SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
March 29, 2026
Sullivan’s Salvos 4/2/26
In this edition:
*Passover
*Happy Easter!
*RIP Dean Oakes
*Community ID
*Johnson County Minimum Wage
*Did You Know?
*Passover
A Kosher and happy Passover to all my Jewish friends. I am still brushing up on my Hebrew calendar; please know that I wish you all the best!
*Happy Easter!
Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it! Please take care if you are travelling and have a safe holiday.
*RIP Dean Oakes
Johnson County area realtor/developer and Dean Oakes died recently. My family attends church with Dean and his wife Evelyn. They are very generous in donating to many church-related causes and concerns. That is somewhat at odds with the Dean Oakes I knew, first as a local activist and later as a County Supervisor. Over the years, Dean had developed a reputation as an almost cartoonish bad guy.
*If there was a creek on a piece of land, Dean would alter it.
*200-year-old grove of trees? Cut them down.
*You can have a driveway in area A which will not impact your neighbors, or you can go to area B, causing four neighbors to sue. Give me Area B.
*Can Mom just stay on the family farm through the holidays? No, she is out November 15.
In the eyes of many people, Dean personified every bad connotation of a “developer.” But he also made us better. Dean tended to do things just because he could. (Really, I think he did not like being told what he could not do.) So Johnson County had to develop very thorough policies that achieved the results we wanted. We definitely developed some excellent policies, always thinking, “How would Dean Oakes get around this?” We owe him for that!
It is interesting, because the primary focus of county government in Johnson County between 1988 and 2018 was land use. There were Land Use Plans adopted in ’88 and ’98, and Comprehensive Plans adopted in ’08 and ’18, and these were the single biggest focus of the public and the Supervisors during that era. Because literally hundreds of people put in literally hundreds of hours over literally decades, we are in a pretty good place now when it comes to planning and zoning.
But that can change quickly. I am actually very concerned by the fact that our current Board does not understand the important lessons learned from this period. And now Dean Oakes is no longer around to push us.
We also should not ignore Dean’s generosity in other areas. He almost single-handedly started the Antique Car Museum at the Iowa River Landing, run in conjunction with the Johnson County Historical Society. Dean was also a renowned numismatist, awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Professional Numismatists Guild in 2025 and admitted to the Society of Paper Money Collectors Hall of Fame in 2021.
RIP, Dean. You were one of a kind!
*Community ID
There has been so much happening that I have not had an opportunity to say a proper goodbye to Johnson County’s Community ID. As you may have heard, the Republicans in the Iowa Legislature passed a law prohibiting any type of locally issued identification card. It just so happens that the only locally issued ID card in the state is issued by Johnson County.
So, true to form, the Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have taken away yet another measure of local control. So I decided to look back at some previous editions of Salvos to see what I had written at the time. The following (in italics) is from April 14, 2015.
Johnson County is preparing to roll out a Community ID program. I am excited about this, and I have been working on it for about a year. I want to take a little time to explain why I believe this is a good thing for our community.
First, a bit of history – the impetus for this came from the Center for Worker Justice (CWJ), a remarkable local organization dedicated to securing fair treatment for immigrant workers.
Like every other organization that has ever existed in Johnson County, the CWJ thought they should start with Iowa City and Coralville. Soon they realized that working with Johnson County might be a better avenue for getting this done.
A committee was formed, consisting of CWJ members, local labor leaders, and four Johnson County officials: Recorder Kim Painter, Auditor Travis Weipert, County Attorney Janet Lyness, and myself. These folks have moved the process forward to where we are today.
We also have an ace in the hole when it comes to going through this process. UI Law Professor Stella Burch Elias specializes in Immigration Law. More importantly, she was centrally involved in the successful effort to create a Community ID in New Haven, Connecticut. Having her involved ensures that Johnson County follows applicable federal laws, and prevents us from reinventing the wheel.
The ID itself will be a laminated card with a holographic image applied, the same size as a driver’s license. The cost to get an ID will be $5 or $10.
Because there are already 700 people who have signed forms requesting IDs, we will need to determine a process for getting the first wave their IDs. This will likely be a weekend effort, utilize existing County staff. After the initial group of 700, we expect the ongoing numbers to be more like 5-10 IDs per month. Given that, we expect people to simply be able to call the Board of Supervisors Office to schedule an appointment to get their IDs. We may work with local libraries to arrange some weekend hours.
Why do we need a Community ID? I have a very personal story. After years of doing nothing, a few years ago, the Board of Supervisors finally began taking action against the criminals that own Regency Mobile Home Park. State law severely limits the ability of the Board to intervene, but there were dozens of credible reports of fraud coming from Regency.
Johnson County detectives swooped in, gathered all the info they could, and began following up on leads. Then they ran into a stone wall. Most of the people they needed to speak with refused to talk to them. These folks saw law enforcement coming, and they went the other way – even when they were innocent victims!
I spoke at length with the lead detective on the case, and he said that this avoidance of law enforcement was common. When I asked why, he said it all came back to a lack of ID.
This illustrates the number one reason for instituting a Community ID – public safety. We need victims and witnesses to come forward in order to solve crimes and see to it that justice is served. The Community ID will help with this.
There are many additional benefits: immigrants can open bank accounts and cash checks; cardholders can access municipal services such as the library, rec centers, etc.; it can serve as a second ID for employment purposes; it can serve as an ID for local schools; the list goes on and on.
The Community ID will be available to anyone who can provide the proper documentation. The bar will not be as high as an Iowa Driver ID, but there will be protections to ensure that the person is who they claim to be.
Johnson County is home to thousands of immigrants. China, India, Korea, Mexico, Sudan, Senegal, Honduras… the people of Johnson County are increasingly diverse. We need to do a better job welcoming these folks to our community. They are our future!
Again, that piece ran in Salvos on April 14, 2015. RIP Community ID!
*Johnson County Minimum Wage
Speaking of areas in which the Legislature has taken away local control… raising the minimum wage is one of my proudest moments as a County Supervisor. And it continues to have impact. We still “raise the wage” even though it is no longer enforceable. See the press release below.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted to increase the County’s recommended minimum wage to $13.37 per hour, effective July 1, 2026. The Board of Supervisors used Consumer Price Index data to set the increase, which is based on inflation.
Though the wage increase is symbolic in nature and unenforceable under State law, the Board of Supervisors has voted to increase the minimum wage in Johnson County since 2015.
The State of Iowa’s minimum wage was increased to $7.25 per hour in 2008, ahead of the Federal increase to $7.25 in 2009, but has remained at $7.25 and is not indexed for inflation.
On Sept. 10, 2015, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance (09-10-15-01) establishing a Johnson County minimum wage.
On March 30, 2017, Governor Terry Branstad signed legislation eliminating the ability of jurisdictions within the State of Iowa to set a minimum wage above the State minimum wage. Johnson County had a higher minimum wage than the State for 17 months, including three months when it was $10.10 per hour.
More information on the minimum wage ordinance is available at www.johnsoncountyiowa.gov/wage.
*DID YOU KNOW? Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) established the first federal minimum wage via the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to boost purchasing power, end "starvation wages," and force companies to pay a decent living wage. He viewed a minimum floor for wages, along with maximum hours and child labor bans, as essential to economic recovery and worker protection. The 1938 Act set a minimum wage of 25 cents per hour, raising it to 40 cents by 1945.
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 @ 8:20 AM
0 Comments
