SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 24, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/29/26
In this edition:
*Remembering November 1st, 1991
*Election Night = Election Week
*Consequential – Human Rights Ordinance
*Salvos Salutes – 2025
*Did You Know?
*Remembering November 1st, 1991
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.
*Election Night = Election Week
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!
*Happy Halloween!
Halloween is Saturday the 31st. 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.
*Consequential – Human Rights Ordinance
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!
*Salvos Salutes – 2025
What I wrote about some of the honorees from Salvos’s Salutes in 2025:
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!
As you can see, 2025 was a year full of people worthy of our admiration!
*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.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 11:04 AM
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