SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
October 17, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 10/22/26
In this edition:
*COVID and Flu Shots
*NCAA Sports and Congress
*Ballot Selfies
*Consequential – Mental Health Changes
*Salvos Salutes – 2024
*Did You Know?
*COVID and Flu Shots
Fall is upon us, and there are many opportunities now for you to get updated COVID and flu shots. PLEASE do so! I got mine!
Yes, I wish these shots were still free; our healthcare system never fails to frustrate me. But PLEASE take advantage of these opportunities. You may well be making a decision that saves your life, and/or the lives of others.
*NCAA Sports and Congress
Those of you who know me well know that I am a huge Hawkeye fan. So I have been watching with interest as the US House and Senate decided to intervene in collegiate athletics.
It probably does not need to be said, but the NCAA has been an abject failure. This is true. But the only group who would do a worse job than the NCAA are the Republicans in the US House and Senate.
It should come as no surprise that Congress decided to go after NCAA, and not billionaire owners of all the professional sports leagues. Members of Congress dare not anger the hand that feeds them.
So what reforms are needed? TV ratings and attendance have never been higher. What is broken? Well, due to a series of court decisions, NCAA athletes may now benefit from NIL, or Name, Image, and Likeness money. Essentially, their services are for sale.
To me, Democrats need to stand strongly against the proposal from Congress. First, even though there are clearly things that need to be fixed, Congress is not the right group to fix it. Secondly, this is a classic labor struggle. Democrats need to be on the side of the workers – in this case, athletes. Thirdly, let’s not kid ourselves – in revenue sports, a disproportionate number of the athletes are African Americans. This is a racial issue, no doubt about it.
Colleges and Universities need to institute some reforms in their athletic programs. But Congress needs to stay away!
*Ballot Selfies
(I wrote this way back in 2018. It is still a problem, IMHO.)
I generally come down on the side of free speech. But new technologies sometimes lead us into interesting territory. One place where I break with free speech advocates – I think it should be illegal to photograph a completed ballot.
Interestingly, it is legal in 20 states, illegal in 20 states, and unclear in 10 states, including Iowa.
You have all seen these on social media – an 18-year-old smiling and holding up her first ballot. I have seen numerous posts of this nature, from all sorts of people. They are always happy and smiling. But a very sinister downside is possible.
Here is the problem: if it is legal to photograph your ballot, someone is going to use it against you. It is pretty easy to imagine Amazon requiring workers to show their ballots prior to an election. It is not much of a stretch to imagine a County Elected requiring their employees to demonstrate that they voted for them. A membership organization could require a photo of your ballot as a condition of membership. Abusive husbands can easily require their wives to take a ballot photo.
Pretty soon it becomes, “What do you have to hide?” If you CAN photograph your ballot, someone is going to say you MUST photograph your ballot. The presumption of a secret ballot is no more.
Sure, you can write laws to explicitly prohibit coercion of the type I mentioned. But the laws won’t work. Instagram photos go away almost immediately; how would you prove it? Employees and victims of domestic violence are already lacking power in this world. Allowing ballots to be photographed just gives those with power another tool. People with less power need the law on their side.
I hope you will join me in advocating for a ban on photographs of completed ballots.
*Consequential – Mental Health Changes
One of the areas where I feel I have done a lot of good work is in the area of mental health and disabilities. There were many changes over the years, and I think I helped Johnson County get through them quite well.
First, some background. Up until the early 1990s, counties funded all MH/DS services through local property taxes. Starting in the early ’90s, Iowa began to rely more heavily on Medicaid (also known as Title 19) to fund services. Other states had begun doing this a decade earlier – Iowa was late to the game.
Why utilize Medicaid services? Medicaid services are funded primarily by the federal government. There is a “local match”, which varies depending upon the relative wealth of your state. So in the early ‘90s, Iowa began enrolling every eligible person in Medicaid, and assigned counties to pick up the local match.
This had an extremely positive impact for people with disabilities. Many more people became eligible for services. Additionally, Medicaid picked up the health insurance for these folks, providing coverage where little had been available. So the ‘90s were good times for people with disabilities.
