SULLIVAN'S SALVOS

October 30, 2026

Sullivan’s Salvos 11/5/26

In this edition:

*RIP Mel Sunshine

*Happy Birthday Rachel!

*Enough Input?

*VOTE!

*A Very Bad Idea!

*The Smell

*Election Day Trivia

*Department Head Evaluations

*Consequential – Drive Through Voting

*Did You Know?

*RIP Mel Sunshine

One of the things that makes Johnson County great is the culture of volunteerism that runs throughout the population. One of the folks who epitomized this was Mel Sunshine.

Mel volunteered for many good causes for many years. He was also an accomplished scientist. RIP, Mel. Your work is appreciated!

*Happy Birthday Rachel!

Happy Birthday to my oldest daughter Rachel, who turns 35 on the 6th! I love you, Ray!

*Enough Input?

Irony must be dead. Seeing elected officials who vociferously oppose the jail bond, claiming there has been a lack of public input, urge folks to vote for the Kirkwood bond, which has had virtually zero public input – sigh.

For what it is worth, I hope you all vote yes for both Kirkwood and the Jail and Sheriff’s Office!

*VOTE!

Election Day is upon us! Vote, and make certain everyone you know votes! There is a lot at stake here!

If you still have a ballot, do NOT mail it in! Please take it to the Auditor’s Office unless it is actually Election Day. Then take it to your polling place! But you must have it with you! If you have other voting questions, call the Auditor’s Office at 319-354-6004.

I will admit; I am scared. I have never been more worried for my country. All I can do is try my damndest to get as many people as possible to get out and vote!

*A Very Bad Idea!

At the end of the Board’s October 28 meeting, Supervisor Fixmer Oraiz suggested that the Supervisors set up quarterly meetings with the ICCSD Board to “assist them with their financial struggles.” They even mentioned “pausing property taxes.”

Supervisor Remington had left the room just before this discussion, so she did not participate. Supervisors Green, Green Douglass and I all expressed no interest in heading down this path.

Frankly, I cannot imagine a worse idea. Let me count the ways:

1. The BOS has its own problems. People in glass houses!

2. The BOS does not have time to do this. I would guess that same is true for the ICCSD.

3. What particular knowledge or experience would you bring to the ICCSD? How does your involvement help? Do you understand how schools are financed in Iowa?

4. What history do you have of creating countywide coalitions to achieve big countywide accomplishments?

5. The very suggestion is insulting. I cannot imagine the indignation with which the BOS would react if the roles were reversed.

6. The BOS represents a County that has parts of 11 public school districts. Big swaths of 7 districts. The ICCSD is the largest, certainly, but they are not the only school district in the county.

7. The mention of “pausing property taxes” indicates a serious and disturbing lack of knowledge of how local governments are funded.

8. That potential “cure” would be much worse than the disease!

I know every member of the ICCSD Board. They are all more diplomatic than I am, but my guess is that they would all politely decline this offer. As well they should.

I hope the Johnson County Board of Supervisors will choose to focus on the many things for which the Johnson County Board of Supervisors is responsible. That is plenty!

*The Smell

(This ran in Salvos a few years ago. Though Kim Reynolds decided against running for reelection, it remains relevant today!)

Downtown Iowa City is at least 3 miles every direction from any farm fields. You should not be overwhelmed by the smell of hog manure in downtown Iowa City. But the smell has been pretty bad of late.

Why? The crops are coming out of the field, and farmers are in the midst of the annual ritual of overapplying hog manure to those harvested fields. You read that correctly. They are *overapplying* manure.

Just to be clear – the fields don’t need all this additional manure cover. It is an excess of nitrogen, which ends up in our groundwater, streams, rivers, and lakes. From there, it harms human health in multiple ways. (See the increasing cancer rates unique to our state.)

So why do it? Because we have too many hogs concentrated in too small an area. The manure has to go somewhere. And Iowa law allows the manure to go pretty much wherever the farmer wants. Their economic well-being is placed FAR above the health of Iowans.

Seems stupid, doesn’t it? Why should hog producers get to freely offload their environmental problems on the rest of us? That is a very good question. Ask Kim Reynolds in 2026!

*Election Day Trivia

Federal law requires Election Day to be “the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.” So you could never have Election Day on Tuesday, November 1 – there was no Monday first. In that case, the election would be Tuesday, November 8.

This means elections are always held between November 2 and November 8 of each year.

*Department Head Evaluations

Johnson County changed the way we do Department Head evaluations last year. I thought I’d explain both the new and old ways.

First, Johnson County has long used a system of “liaisons” to supervise Department Heads. This process goes back much further than me, so I do not know who deserves the credit, but I feel it is pretty ingenious.

