrete structure that now crosses the Cedar River north of the old bridge even bears her name: The Lorada Cilek Memorial Bridge. Mike Cilek was appointed to the Board in mid-June following his mother’s death. Mike served until the results of the 1982 election were certified in mid-November. To keep the small world stuff going, Mike was the Hawkeye quarterback in the late 1960s – and I am a Hawkeye fanatic. Even closer to home, I worked with Mike’s daughter Carrie when I served as the Executive Director of The Arc. Mike also later became my realtor! He and his wife Judy are absolutely wonderful people that I respect deeply. Dick Myers is a local legend. From running the Hawk-I Truck Stop, to serving as Mayor of Coralville, to the Board of Supervisors, to the Democratic Leader in the Iowa House of Representatives – everyone knows Dick, and most people have a Myers story. I can tell you that Dick was a great help to me when I ran for the Chair of the Johnson County Democratic Party, and has been there for me ever since. I am very lucky to have enjoyed a relationship with this incredible leader. Joe Bolkcom: In a way, I feel like I have been following Joe around his whole career. I remember back in 1989, when our mutual friend Dave Leshtz told me I needed to get involved in local politics. He suggested that I start with supporting a candidate for Iowa City Council named Joe Bolkcom. I was impressed by Joe, and pitched in on the campaign. Luckily, Joe lost that race. Luckily, because two and a half years later he was elected to the Board of Supervisors! Joe Bolkcom was almost certainly the most transformative Supervisor in the modern history of the Board. Before Joe, technology and transparency were afterthoughts. Joe took environmental concerns to the next level. Joe supported people with disabilities living in the community. Before Joe, the Board was generally run by a very conservative group of Democrats. Joe led the way for a different type of Democrat to serve. Joe also recognized that Johnson County had become urban, and many urban residents were going unserved. Joe has been a fantastic State Senator for a long time now, and over the years we have become good friends. I cannot express how honored I am to sit in Joe’s seat! Carol Thompson had a long career in human services prior to being elected to the Board. She came to Iowa City from Chicago in the 60s, and ran the local Iowa Department of Human Services Office for many years. As a young social worker, I worked at an agency that contracted with DHS. Carol often referred families and individuals to our agency, and often helped me to understand the people I was serving. From there Carol went to the local Juvenile Court Office, before replacing Bolkcom in a Special Election. In addition to helping me as a young professional, Carol showed me that my background was a good one for a County Supervisor. A lot of time was (and is) spent on human services related matters. When Carol decided not to seek reelection, I figured I had a shot. I am so privileged to be in this group of people. They are an amazing group of Supervisors, and it is an honor to appear in a list with them. And it was fun researching the history! *Longest Serving Supervisor? Alright, history buffs – here is one for you… am I the longest-serving Supervisor in the history of Johnson County? For what it is worth, I took office on January 2, 2005. It is mid-2026. So I have served 21 and a half years as a Supervisor. I have done a little research on this. I have seen the records dating back to 1932, and I am, in fact, the longest serving since then. The second-longest tenure since 1932 belongs to my former colleague Sally Stutsman, who served from 1994-2012 (18 years) before heading to the Iowa Legislature. Obviously, there are a lot of years between 1932 and the founding of Johnson County. So why do I think I might be the longest serving? A few reasons: 1. There was a huge political upheaval after the Civil War, with Republicans seizing control of government at all levels in Iowa. There were no Republicans prior to that; the party did not exist. So it is pretty much impossible for anyone to have served 22 years prior to 1866.
2. Most Supervisors in the early days were prosperous farmers who did not seek election until their 50s. Given that the average life expectancy for an American man in 1870 was 42, it is reasonable to assume that not many people lived long enough to serve more than 22 years.
3. So that narrows the window from 1866-1932. Now we are down to 66 years. Still a long time, but a much more reasonable window. I have tried to research this period a bit, but I cannot find much. I think one might need to go through 66 years’ worth of newspapers to determine the truth. Anyone want to take this research on? Inquiring minds would like to know! *DID YOU KNOW? On January 1, 1979 the Board expanded to 5 members. *Lorada Cilek (D), January 2, 1974-May 20, 1982 *Harold Donnelly (D), November 12, 1976 - December 15, 1988 *Don Sehr (D), November 12, 1976-1988; March 1, 1994-1996 *Dennis Langenberg (D), 1979-1986 *Janet Shipton (D), 1979-1980 (Elected to 2 year term. Did not seek re-election.) Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website- www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov. "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
June 7, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 6/11/26 In this edition: *No Salvos Next Week! *IC Pride *Father’s Day *Juneteenth *Election Results *Thank you! *My Statement *Playing “Gotcha!” *Did You Know? *No Salvos Next Week! There will be no Salvos next week. Expect your next edition (dated June 25) in your inbox on or around Sunday, June 21. Enjoy your week off! *IC Pride Pride is this month in Iowa City, and there are numerous events throughout June. For a list, please see: https://www.iowacitypride.org/year-round-events. The Pride Parade and Festival are two of my favorite events each year. Huge thanks to Joe Reilly for all his great work, and the work of the many volunteers who make it happen! Please allow me to call particular attention to the annual Pride Parade at noon on Saturday, June 20, followed by the annual Pride Festival on the Ped Mall. Happy Pride, all! *Father’s Day Father’s Day is June 15. