SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

August 30, 2026

Sullivan’s Salvos 9/3/26

In this edition:

*Labor Day

*Great Labor Quote!

*Labor Day Picnic

*Consequential – Minimum Wage

*Salvos Salutes – 2017

*Did You Know?

*Labor Day

Happy Labor Day Monday, September 7! I love Labor Day. Every Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day we set aside time to recall the folks whose service has given us our freedom. I have long felt we need to treat Labor Day in a similar fashion.

Please take a moment this Labor Day to remember the people who fought (and often died) to give us child labor laws, 40-hour weeks, weekends, overtime, vacations, the minimum wage, sick leave, parental leave, OSHA, employment nondiscrimination, pensions, Social Security, health insurance, and so much more.

Do not be fooled! Benevolent corporations did not GIVE these benefits to workers! They were earned by workers who sacrificed! It is a shame that so many average Janes and Joes have chosen to support our corporate masters versus supporting those whose efforts really benefit the masses.

Trust me – the average person has nothing to fear from unions. We all benefit when folks have safe and healthy workplaces. We all benefit when workers get adequate rest. We all benefit when workers receive good training. We all benefit when folks earn a living wage and have health insurance. Unions help improve the quality of life for all of us.

I feel as though I have accomplished some good labor-related things as a member of the Board of Supervisors. In response to the gutting of Prop 20, I led the charge to extend our collective bargaining agreements through June of 2021. Johnson County was the first county, city, or school district in Iowa to do so. We built our projects using Project Labor Agreements until the GOP prevented us from doing so. I have maintained very good relationships with our bargaining units. Finally, I have treated County employees with the respect they deserve.

I was proud to be a member of Local 716 of the American Federation of Teachers for 30 years. I am proud to now be a member of Laborer’s Local 43, where my Dad worked for 30+ years. I am proud to have spent 20 years as a Delegate to the Iowa City Federation of Labor. Happy Labor Day!

*Great Labor Quote!

The singer/songwriter Steve Earle said it best: “If you have a boss, you need a union!” Amen, brother!

*Consequential – Minimum Wage

One of my proudest accomplishments in my 22-year career as a County Supervisor was the effort to increase the minimum wage. Here is the story:

I was sitting around at a labor event, and talking with longtime friend Peter Fisher. Pete (now retired) was an Economist, a Professor in the UI Urban and Regional Planning Department, and the tax and finance expert at the Iowa Policy Project (later Common Good Iowa). I was complaining because it felt as though every positive thing Johnson County did came with a high price tag. This price tag was paid by us all. I wanted to see the wealthier folks carry a bigger piece of the financial burden.

Peter pointed out that local governments were much more limited than state governments, which can use income, inheritance, property, sales, and many other types of taxes. State governments have even fewer tools than the federal government, which can also print money. I was wishing there was a way for the county to help the poor people of our community without forcing the middle-class folks to shoulder most of the burden.

After I left Peter’s side, I ambled over to another old friend, Paul McAndrew. Paul is a longtime labor lawyer and a great guy. Out of nowhere, Paul noted that it had been a decade since Iowa has raised the minimum wage. (It is now two decades.) He said, “Too bad you cannot do it locally.”

Cue the lightbulbs, lightning bolts, harp sounds, and every other imagery for an idea! I went right back to Peter, and floated the idea. He was intrigued, but we both knew the key issue was Iowa Code. Would this be legal?

I began trying to form a coalition. I started with my then-colleague Janelle Rettig, who had always been great on issues of economic justice. She was all in. And if you know Janelle, you know she fought like hell for this! Jesse Case from Teamsters 238 was then the President of the Iowa City Federation of Labor, and he was all in. Local labor activists had recently gotten together with local immigrants to form a new organization – the Center for Worker Justice (CWJ). The CWJ would be a great help.

As I mentioned before, we needed to know if this would be legal. County Attorney Janet Lyness did not see any prohibitions in the Iowa Code. (Lots of local lawyers – including a couple City Attorneys – claimed it was not legal. But they never took us to court, and WE DID IT, so how certain were they?)

This process was interesting. While we were building support amongst the community, we were doing so very quietly. We had a meeting early on with State Senators Bolkcom and Dvorsky, who were very supportive. But as they pointed out, the Iowa Legislature likely had the votes and the desire to prevent us from moving forward. So we quietly worked out all the details in January through April, and we were ready to go in May after the Legislature adjourned.