Each Department Head is assigned two Board Members as liaisons. (Because three Supervisors would constitute a quorum, this is the most group attention Sups can give without putting an item on the agenda.) One liaison rotates off each year, so there is always a liaison who has been in that role a year or more, and another who is newer to the position.

We have twelve Department Heads that report directly to the Board of Supervisors and only to the Board of Supervisors. Each of those Department Heads gets two liaisons, so that is 24 spots. It does not quite work out exactly, but each Supervisor is responsible to be a liaison for about 5 Departments. Right now, I have two liaisons where Lisa is the other Sup, two where V is the other Sup, and one where Mandi is the other Sup. I have none with Jon. It is mostly random in that way.

Liaison meetings are typically monthly, although that can vary. During liaison meetings, Department Heads simply give updates to their liaisons – what is going well, and what is not? How are employees doing? How does the budget look? Are you completing your goals? How can we help you?

I have been in liaison meetings where there was shouting. I have been in them where there was laughing. I have been in them where there was crying. None of that happens often, but it does happen. Sometimes life and death matters get discussed, though that is not typical. These are private meetings, and they are always different.

After liaison meetings, Department Heads type up a report and send it to all 5 Sups. These reports are typically very accurate descriptions of what was discussed, but as you might imagine after reading the last paragraph, often things are sanitized, and sometimes personal details are omitted completely.

Once per year, the two liaisons meet and create a draft performance evaluation for their Department Head. These drafts are then discussed in closed session by the whole Board. After the Board has created a final eval, it is presented to the Department Head in a second closed session.

So what has changed? We used to do these evaluations approximately on the Department Head’s anniversary of employment. So there might be three one month and none the next, but it was an average of about one per month. Now we are doing them all on a calendar basis, so evals happen in November, with associated raises hitting at the start of the year.

Is one better than the other? Not really. Each model has pros and cons. It is certainly all made easier by the fact that our Department Heads are fabulous employees who are great at their jobs!

*Consequential – Drive Through Voting

Many of you have probably taken advantage of Johnson County’s drive-through voting. If so, I hope you have enjoyed it! I think it is a really cool option, particularly for folks who cannot handle standing in lines. People absolutely love it!

To be clear, drive-through voting was not my idea. That credit goes to former Auditor Travis Weipert. But I figured out how to get it done. Here is the story:

Auditor Weipert suggested that perhaps during COVID cars could pull up through the alley that runs on the south side of the Auditor’s Office. Then staff could duck out the back door of the office, get the person voted, and get them on their way. But frankly, the logistical barriers were just too daunting.

By law, the alley cannot be blocked as long as would be necessary. The area where you would pull up is much too short, and only one voter could be served at a time. It was clear that it would block traffic on busy streets to both the east and west. It was simply unacceptable to public safety professionals, and for good reasons.

So I suggested that we route voters through the first floor of the HHS parking ramp. This allowed for three lanes, with space for cars to cue up. And the whole thing happens under roof, so rain and snow are not a problem!

All we had to do was temporarily remove about 20 public parking spaces, and move about 20 County vehicles up one floor in the ramp. I think that has been an easy trade-off.

And people really love drive through, especially people with mobility issues! I think drive through voting has been a pretty cool addition, and I am glad I played a role!

*DID YOU KNOW? In many smaller counties, elected County Attorneys maintain their private practices.

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.

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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

October 24, 2026

Thirty-five years ago on November 1, a UI post-graduate student named Gang Liu killed four faculty members, a student, and himself.

Faculty members Christoph Goertz, Dwight Nicholson, Robert Smith, T. Anne Cleary, and Linhua Shan were all slain. Student Miya Rodolfo-Sioson was shot and survived but was left paralyzed from the neck down. She died several years later from complications due to her injuries.

If you ask longtime residents of Johnson County, most can tell you where they were that fateful day. (I was working my second job - a Friday night shift in a Systems Unlimited group home. The residents of the group home were supposed to go out to dinner that night, but we quickly cancelled those plans.)

I wish I could say that in the decades that passed, something good had come from this horror. Frankly, I simply do not see it. Even bigger mass killings have occurred on other campuses across the nation. Heck, it happens in elementary schools! Our mental health system is not any better, and our gun laws are even worse. The killings make no more sense today than they did thirty-five years ago.

I hope you will take a moment to reflect upon one of the saddest days in Johnson County history, pray for the many survivors whose lives were touched by the people we lost that day, and pray that we can do better as a state and country.

I hope you are preparing yourself and everyone you know for Election Week. That’s right; the notion of Election Day does not serve us well.

