SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
August 9, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/13/26
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday Melissa!
*Happy Birthday BJ!
*Jail Bond Vote
*GuideLink 5th Anniversary!
*Input
*Consequential – Free Tax Help
*Salvos Salutes – 2014
*Did You Know?
*Happy Birthday Melissa!
My wonderful wife Melissa Fath celebrates her birthday on August 17th. I have got to tell you – Melissa Fath is AMAZING! Her ability to balance cancer research with her roles as a wife, mother, and community member – I have no words to do it justice! I guess I’ll just stick to: Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you!
*Happy Birthday BJ!
My son Octavious (BJ) turns 30 on August 22. He has already had several adventures, and there are no doubt more to come. BJ lives in northern New Jersey where he works in the hospitality industry.
BJ is funny compassionate, kind, and all around wonderful! I am very proud of him! Happy Birthday, BJ! I love you!
*Jail Bond Vote
The Board of Supervisors voted to put a jail and Sheriff’s Office bond on the November 3 ballot. The vote was 3-2, with Green, Green Douglass, and Sullivan voting yes, and Remington and Fixmer Oraiz voting no.
I think this facility is much needed. I am happy to discuss it with any of you – just give me a call or send me an email. Thanks!
*GuideLink 5th Anniversary
Happy 5th anniversary to the GuideLink Center! I am very proud of the work that has been done in this facility, and I feel like a proud pappa knowing we have been open 5 years. Over 10,000 people have been served in this wonderful place! I will talk more about GuideLink in a future “Consequential” segment. Meanwhile, congrats again on 5 years!
*Input
The Board was recently at a ribbon cutting out at the Poor Farm. One of the Board Members made some comments, and spoke about all the public input that was received regarding the Poor Farm. The speaker was quite self-congratulatory. And I do not disagree; the Board made a point of seeking feedback on that project. As we should.
So I went in to my office, and spent a bunch of time looking up the records for the input on the Poor Farm versus the Jail and Sheriff’s Office.
Each project did a survey. The Poor Farm survey was not scientific, and went to about 40 local organizations. The Jail survey was scientific, done by data scientists at the University of Iowa. It went to 3859 registered voters, and they heard back from 548 – a statistically significant number.
The Poor Farm held focus groups. The Jail has held the same number.
The hours of discussion? Frankly, I could not add them all up. At a *minimum*, the Jail has been discussed at LEAST 50 TIMES as much as the Poor Farm. And that includes 9 years of Poor Farm discussion and only 3 years of Jail discussion. Both discussions go back decades, but the Jail discussion has obviously been a hot topic longer than 3 years.
So, if the Board has done a great job of getting feedback on the Poor Farm? It has done 50 times better getting feedback on the Jail.
*Consequential – Free Tax Help
One of my proudest accomplishments as a Supervisor has been instituting the Free Tax Help clinics in Johnson County. These have been tremendously successful, bringing over $1.5 million annually into the local economy.
This service is available for free to taxpayers earning less than a certain amount each year. The IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program trains University of Iowa students and AARP volunteers to provide FREE Income Tax Preparation Services to qualifying workers. Additionally, the University of Iowa student volunteers have completed a semester long tax preparation course.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) estimates that 20 percent of American workers do not claim the refundable tax credits for which they are eligible, such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). EITC is a special benefit for working people. In Johnson County, we make sure the EITC is collected.
This appeared in Salvos several times over the years, but it bears repeating.
*What if I told you we could bring in 60 full-time jobs that would pay $15 per hour?
*What if I told you these jobs could neither be outsourced overseas nor subcontracted?
*What if I told you those jobs would be filled by hard-working low-income people, all of whom are local?
*What if I told you NO bribery (aka “tax incentives”) would be required to land these jobs?
*What if I told you there were no special workforce training programs required?
*What if I told you virtually ALL of the money earned would be spent locally?
What would happen? Well, the Iowa City Area Business Partnership would put it in their newsletter, and the Ambassadors would do a ribbon cutting. Debi Durham would come over from Des Moines and do a big press event, and the Governor just might join her. ICAD would tweet this success to the world. Mayors would grab gold shovels and pose for a photo. You might get a visit from a US Senator. The Press Citizen and Gazette would both do front page stories. The Corridor Business Journal would write a nice editorial. The region would be hailed for its forward thinking, and folks would talk far and wide about how well we do economic development.
So what if I told you the exact equivalent has already occurred? It has.
Several years ago, I went to a National Association of Counties (NACo) conference and learned about a program that had started in Cook County, Illinois.
As it turns out, a huge number of low-income workers leave money on the table when it comes to the federal income tax system, particularly the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Cook County created a series of free tax clinics to ensure this money returned to their county.