Once the Legislature was finished, we rolled out our plan. We created a local committee to oversee the effort. It included two economists, a labor leader, the Director of the Crisis Center, an advocate for immigrants, a small business owner, the manager of a temporary staffing agency, and myself.

The ordinance had to be drafted. God Bless Janet Lyness! I created a lot of extra work for her over the years, but if I was doing the right thing for the right reason, Janet always said yes. She drafted a great ordinance, which I am proud of to this day.

There were *SO* many questions to address. Did the ordinance cover businesses who did work in Johnson County but were not located here? (No.) Did the ordinance cover businesses that were located here doing work elsewhere? (Yes.) What about tipped employees? (They had to earn at least $10.10, and that could be a combination of the tipped wage plus tips.) The list of questions was long, but Janet got through them.

Our goal was to get the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour. There were several reasons for using that number. Upon his first election, President Obama got the minimum wage raised to the current $7.25/hour. But an effort to tie the minimum wage to the cost of living failed. It did not take long to see that while $7.25 was a great improvement, it was still too low. Our own US Senator Tom Harkin (who was a huge supporter of our effort!) had introduced a bill in 2013 to raise the federal minimum wage to $10.10. Unfortunately, Senator Harkin could not get the votes. But one positive offshoot of his failed effort was that we had a LOT of very good research about the impact of $10.10. So if we targeted $10.10, we could use all of Harkin’s data to make our case.

We decided to phase the new minimum wage in over a 12-month period. Two months after passage, it was to go up 95 cents to $8.20. A few months later, it went up another 95 cents to $9.15. Finally, at one year, it would go up to $10.10. It would then be tied annually to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

I had long negotiations with some providers of Medicaid services. They wanted to pay their workers the higher wage, but Iowa’s low Medicaid reimbursement rates would not support the higher amount. I had worked in that field a long time. I knew these people. We had all worked together. They knew I was going to have their backs. We reached an uneasy agreement – we were just going to trust each other. Luckily, because of their efforts, things worked out. But low Medicaid reimbursements are still a huge problem in Iowa and elsewhere.

One of my biggest frustrations during this period was the University of Iowa. Bruce Harreld had just taken over as the President of the UI, a job for which he was completely unqualified. He was an opponent of raising the minimum wage – he had made his money in the fast-food industry. Go figure. He said the UI would not participate. Unfortunately, Janet shared his opinion that as a State institution, they were probably exempt. It did lead to an interesting showdown at a “town hall” meeting Harreld held at the Old Capital. Kurt Friese and I confronted him on his stance. You know what he did? He left the room, and left a young woman to defend the UI stance. Kurt and I said our piece, stood up, and walked out. It was one of the weakest examples I have ever witness from a “leader.”

There were three community meetings, each of which was well-attended. Since this was an ordinance, it required three public hearings, which were also well-attended.

The ordinance passed 5-0. Though one Supervisor was quite opposed, he voted for it all three times. Some folks in the community were outraged. Some were celebrating. So what actually happened?

Our two economists studied the data. Over 10,000 Johnson County residents saw their wages go up. The data showed wages went up for another 10,000 out of county residents who commuted to Johnson County for work. It even had a small impact in cities not in Johnson County but adjacent – West Branch, Ely, and Kalona.

Critics claimed the raises would lead to higher unemployment. It did not. We were told the hours of low wage workers would be cut. They were not. We were told jobs would move elsewhere. They did not. We were told that only teenagers would be affected. In fact, the average age of people impacted was 35. We were told prices would skyrocket. They did not. The economists on our committee (two people highly respected in the profession) knew what data to look at, and they are the people who reassured us these were the results.

Unfortunately, the Iowa Legislature undid the Johnson County minimum wage in March of 2017. They followed that up with lots of draconian legislation gutting almost every kind of local control. So we got under their skin.

Was this effort worth it? Damn right it was! Our economists continued to track the data. Wages did not fall in Johnson County after our law was repealed. Low wage employers had tipped their hand – higher wages were possible.

A couple years later, I was chatting with John Solow, one of the two economists I have been mentioning. As I mentioned, John (now a Professor Emeritus) is very highly regarded in the field. My wife is a scientist. I have many friends who have Ph.Ds. I know that people who do scientific research are quite careful about making definitive statements. So I was surprised when John said, “This effort was an unequivocal success.” He had to be very confident to say that. That quote always helped seal the deal for me.