First, the counting process takes time. We may not get even our very first counts until hours after polls close. But that isn’t all. There will be ballots that are still trickling in, having been postmarked in time.

We already know how this is going to go. Millions of mailed ballots will be coming in Election Day and a few days after. They cannot even open them until 9pm our time. It is highly unlikely we will know the outcomes on Tuesday night.

We also know that precisely because of this, Trump is going to go on TV Tuesday night and call some elections fraudulent. He is going to lawyer up and sue. We already know it. Just don’t let it weaken your resolve.

If the election night margin is large enough, it may not matter. But if a race is close, we need to demand that election officials take the time to count all legal votes. Don’t allow the process to be driven by the media. Have patience, and request the same from everyone you know. This is Election Week, not Election Night!

Halloween is Saturday the 31^st. I have been amazed in recent years by the amount of effort (and money) that goes into decorating homes for the season. When I was young, few homes displayed anything other than carved pumpkins. Now, there are huge blow-up characters, lights, and much more.

As a matter of fact, according to the National Retail Federation for 2024, 72% plan to celebrate Halloween. The planned spending per person is $104. And the total planned spending is $11.6 billion!

Regardless of how you view Halloween, we need to remember a few key things: First, be careful! One thing that has not changed is an abundance of young children in dark costumes excitedly crossing streets. Secondly, you may want to temporarily take down your campaign yard signs. Despite annual accusations to the contrary, I still think most signs that disappear are teen pranks. Finally, have fun! Halloween offers all of us an opportunity to be young again.

One of my proudest accomplishments was the passage of the Johnson County Human Rights Ordinance. I’ll try to briefly tell what is a long story.

In 2003 Iowans could be fired for being gay. They could be denied housing because of being gay. Those are only two of many ways in which people could discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community. Iowa was a different place then, and that includes Johnson County. There was no same sex marriage. LGBTQ+ issues were *not* universally endorsed by the Democratic Party, let alone the population at large. The local Democratic Party – especially County government – was very much under the control of the “Regina Mafia” – local Catholics who voted Democratic but were often socially conservative. There were (and are) lots of nice people in this group, but in many ways many of them were behind the times.

When I decided to run for Supervisor, part of my platform was to pass a Human Rights Ordinance in Johnson County. I knew this was the right thing to do. I had no idea if I could pull it off, though.

I ended up winning the 2004 Democratic Primary (but by only 130 votes). So now I had to figure out how I would get an ordinance passed. I enlisted the help of a few friends, notably County Recorder Kim Painter, Robin Butler, and Janelle Rettig. (As many of you know, Rettig went on to serve a couple terms on the Board of Supervisors herself.)

Painter was a very important factor. The first openly gay person elected in the State of Iowa, Kim had been elected in 1998 and again in 2002. She was popular with the public, and was (is) really good at her job. She had earned the respect of almost every employee in Johnson County. Kim was a perfect person to have on the inside. The ordinance never would have passed without her.

Butler and Rettig were local LGBTQ+ advocates who were good organizers. They had a network of lawyers from around the US and came up with 5 or more ordinances from around the country. They were also good at getting people to write letters (we actually got letters back then!) and to show up at meetings. So they were the perfect people to have on the outside. The ordinance never would have passed without them.

The Board at the time was not necessarily thrilled to have me bring this up. I had a pretty good idea that Supervisors Stutsman and Neuzil would join me in supporting an ordinance. I was pretty certain that Supervisor Harney would be opposed. I was not completely sure about Supervisor Lehman.

Mike Lehman was one of the best Supervisors I ever served with, and one of the best people I have ever met. While our politics were not exactly the same, he was an incredibly good guy. Honest, fair, hardworking, smart, funny, curious, and just a great human being. But he had been elected in 1998 and 2002 at least partly by that “Regina Mafia” group.

Mike decided to support the ordinance. Janet Lyness, who would later go on to be the County Attorney, was serving as an Assistant County Attorney at the time. She wrote the ordinance.

Lyness started working on the ordinance in the spring of 2006. In June of ’06 Mike Lehman was defeated in the Democratic Primary. There were other issues at work, but certainly some of his lost votes came from his support of the Human Rights Ordinance. As the end of the year approached, Mike joined me in pushing to get the ordinance passed before he left office. We took the vote on December 30, 2006, with Mike voting yes. I’ll never forget him saying to me before that meeting, “If I am going to lose for doing the right thing, I want to at least take the vote.” He did. I will never forget that. Mike Lehman was willing to do what was right, even if it cost him personally. I wish we had more of that in government.

