SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
April 1, 2025
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/3/25
In this edition:
*RIP Dick Summerwill
*Happy Birthday Jordan!
*Iowa City Public Library Foundation Fundraiser
*Courthouse Update
*Did You Know?
*RIP Dick Summerwill
I was sad to hear of the passing of Dick Summerwill of Iowa City. Dick served as the President and CEO of Iowa State Bank (later MidWest One) from 1978 until 2000, and President of the Board from 2000-11.
I have been a customer of that bank for 40+ years, and I have been proud to say that the whole time. A lot of that is due to the many good works in which the bank is involved. You saw this in Dick – he served on the boards of Ronald McDonald House, Englert Theatre, Riverside Theatre, the Iowa City Development Group, and the IC Foreign Relations Council, among many others.
RIP, Dick.
*Happy Birthday Jordan!
My daughter Jordan turns 31 on April 8th. Jordan works at a place very similar to Four Oaks (but much larger) called Youth Villages in Memphis, Tennessee. She has worked there ever since she graduated from college. She continues to get promoted, and is doing very well professionally.
In addition, she coaches area youth in basketball and track. Jordan was always a great athlete, and she is really having fun with the kids!
More importantly, Jordan is a really good person. Man, am I ever proud! Happy Birthday, Jordan! I love you!
*Iowa City Public Library Foundation Fundraiser
Friday, April 11, 2025, 7:30 to 10 pm
Join us for a brilliant evening at the Iowa City Public Library as we celebrate and support our Library!
“Bright Future: Celebrating the Iowa City Public Library” is a special after-hours fundraising party dedicated to fostering appreciation and growth of our beloved library.
We begin with registration in Meeting Room A, where the grand piano will fill the room with music, and guests, with drinks in hand, can bid on packages in our silent auction! Shortly after the Library closes at 8 pm there will be a warm welcome and recognition of our sponsors. Guests will then be free to enter the main part of the Library to begin exploring the space as they’ve never seen it before. With food and drink stations scattered throughout the library, pop-up performances, live music, readings, and more, guests will mingle, enjoy, and learn more about this incredible community resource! Together, we’re building a Bright Future for our Library!
Get your tickets at: development@icpl.org.
*Courthouse Update
The single most symbolic thing in Johnson County government is the Johnson County Courthouse. It has been a long time since I gave an update on the Courthouse, so here it goes. First a little history for context:
The relationship between the State of Iowa judicial system and county governments is an interesting one. Each of Iowa’s counties is required to provide the adequate facilities to run the court system. In addition to facilities, counties must provide the workers – the County Attorney and her staff – to serve as the prosecutors for the State of Iowa. Obviously, what is required in Polk County, with over 500,000 residents, is different than what is required in Adams County, with under 4,000 residents. In Johnson County, the County Attorney has almost 50 employees. Yes, there are big fights in some counties between the judiciary and the Supervisors – thankfully, the relationship here has been quite collegial.
Johnson County’s first Courthouse was a wooden building built in 1838 in the town of Napoleon – now the site of Napoleon Park just south of Iowa City. A two-story brick courthouse was erected in Iowa City in 1842. Yet another courthouse – this one on the current site - was erected in 1856. The current Johnson County Courthouse was constructed in 1901 at a cost of $111,000 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is truly a magnificent building, and if you get a chance, you should just go visit and check it out.
In most Iowa counties, the courthouse is where one goes to transact all county business. The Auditor, Treasurer, Recorder, Assessor, Supervisors, County Attorney, and more are all located in the building, along with the court system. But Johnson County outgrew its Courthouse many years ago. The US Census saw the Johnson County population grow from about 70,000 in 1970 to about 85,000 in 1980. In addition to more residents, county governments were being asked to provide more services. A similar phenomenon was taking place in the courts – more and longer cases, more and longer trials. The old building was magnificent, but horribly overcrowded.
In 1986, Johnson County opened the Administration Building at 913 S. Dubuque Street in Iowa City on a vacant lot that was once a playground for local kids. (Don’t fret – the neighborhood had changed dramatically, and very few kids lived nearby!) This building took all the Johnson County functions out of the Courthouse and moved them to the new building. (That building was remodeled just last year after 38 years.) The one exception that did not move out of the Courthouse was the County Attorney’s Office.
By 2010, the population of Johnson County had risen to 132,000 people. The courts were again dealing with more and longer cases, more and longer trials. The Board of Supervisors put forward a bond referendum in 2013 that would have built a new jail and provided new offices for the County Attorney. It got 55% of the vote, but needed 60% to pass. In 2014, we dropped the jail portion and just put forth a referendum on a courthouse addition. It got 57% of the vote, but again needed 60% to pass.
Finally, in 2019, Johnson County was able to rent space in the MidWest One Bank Building kitty corner from the Courthouse. The Johnson County Attorney’s Office moved into that space in July of 2019. It was the best location we could have possibly found in terms of proximity, but we are still paying rent rather than owning our own space. The move did, however, free up important space in the Courthouse.
And space in the Courthouse is important. If courtrooms are full, cases cannot be heard. When cases cannot be heard, defendants have to wait. Where do they wait? Some wait in jail. A big part of our decades-long jail overcrowding has always been due to the lack of courtroom space.
There were other problems with the Courthouse. Victims and perpetrators were often forced to congregate right next to each other in the lobby areas. There were no private spaces. The Courthouse did not meet all the ADA standards. There was inadequate bathroom space. Security was wanting. The Clerk of Court’s Office records were actually straining the ability of the floor to hold all the weight. The list goes on and on.
It goes even deeper. I remember chatting with a local attorney several years ago. This attorney handles property law – he does not do any criminal work. But he made an important point. He had a client who had been ripped off in a property-related matter. There was really no question that his client was in the right. Any court would agree that he deserved justice. The problem is, civil matters here are always bumped for criminal matters. It makes sense. But his client kept getting bumped. He took a job in California. And after several years, he dropped the case. It was costing him legal fees every time the case was delayed. He simply couldn’t afford to fly back from California only to see the case bumped again. He just gave up. And as the attorney pointed out to me, “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
So since 2019, the Board has invested a *lot* of money on improvements at the Courthouse. We are currently budgeted a $2.3 million expenditure for FY26; if this is approved, the Courthouse will actually be FINISHED somewhere around the fall of 2027! (There will still be some work to do on the parking lots.)
What has been done? More courtrooms. More meeting rooms. The Clerk’s Office (and those heavy files) are now in the basement. ADA improvements. More restrooms. Better security. Offices for each judge. HVAC improvements. And more! Most importantly, through it all, the historical integrity of the building has been maintained.
I am extremely proud of the work that has been done in the Courthouse. In committing to all this work over all these years, we have very quietly improved the lives of many people in Johnson County.
It is interesting – look at the magnificent structure voters supported back in 1901. They clearly held their local government in high esteem. I do not think we need structures that are quite so ornate in this day and age. But hopefully we can continue to build confidence in local government amongst the people.
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa has 100 county courthouses in our 99 counties. Lee County has two, one in Fort Madison and one in Keokuk.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
"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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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 7:50 AM
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