So, here we are, in 2026. Iowans and all Americans desperately need a raise. I pray we will have a Democratic President and two Democratic Houses of Congress in 2028, so that we can not only raise the federal minimum wage, but connect it to the CPI moving forward. It works. It worked here.

Meanwhile, I can honestly say that I helped make life a bit better for 20,000+ people. And that is a very good feeling!

*Salvos Salutes – 2017

What I wrote about some of the honorees from Salvos Salutes in 2017:

Mazahir Salih: Iowa City’s first black female Councilor. Iowa City’s first Muslim Councilor. The first Sudanese American elected to office in the WHOLE USA! Mazahir is not just a trailblazer, but a smart, kind, caring individual who will serve Iowa City very well.

Meghann Foster: Coralville’s Old Guard and progressives do not agree on much. They DID all agree that Meghann Foster was the best candidate for the Coralville Council. Now the real challenge – can Meghann translate this popularity into coalitions that make progressive changes? I’m betting she can!

Steve Cook: If you have ever attended any kind of fundraiser in Johnson County, you’ve probably seen Steve in action. An expert sound man, Steve volunteers his talent and equipment for countless events. Without his contributions, the show would not go on! In addition to donating thousands of dollars worth of services to the community every year, Steve is a union and political activist, and a darn good guy!

Mark Patton: The Johnson County community has made great strides when it comes to affordable housing. It was just a couple years ago that most local elected officials refused to even discuss the topic. How has this change happened? Through the hard work of a small group of committed individuals – led by Mark Patton. Mark is retiring this year after leading Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity from a small, obscure organization to a real powerhouse. His impact on affordable housing has even bigger than that. Congratulations, Mark!

Greg Hearns: The President of the Iowa City Federation of Labor, Greg led the organization through a challenging year of merger and reorganization. No one worked harder on labor issues, and this bore fruit when Greg’s union (Teamsters 238) won an overwhelming number of their recertification elections. He also managed to find the time to mobilize union members to work on local elections. Through it all, Greg has kept his focus squarely on the needs of working people.

Darius Moore: Like many African Americans, this young man has had enough of the disparities that exist in our society. So like other African American athletes, this Clear Creek Amana Senior took a knee during the National Anthem. Darius knew this was going to bring some venom his way, and it did. But he handled the whole episode with a determination, maturity, and grace that was very impressive.

The Encounter Café: Sharon Bethel Mennonite Church opened a café in downtown Iowa City. In addition to providing a welcoming space for everyone, all proceeds go to local charities. How simply beautiful!

As you can see, 2017 was a year full of people worthy of our admiration!

*DID YOU KNOW? In the wake of the massive unrest from the Haymarket Square Incident and other labor protests, Congress passed an act making Labor Day a legal holiday. (They wanted to avoid May 1, which had been embraced by Communists worldwide.) On June 28, 1894, President Cleveland signed it into law.

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

www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov.

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August 23, 2026

You may have seen the articles in the Register and Press Citizen. My friend Rusty Martin, diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, flew to Switzerland to end his life. I have many great memories of Rusty. RIP, friend.

The Board discussed the issue of Supervisor pay/work that I brought up in last week’s Salvos. Unfortunately, there was a lot of defensiveness. One Supervisor even said I was “attacking” them by bringing it up, though I lumped all 5 Supervisors together.

I think it is very simple: show your work. Let the public know (specifically) how you are spending your time. Most public employees already do this. It is not that big an ask. I hope the public will continue to push on this after I am gone.

Please join us for the dedication ceremony of the new Lulu Merle Johnson statue being unveiled at the Johnson County Administration Building, 913 S. Dubuque Street in Iowa City.

The doors open at 10 am, with a ceremony at 10:30. The area around the statue will henceforth be known as “Lulu Merle Johnson Plaza.”

Lulu Merle Johnson’s Iowa credentials are impeccable. She grew up outside the small town of Gravity in the southwestern part of the state, played 6-on-6 basketball in high school, and earned three degrees in history from the University of Iowa. Her family members include Hawkeye athletic legends Duke Slater and Richard “Bud” Culberson.

Lulu Merle Johnson earned her Ph.D. in history in 1941 from the University of Iowa. She was the first Black woman in the state to earn a doctorate, and was among the first Black women to earn one in the whole US. She was born on a Taylor County farm in 1907, but her parents had been born into slavery. She went on to become a world-renowned scholar and professor. Her work upset the dominant narrative of the time, which claimed that most slaves had been happy and well-treated by their owners. Johnson was also a civil rights pioneer and activist against segregationist policies. She passed away in 1995 at the age of 88.