So Johnson County became the first county in Iowa to have a Human Rights Ordinance. We got quite a bit of hate mail. Religious organizations prayed for us – some meant that positively, some less so. There were a few vague threats. I still have some of the hate mail we received. The County Attorney’s Office fielded quite a few calls in the beginning, but for the most part, people obeyed the law.

This had a profound impact on the rest of Iowa. Johnson County had a Human Rights Ordinance, and the world did not end. There were no costly lawsuits. A bit over a year later, the State of Iowa passed a similar law. Johnson. County Legislators like Senators Dvorsky and Bolkcom and Representatives, Mascher, Lensing, and Jacoby used the Johnson County example as they got their peers to sign on. It was a great victory for Iowa!

Interestingly, the original Johnson County ordinance was very inclusive of trans rights in a way the State law was not. Obviously, Iowa went even further back last year, actually removing transgender as a protected class.

I am very proud of the work we did on the Human Rights Ordinance. Painter, Rettig, Butler and I heard from people all over Iowa that our ordinance moved their Legislators in places like Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Mason City, Clinton, and more. I believe we really did make a difference, not just at home but statewide. The Human Rights Ordinance is a proud accomplishment indeed!

Michael Flaum: University of Iowa Professor of Psychiatry Emeritus Dr. Michael Flaum has many accomplishments listed on his CV. But the thing that makes Michael really stand out is his work in the community. Michael started the Johnson County Systems of Care meeting well over 15 years ago, bringing together everyone who serves some of our most challenged residents. Because of his work, we have GuideLink, Permanent Supportive Housing, and thousands of people with better lives. Thank you, Michael!

Fred Newell: It does not get a lot of press, but the past couple of years have been difficult for the local African American community. Luckily, Pastor Fred Newell and Dream City are here to uplift people in whatever way they need uplifted. I am a huge fan of Fred Newell. The local African American community still has some frustrations, but working with Fred, we can get through it.

Tess Judge Ellis: A professor at the UI College of Nursing, Judge Ellis has taken her practice out into the community. Tess serves a group of patients with very complex needs through her work at Shelter House, Chatham Oaks, and Agape Café, and does so without fanfare. No one would know she does this; Tess is not looking for praise. She just believes everyone deserves great medical care. Thank you, Tess, for bringing your vast expertise to our neediest residents!

Leslie Carpenter: Everyone deals with grief differently. My friend Leslie has channeled her grief to do more good than anyone I have ever known. Leslie’s son has had a very serious mental illness for many years now. So Leslie’s response has been to become Iowa’s best advocate for people with mental illnesses and their families. God bless you, Leslie. Your work helps others more than you will ever know!

Patrick Kearns: It has been an awful time for federal workers of late – especially in anti-worker States like Iowa. Luckily for us, Patrick Kearns has been ably leading the United Federation of Governmental Employees (UFGE) at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Iowa City. Patrick does a fantastic job of explaining what is happening, why it is wrong, and what we should do differently. Patrick is going to win in the long run, because as Dr. King said, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Keep up the great work, brother!

Kristie Fortmann Doser: Retiring after 32 years as Director of DVIP/RVAP, Kristie has left an amazing legacy of service to victims. (Kristie and I actually met when she interviewed me to teach Batterer’s Education back in 1989!) Thousands of victims have been able to move on to better lives because of her advocacy. Congratulations, Kristie, and thank you!

Sunday Goshit: Sunday came to the US over 25 years ago from his native Nigeria. He and his family have been making Johnson County a better place to live ever since. One example is the annual Africa Fest, which has grown into a large and wonderful community event. Now, barring some horrible action by our federal government in the next 30 days, he will be a US citizen. Congratulations, Sunday!

Barb Turner: The odds are good that not many of you know Barb Turner. Barb is a Johnson County employee – the custodian that cleans the Health and Human Services Building five nights per week. Barb is also friendly, kind, caring, honest, dedicated, and hard-working. Every day we have a brief conversation, and every day I feel better after speaking to her. I don’t know if Barb has any idea of her impact, but I assure you, it is significant! Barb leads by example, and every day she makes me want to be a better employee and a better person. Thanks, Barb! You are great!

Linda Herring (third time): Last but certainly not least, we lost Linda Herring earlier this year. Linda, of Tiffin, gained national notoriety for serving as a foster parent to over 600 kids over 50+ years. I had the pleasure and privilege of knowing Linda, and seeing firsthand her incredible capacity to love others. That is why she had won two previous Salvos Salutes, and why she is honored here posthumously with a record third Salvos Salute. Thank you, Linda. You will be missed!

*DID YOU KNOW? The Iowa City Human Rights Ordinance added Sexual Orientation as a protected class in 1977, the first municipality in Iowa to do so.