SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 8, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 3/12/26
In this edition:
*RIP Jan Soboroff
*Saint Patrick’s Day!
*St. Patrick’s Day Trivia
*Bob Sullivan
*War With Iran
*The Politics of Bridge Building
*Spreading Salvos Love!
*Did You Know?
*RIP Jan Soboroff
When Jan Soboroff moved to Iowa City, we were both working out of the old Johnson County Health and Human Services Building at 911 North Governor Street in Iowa City.
Jan did a variety of things in her career as a social worker, including work with at risk youth, and foster care and adoption placements. I never got to know her very well, but she was like and respected by all of our peers.
RIP, Jan.
*Saint Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day on March 17! St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year. While not an “official” holiday, this day has long been considered a holiday by my Irish family.
March 17 is a Tuesday this year, but we should still be able to celebrate correctly! Meanwhile, I hope each and every one of you is touched by a little luck o’ the Irish!
*St. Patrick’s Day Trivia
Here are some interesting St. Patrick’s Day facts:
*With 23 percent of the population of Celtic ancestry, Massachusetts has a higher proportion of residents of Irish descent than any other state, edging out New Hampshire (20 percent) and Rhode Island (18 percent). The remaining New England states -- Connecticut, Vermont and Maine -- also rank among the top 10 in this category, as do Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Montana.
*New York City has more residents of Irish descent than any city in the world, including Dublin! Boston, however, has the largest percentage of Irish residents of any large American city.
*28 - Gallons of beer consumed per capita by Americans annually. (The equivalent of 224 pints per year.) I used to bring that average way up. Now I bring it way down!
*13 million - In 2017, it was estimated that 13 million pints of Guinness would be consumed worldwide on St. Patrick's Day. And in 2020, it was estimated that in America, overall beer sales would be up 174 percent. In fact, it's the biggest day for bars in the country. And in general, in 2020, it was expected that Americans would spend over $6 billion celebrating the holiday.
*9 - Number of places in the US which share the name of Dublin, Ireland's capital. Dublin, CA was the most populous, at 70,500, followed by Dublin, OH at 45,000.
*There are many more Americans of Irish origin than there are Irish in Ireland. (36 million Americans claimed Irish ancestry in 2008; 32 million in 2025. the population of Ireland is 5.4 million.)
*You can't attend a St. Patrick’s Day event without hearing a cry of "Erin go Bragh." What's the phrase mean? It's a corruption of the Irish Éirinn go Brách, which means roughly "Ireland Forever."
*Bob Sullivan
March 17 holds a special place in my heart that goes beyond St. Patrick’s Day. That was also the birthday of my late father, Bob Sullivan.
Dad was a proud union man, Hawkeye fan, and Irishman. We were father and son, but also best friends. I can honestly say he was probably the most fun person I have ever known.
Unfortunately, he left this world much too soon, and never got the chance to meet any of his nine grandchildren. I miss him every single day, but especially on St. Paddy’s Day.
So, if you are looking for an extra toast on St. Patrick’s Day, allow me to suggest that you raise a glass to Bob Sullivan.
Happy birthday, Dad.
*War With Iran
President Trump has started a war with Iran. This is illegal, unjustifiable, dangerous, and stupid.
Only Congress can declare war. But Trump did it anyway. His lap dogs like Ashley Hinson and Marianette Miller Meeks will be just fine with it, too.
We just did what Putin does. What Hitler did. What evil dictators do. We attacked another sovereign nation unprovoked. Trump just committed a war crime in our names.
Iran posed no particular threat to the US. But they do now. Prepare for another couple decades of motivated young terrorists.
Obama had reached a nuclear agreement with Iran. Trump railed against it, although it was working. He ended the agreement. With no agreement, Iran began increasing their nuclear capabilities. So Trump bombs them. He broke things, then broke them again trying to fix it.
Meanwhile, people are dead across the region, including American troops.