The ‘90s were TOO good for people with disabilities if you asked the Iowa Farm Bureau. They saw the roles of people served tripling, and became very concerned about their future property taxes. This led the Iowa Legislature to pass a 1996 property tax relief act known as Senate File 69, which limited property taxes going into MH/DS funding. The idea was that counties would be capped, and the state would pay for any growth.
After 1998, the state began to renege on this promise. Meanwhile, the MH/DS levies changed depending on which county you were in. In some western Iowa counties they were losing both population and taxable valuation. In those places, people with disabilities often moved to more urban areas, where they had greater access to services, medical care, transportation, etc. In those counties, the MH/DS levy went up every year in order to generate that same capped dollar amount.
Johnson County was the opposite. Population skyrocketed, as did taxable valuations. People with disabilities moved here in droves. So in Johnson County, the levy rate required to generate our capped amount went down every year. Soon, Johnson County could not meet the demand for services.
The Iowa Legislature and Department of Human Services decided to undertake a huge MH/DS redesign. (One of the key architects was Johnson County State Senator Joe Bolkcom.)
Under redesign, counties were forced to merge into MH/DS regions. These regions were charged with pooling their property tax dollars, and providing equivalent services to every county in the region. In exchange, the State would pick up the local match of all Medicaid services. This came along at the same time as the Affordable Care Act, which made Medicaid available to many more people.
I organized the very first meeting on this topic in the State of Iowa. Supervisors and MH/DS staff attended from over 30 counties. The way things played out were interesting. Iowa County came calling right away. 95% of the Iowa County MH/DS budget was spent in Johnson County anyway. Benton County had a very similar relationship with Linn County. Meanwhile, Linn and Johnson Counties had worked together previously.
We moved forward with a group of 4 contiguous counties. Jones County wanted in, and that made sense. Then, suddenly, we heard from Dubuque County. We let them in. Finally, in a last second move, Buchanan and Bremer Counties requested to join. After some deliberation, we let both in. That gave us a 9-county region, home to over 600,000 people, making us the most populous of Iowa’s 15 regions.
We soon created an intergovernmental agreement, and officially set up a governing board of one Supervisor from each county. (I was the Johnson County appointee.) Each county then began pooling our MH/DS funds. Jones County was selected as the fiscal agent for the region, meaning that for a small fee, they collect the dues and pay the bills. They ended up being too small, so Johnson took over.
All things considered, I feel our region worked pretty well. The Supervisors created a framework, staff worked well together, and advocates kept everybody honest.
Meanwhile, the fact that the State and ACA picked up much of the cost of services freed up money to do things that were only dreams previously.
We created jail diversion and mobile crisis response programs in all 9 counties. We had telepsychiatry available at our rural hospitals. We had crisis phone, text, and chat services. We had crisis stabilization beds in the more populous counties. Shelter House was funded for the first time ever. All this, plus our previous menu of services. This was the biggest expansion of services since Medicaid came in the ‘90s.
Needless to say, Republicans in Iowa saw good things happening for needy people and had to intervene.
First, Iowa failed to maintain its’ commitment to the Medicaid program. States have great latitude in terms of what they do with Medicaid. Iowa made more folks ineligible for services.
Secondly, Iowa committed to a system of managed care for Medicaid services. This meant bureaucrats denying services to sick people to increase corporate profits. This also led to the destruction of Johnson County’s MH/DS Department.
Finally, the State ended regions and established Area Service Organizations. What are those? They are another way to keep from providing services.
I am sad to say that I have seen Iowa lose so much ground in the area. I sincerely hope we can turn it around. I know I am committed to doing so. But despite our backslide, I am damned proud of the work I did, and I know many people had better lives because of it.
*Salvos Salutes – 2024
What I wrote about some of the honorees from Salvos’s Salutes in 2024:
Fiona Johnson: Johnson County Ambulance is pretty much unparalleled in Iowa. You will not find a more responsive, committed, innovative, better-trained, more thoughtful group. That all starts with Ambulance Director Fiona Johnson, one of the most amazing individuals I have ever met! Fiona is one of the finest employees and leaders you could possibly find. The Ambulance Service works 24/7/365, and literally saves lives almost every day. Trust me – we are all incredibly fortunate to live in a county where Fiona is in charge of this vital service!