I did some investigating, and it just so happened that Johnson County had the same problem, though obviously on a much smaller scale.
So Johnson County began a free tax help program. It struck me that we had a potential partner in the Tippe College of Business, and as luck would have it, we could not have had better timing. Dr. Joyce Berg was ready to greatly expand the work her student tax preparers would do. It was a perfect fit.
Former Supervisor Sally Stutsman was very supportive. Amy Correia had just been hired as Johnson County’s first Social Services Director, and Amy took the ball and ran with it, including securing grants to cover all operating costs. The Tippe College, ICCSD, United Way, Iowa City Public Library, and many others have become valued partners. In recent years, current Social Services Director Lynette Jacoby has maintained and improved upon all this success.
What are the results? The Free Tax Help Program brings well over $1.5 million into the local economy every year. It goes to low-income local workers, who spend it locally. And it uses no local tax dollars.
Remember when I said “60 full-time jobs at $15 per hour”? That adds up to a $1.78 million annual impact, just like the Free Tax Help Program. But the Free Tax Help Program is actually even better, because it serves over 1,400 Johnson County tax filers and their families!
Economic Development can take many forms. I happen to believe the Free Tax Help program has contributed a lot of good things to the local economy. We have not had any fancy groundbreakings or ribbon cuttings, but we have accomplished something!
*Salvos Salutes – 2014
What I wrote about some of the honorees from Salvos’s Salutes in 2014:
Karla Miller: The retired Director of the Rape Victim Advocacy Program (RVAP), Karla has spent a lifetime serving victims. Her calm demeanor can fool you; Karla is a fierce advocate! Public understanding of rape has come a long way since the 1980s, and while we have a long way to go, pioneers like Karla have led the change.
Bob Downer: Iowa City attorney Bob Downer achieves the rarest of honors, earning his second Salvos Salute. This award is specifically for Bob’s work on the Iowa Board of Regents. In an environment that has become very reactive, Bob continues to advocate for calm, well-reasoned, data driven decisions. The next couple decades of the UI are at stake, and we need leaders to get us through the storm! We are very fortunate to have Bob on the Board at this time!
Royceann Porter: A black kid got in trouble at West High? Call Royceann. A black woman had a problem with a store in Coralville? Call Royceann. No matter the issue, Royceann Porter has become the “go-to” person for the local African American community. The community is too large and diverse to have a single spokesperson, but Royceann is widely respected as a problem solver. Understand – this is a tremendous weight to place on one woman’s shoulders! But Royceann has proven herself to be up to the task.
Chris Buresh: UIHC Physician and Coralville resident Chris Buresh cofounded Community Health Initiatives (CHI) Haiti, and has led dozens of trips to the country. Dr. Buresh combines public health best practices with dogged determination to accomplish amazing things. Even more importantly, he leads CHI with deep respect and compassion for the Haitian people. This is NOT “charity” as you know it; this is an organization actually empowering the poorest people in the Western Hemisphere. Chris – there are no words. You, sir, are a true hero!
Warren McKenna: Where would you find THE leader in solar energy in the Midwest? Look no farther than Farmers Rural Electric Coop in Frytown, Iowa! General Manager Warren McKenna has added Iowa’s largest solar array to go with all kinds of wind and conservation efforts. We have seen the future of energy, and it is in Frytown!
Sally Scott: There is greater momentum for affordable housing than at any time in my memory, and much of the credit for this is due to Sally Scott. She led the charge in creating the Affordable Homes Coalition, which is appropriately asking elected officials to step up in our most critical area of need. A calm and thoughtful leader, I expect big things in the future from Ms. Scott!
Tom Larkin: While Senator Harkin has rightfully received many accolades for his years of service, kudos are also due to his loyal staff person Tom Larkin. Coralville resident Larkin has been the local face of the Senator for years, assisting Johnson County residents with federal issues. Tom is a great guy, and he will be missed!
BJ Sullivan: This one is my favorite ever! Like every high school senior, his relationship with his Dad can be strained at times. No time for family dinners, lots of eye rolling – you know the drill. But BJ has had to overcome a lot in a short life – more than most of us can even dream about. He is a survivor and a champion. And when I see my son in the community - working multiple jobs, standing up for the rights of others, volunteering at local nonprofits, organizing fundraisers, taking mission trips, working with elementary students, caring for senior citizens…damn, I’m proud! I love you, BJ! Now clean your room!
As you can see, 2014 was a year full of people worthy of our admiration!
*DID YOU KNOW? Iowa City applied in 2007, and in 2008, was named a UNESCO City of Literature, part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Iowa City became a part of what is known as the Creative Cities Network. I was on the Board of the original UNESCO City of Literature from about 2007-2012.
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 8:24 AM
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