Johnson spent many years as a teacher and administrator at Cheyney State University in Cheyney, Pennsylvania. Cheyney State is actually the very first of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), founded in 1837. Some Iowans no doubt first heard of Cheney State when the UI hired women’s basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer from there in 1983.

Before beginning this story, I need to make sure the word “eponym” is in your vocabulary. Eponym is the person for whom something is named. The opposite of “namesake,” which is the person named for someone. Got it?

So how did Johnson County, Iowa become just the second county in the country to change its eponym? I can answer that! (The other, by the way, is King County, Washington. Originally named for Alabama Senator Rufus King, it was changed in 1986 to honor MLK instead.)

In September of 2017 I finished an interesting book on the Election of 1840 – William Henry Harrison versus Martin Van Buren. Harrison and running mate John Tyler (“Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!”) defeated the incumbent Martin Van Buren and his Vice President, Richard Mentor Johnson (RMJ). This election is generally viewed as the first modern Presidential campaign, and gave us several common words and phrases: OK, hell-bent, keep the ball rolling, The Buckeye State, booze, and many more!

But it was the information about our former eponym that fascinated me. Johnson was born and raised in Kentucky, and became a hero of the War of 1812. Johnson repeatedly led troops into battle despite being shot 5 times himself!

Johnson is known as the “Man who killed Tecumseh.” Tecumseh was a Native American leader who organized many tribes together to fight the Americans and preserve a Native homeland. He was killed at the Battle of Thames in 1813, and this was the beginning of the end of meaningful Native claims on land in the US. It is said that Johnson personally killed Tecumseh, though historical records vary. Whatever the truth is, Johnson led the US Army in battles that killed thousands of Native people. As a matter of fact, Johnson claimed to have killed more Native Americans than any other human!

This history as a General made Johnson, known as “Old Dick”, very popular. That popularity began to wane, however, when it was discovered that Johnson had a long-term relationship with a slave named Julia Chinn. Chinn and Johnson had two daughters, and he considered her his wife, though they were not allowed to be married.

Johnson had a confusing relationship with his daughters/slaves. He insisted that his daughters were his property, but also paid for their education and left them inheritances. After Chinn died, Johnson took up with another slave. When she left him for another man, he had her sold away.

In addition to all that, Johnson was known for being incredibly unlikeable. People from all walks of life found him to be a rude, vulgar, foul man. This, coupled with Johnson’s flouting of the laws against racial mixing, made him a huge liability for the Democrats, and he was dropped from the ticket.

All pretty sordid, right? I agree. That is why I asked the question in the 9-12-17 edition of Salvos – Should we change Johnson County’s eponym?

This idea was widely panned. Literally thousands of people commented on the story KCRG ran about the idea. I got dozens of hateful emails. We got 1500 signatures on a petition opposing the idea. I remember then-Supervisor Janelle Rettig saying, “I like the idea, but you really stepped into it!”

There were also a lot of playful suggestions: Magic Johnson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, etc. There were also serious calls to rename it after LBJ or Katherine Johnson, the NASA mathematician featured in the movie “Hidden Figures.”

I ran into a friend at the grocery store a few days later. Tim Walch of Iowa City served 23 years as the Director of the Herbert Hoover Library and Museum. Tim and I stood in the dairy section for half an hour while he told me even more about RMJ. Tim thought an eponym change was worth trying, and offered to speak to the Board.

I knew King County, WA had done this, so I asked County Attorney Janet Lyness to see if she could find anything regarding this matter in Iowa law. After a long search, she could not.

At about the same time, my friend David McCartney, then the UI Archivist, mentioned Lulu Merle Johnson. I must admit, I had never heard of her. He sent me some info, and I was intrigued.

So the Board held a meeting on the topic. Tim Walsh spoke. And the Board decided to create a committee and hold a contest to see what suggestions the community might come up with. I urged David to submit Lulu Merle.

The committee contained two Supervisors (Royceann Porter and Lisa Green Douglass), and they went into this process with a few guidelines:

2. The person had to be a “Johnson”; changing the actual name of the county was a nonstarter.

3. The person should have a connection to Johnson County, Iowa. (RMJ never even set foot in Iowa, let alone here.)

There were some good suggestions, but the committee landed unanimously on Lulu Merle Johnson. Before we took the official vote, we hired local historian Rebecca Conard to do some research, including making contact with Johnson’s family. As it turned out, Johnson has family in Des Moines. And they were thrilled!