Brad Friedhoff: Johnson County Conservation has been through a very emotional year. Longtime Director Larry Gullett passed away due to cancer. Another longtime employee was suspended. A group of county residents took up the cause of passing another Conservation Bond, which happened on November 6. Through it all, Conservation has been led by the steady hand of Interim Director Brad Friedhoff of Coralville. Brad is hard working, smart, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. His leadership this year – and every year - has been amazing. Thank you, Brad!
Lindsey Jones: Johnson County suffered quite a blow when our former HR Director passed away. She was the only person who had ever held the job, and we were scrambling. Luckily, we were able to hire Lindsey Jones of North Liberty into the position! Lindsey has been absolutely fantastic, stepping in and learning everything she needed to learn while also putting fresh eyes on things. She has many positive changes, and really won folks over with her smarts, ethics, and hard work. Thank you, Lindsey! We are so glad you are here!
Jason Grimm: The Johnson County Historic Poor Farm is a really neat place. In addition to maintaining and interpreting our history, we have been able to put this public land to work sustainably growing food for people in need. Nobody deserves more credit for this than Jason Grimm of Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development. I remember when I first heard Jason’s name. Supervisor Sally Stutsman told me there was a young man at Iowa State from next door in Iowa County, and that he was a superstar! Sally suggested we work with him however we could. Sally was right on! Jason Grimm is a superstar, and we are extremely lucky to have had him and his team involved in the Historic Poor Farm! Jason founded Grow Johnson County, and has done amazing work in every way. Keep up the great work, Jason!
Monika Jindahl: Dr. Jindahl of Tiffin is a highly decorated physician at the University of Iowa. She serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine; Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Program Director; Family and Community Medicine Psychiatry Residency Medical Director; and Medical Director of the GuideLink Behavioral Access Center. It is through her work at the GuideLink Center that I have come to know and appreciate Monika. She brings compassion and thoughtfulness to every interaction, and her guidance and hard work have made the GuideLink Center a huge success. Thank you, Monika! We are so lucky to have you!
Shelly Maherry: Shelly has done a wonderful job in her role as President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Johnson County. Despite the fact that she has been in her position a while now, I have really only gotten to know her in the last 3 years or so. I was actually quite involved when the Community Foundation was just forming – Dick Schwab kindly asked for me to participate, and I did so for several years. It is amazing how far they have come and how many lives they touch! Shelly is clearly a great leader, and it has been a pleasure getting to know her better.
Cady Gerlach: Better Together 2030 is an awesome set of goals for Johnson County. But the goals are bold, and will not be achieved without leadership. That is where Cady Gerlach comes in. Cady was the perfect choice to lead BT2030. She is smart, compassionate, and a great connector of people. Better Together 2030 has already accomplished a lot. There is much more to come! Look for Cady’s name to be at the center of it all.
Bijou Maliabo: I don’t know too many people who are involved in more things in this community! I have known Bijou’s mother for a long time. She once told me, “No one works harder than my daughter. The problem is, she doesn’t get paid for it!” I agree 100% with the first part of that statement. Second part? It’s called being one of the best volunteers I know! Thank you, Bijou, for your willingness to volunteer your time, and for giving it to so many good causes!
Wendy Zimmermann: The owner and operator of Get Fresh on Iowa Avenue, Wendy was determined to bring healthy food options to downtown Iowa City. She not only succeeded there, but has been a mainstay at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market for years. To top it off, Wendy has served an important function as President of the Iowa City Downtown District. It is a challenge to balance the needs of students, townies, businesses, governments, and all the other parties interested in downtown. It takes some skill, diplomacy, hard work, and perseverance. Wendy, of rural Solon, has done a great job, and earned herself a salute!
As you can see, 2024 was a year full of people worthy of our admiration!
*DID YOU KNOW? According to Census data, about 8% of all Johnson County folks under 65 have some type of disability.
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 @ 1:14 PM
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