I cannot WAIT until November when we can vote out awful Trump rubber stamps like Ashley Hinson and Marianette Miller Meeks.
*The Politics of Bridge Building
I find that there are often disconnects between reality and the political narratives we choose to embrace. The issue of rural bridges is a good example of this disconnect.
First, a bit of background: every Iowa county has hundreds of miles of gravel roads. In addition, many of these roads have multiple bridges. Some are concrete, some are steel, and some are timber, but they all serve the same purpose. We replace a few of these bridges every year, and I can tell you the cost is pretty much always between $500k-$1,200,000, depending upon the length.
These bridges are lifelines for the people who live in the area. This is how farmers get to their fields. This is how farmers get to town. The rural economy functions best when these bridges are well maintained.
In addition, there is a public safety factor. Fire trucks, ambulances, and Sheriff’s vehicles need to be able to access the residents of the area via a quick and direct route.
On the other hand, the cost of these bridges adds up. Say we set aside $4.0 million for these bridges each year. That is the same cost as two brand new miles of paved road, or the rehabilitation of 6 miles of paved road.
Some of our paved roads see thousands of cars every day. Often these gravel roads have traffic counts as low as 20 cars per day. Needless to say, many people feel it is foolish to invest so much money in these bridges when the total traffic counts are so low.
I understand both sides of the argument. But time after time, I have come down on the side of the farmer. I have served as a Supervisor for 20 years. In that time, Johnson County has never permanently closed a bridge. I am extremely proud of that fact!
But you won’t find a bunch of farmers singing my praises. In fact, you’ll find the exact opposite; farmers talking about how much they hate my work as a Supervisor.
Here is where the disconnect comes in. Washington County – with more farms than Johnson County – has closed bridges. The Washington County Board is made up 100% of conservative Republicans. But they have closed bridges.
Cedar County is the same way. The Cedar County Board is made up of 100% conservative Republicans, including the Chair of the Iowa Republican Party. But they have closed bridges.
Like many areas of our politics today, the realities of bridge building do not match the political narrative.
*Spreading Salvos Love!
I have been sending Salvos out since I began as a Supervisor in January of 2005. (Actually, the first couple editions came out in December of 2004, just before I took office.)
The newsletter was not named “Sullivan’s Salvos” at that time; that name came from my friend Charlie Funk. Meanwhile, over the past 1108 weeks, subscribers have received around 1090 issues of Salvos. (I have missed a few weeks for family vacations, etc.)
I really wasn’t certain that I would be able to maintain this volume of writing. And I’d be lying if I said it was easy. But it is a bit of a labor of love. And I am very proud of the fact that I do this every week – not just when I am up for reelection!
Hopefully, folks have found it interesting. I have been intrigued by the responses. A few dozen folks have unsubscribed in protest over one issue or another; some have returned, but not all. There are a handful of folks who offer their thoughts frequently; I really appreciate this! Two or three people actually respond at length on occasion; I feel as though I have made a couple of friends this way! Most subscribers stay subscribed, but I don’t really know if they read it or not. And that is OK.
I have not done much to increase readership since those earliest weeks. The number of subscribers quickly grew to about 550, dropped off to around 500, and has remained within about ten of that number ever since.
Johnson County is a very transient community, and it is truly remarkable how many people come and go. Unfortunately, 75+ readers have died during this span. Many of my readers no longer subscribe because they moved away. And just as people go, new people arrive. I know there are people new to Johnson County who might be interested in subscribing. Given that, I decided to reach out a bit – hence this article.
I ask that you please do me a favor. Forward this edition of Salvos on to a few friends. Encourage them to sign up. I’d like to add a few new readers to the mix.
Thank you for sharing, and thank you for reading! I look forward to your feedback in the future! It has truly been a pleasure!
*DID YOU KNOW? Johnson County maintains 211 bridges of 20’ or longer.
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.
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
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 5:06 PM
0 Comments