Finally, in September of 2020, the Board voted unanimously to become Lulu Merle Johnson County, Iowa! I am very proud of my role in this history!

Joe Bolkcom: It is said you can judge a society by the way they treat their most vulnerable citizens. The decision to turn Iowa Medicaid over to private Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) will go down in history as one of the worst political decisions in Iowa history. While his battle is decidedly uphill, Senator Bolkcom has been a leading voice for the 1/6 Iowans who receives some type of Medicaid service.

Jim Throgmorton: There are many reasons to want to serve as Mayor. It can be a springboard to higher office. It can fulfill a need for attention. It can promote personal business interests. It can serve as the capstone to a career in public service.
Or, you could be Jim Throgmorton. The Mayor of Iowa City genuinely cares about the lives of the individual people who live in this city. Jim does not show up places looking for kudos; he shows up because he CARES. I am so proud that Jim is the Mayor of my town!

Geoff Fruin: I don’t know if I have ever seen anything quite like it. It seemed that EVERYONE wanted to see Geoff Fruin promoted from Assistant City Manager to City Manager! Liberals, conservatives, old, young, Chamber, Labor… it seems everyone wanted to hire Geoff. And I can see why! Geoff is a great guy and a team player who seems to really get things done. I think his future and the future of Iowa City are both bright!

Linda Fisher: Given the current state of the world/country/state, it can be easy to get discouraged. You need a source of positive energy. That is what I get from my Coralville friend Linda Fisher. A woman of a great many interests and talents, Linda’s true gift is her unrelenting positive energy. I always feel better after speaking to Linda!

Bill Waldie: Did you read what I just wrote? The same description also fits Bill Waldie. From the Johnson County Conservation Board to the Solon Library Board to the Comprehensive Plan Committee, Bill is a full-time volunteer. Every time we appoint him to another group, someone comes up to me and says, “Where did you find that guy? He’s great!” Truth is, we didn’t find Bill – he just showed up and began offering good advice!

Mike and Chris Weinard: I have been volunteering in local political campaigns since the late 1980s. In that whole time, I do not believe I have EVER seen anyone work as hard over a 4-year period as Mike and Chris Weinard! Show me someone who has knocked on more doors – you can’t do it! More importantly, they bring passion, intelligence, and senses of humor to the tasks at hand. I am glad they are on my side, and I’m proud to call them a Union Brother and Sister!

Kice Brown: Lone Tree has been lucky to have Carl “Kice” Brown as a resident these many years. In addition to his service on the City Council, Kice has done great work with senior dining, housing, and the local cable franchise. On top of that, Kice represents Lone Tree on all sorts of county Boards and Commissions, and has done so for some time. And Kice does it all with his signature smile!

Marcella Hurtado: You know the old saying that Grace Kelly did everything Fred Astaire did but backwards and in heels? That is exactly how I feel about Marcella Hurtado. Through her work with the Center for Worker Justice (CWJ), Marcella has won many battles for the immigrants and low-wage workers of our County. Marcella has been as effective as any activist in Johnson County. Yet she does it all in her second language, and with her children in tow! Enhorabuena, Marcella! Sigues impresionándome! Mantener el buen trabajo!

Andy Johnson: This one hurts my heart, as Andy is leaving Johnson County to join family in Omaha. If you have ever worked with Johnson County in any capacity, you know that Andy is the one that makes it all happen. I cannot even begin to describe all of his good qualities. Our Boards have not been the easiest groups for whom one could work. We are very flawed as individuals, and even more flawed as a group. But for the most part, things get done, and they get done because of Andy. His wisdom, kindness, thoughtfulness, patience, honesty, humility, and decency are beyond comparison. I wish I was half as good a person as Andy. I could exhaust my thesaurus looking for words to explain how I feel about Andy, but I think I’ll settle on one: Grace. I never deserved a person like Andy as a friend or coworker, but I got to enjoy him as both. Grace. Thank you, Andy. Thank you for everything. Grace.

*DID YOU KNOW? Hills added a water treatment plant and public water utility in 2015. (I do not know what their nitrate count has been.) Growth has been huge since! Hills was around 700 people in 2015, and sits at about 950 now. (Source: US Census.)