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! I know both Mother’s and Father’s Days can be very difficult for some people, for a variety of reasons. If that is you, you are in my thoughts. Being a dad is the best thing I have ever done. It is also the most difficult. I imagine that is the case for most fathers. And sometimes, we are not birth fathers; we are just folks trying to help the best we know how. It has been decades now since I have had the pleasure of enjoying a living father or grandfather. If you are lucky enough to have a father or grandfather around, please take a moment to reach out to him this weekend. *Juneteenth Johnson County is working with a number of community partners to present Juneteenth activities! There are several events, all listed on the webpage. For more info, visit the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/jciajuneteenth. By the way, in 2021, The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to make Juneteenth a paid holiday for union and non-union employees. The decision followed President Joe Biden declaring Juneteenth a federal holiday for the first time a few years ago and many other Iowa cities doing the same. One difference? Most cities and counties took away a different holiday in order to acknowledge Juneteenth. Many, for example, swapped it out for President’s Day. Johnson County simply added a new holiday. I am proud of that. *Election Results Tuesday, June 2 was Election Day in Johnson County. Let’s get to the results. On the GOP side, voters chose Zach Lahn over Randy Feenstra to be their candidate for Governor. I am looking forward to this race in the fall! On the Democratic ticket, there was a contested primary for US Senate between State Senator Zach Wahls of Coralville and State Representative Josh Turek of Council Bluffs. Representative Turek prevailed there, and will be our candidate versus Ashley Hinson. In the race for US Congress First District, Christina Bohannon won, setting up a rematch with Marianette Miller Meeks. Johnson County Supervisor was contested in four of the five Districts. In District 1, Lisa Green Douglass defeated David Woodruff. In District 2, Jon Green defeated Jessica Andino and Janet Godwin. In District 3, Sue Dvorsky was unopposed and moves on to face Republican Jennie Wunderlich in November. In District 4, V Fixmer Orais defeated yours truly. In District 5, Mandi Remington defeated Joe Riley. I sincerely hope Democrats are ready to put June behind them and go to work this fall! There is SO much riding on it! Thank You! There is a lot going on in our world right now. Honestly, local politics is low on the list of important topics. But I would be remiss if I did not say some thanks after Tuesday. I have several people to thank: 1. My wife, Melissa Fath. It is not easy to be the spouse of an elected official. I am SO blessed to have Melissa as my partner! She even stepped in as my Treasurer when the fates took my previous Treasurer away.
2. The voters. I have worked really hard. I think we’ve accomplished some great things. I did not garner enough votes to win, but I feel the love!
3. My late Treasurer, Gary Smith. Keeping track of the money and filing the official reports is tedious, thankless work. I could never have done this without Gary’s dedicated behind-the-scenes service! Gary passed away late in 2025, but I felt his presence.
4. The Iowa City Federation of Labor and all the local labor unions who supported me. The endorsements mean a lot, deep in my heart. I am so proud to be a part of Iowa City Fed! There are plenty of other people I could thank, but readers would grow weary of the whole list. Please allow me to just offer a big THANK YOU! to everyone who helped with this election. I love you all! *My Statement I put the following out late Tuesday night on Facebook. It appears below in case you are not a part of that platform. Congratulations to V on their victory tonight. Thanks to everyone who gave their time, talent, and treasure to my campaign - I love you all! Honestly, I feel a lot of things right now, but primarily excitement. I do not know what the future holds, but there are so many opportunities to do positive things. I look forward to exploring my options. In addition, there is a lot of work to do in the remainder of my term. The next few months are going to pass quickly, and I have many things to finish up. I have had a lot of folks offer condolences, and while I appreciate the sentiment, I realize that I am extremely blessed. I will be just fine. Thanks again for all your kindness. Take about 24 hours to lick your wounds, and get ready for November! *Playing “Gotcha!” I see a disturbing trend in local politics that I would like to see stop. A number of folks engage in what I refer to as “Gotcha!” politics. And it is not healthy. What do I mean by “Gotcha!”? Here are a couple real examples: A woman goes on Facebook and asks an inflammatory question about an action taken by the Board of Supervisors. There is a very reasonable response to her question, which she gets in short order from a Supervisor.
Here is the irony – this woman knows at least 4 Supervisors personally. She is literally the campaign treasurer for one of the Supervisors! She could have called, texted, emailed, or Facebook messaged at least 4 of us. But instead, she took to Facebook to play “Gotcha!”
Here is another: A local podcaster claims that “the departmental details of the Johnson County budget are not online, and a member of the Board of Supervisors says she never even saw them!” This is all bullshit.
I called the podcaster. I noted that every departmental budget was online (and had been) since the day each was discussed. I told her where to find them. And the idea that a Board Member claimed she did not see them? That is absurd! We all saw the same info that was online. The podcaster argued that it was hard to know where to look for these departmental budgets, and I had to agree. So I said, “I’ll tell you what. I will get those posted in a more public place on our website within the next 48 hours.” It was done in under 36 hours. The thing is, had she just called me upfront, I could have explained it all, and gotten the info posted in an additional place, and she would not have needed to roast the Board on her podcast. But that would be beside the point, wouldn’t it? She never wanted a real answer. She wanted an issue. Because these are not legitimate questions. These are attempts to play “Gotcha!” These folks pretend to be innocent, claiming they are just asking questions. In reality, they want drama. What can you do? When you see a social media post that says, “Why did the ICCSD do x?” or “Why did Coralville not do y?” Respond like this: “I don’t know. Did you ask them?” And hey, if the answer is, “I tried, but they never got back to me”? OK. Post away. That is fair game. But at least attempt to ask your question first. That is one way we can all help to keep this trolling to a minimum. *DID YOU KNOW? The Pride Festival in Iowa City is over 50 years old, making it one of the oldest in the country! Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website- www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov. "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
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