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Has the JECC caused more problems than it has solved?

By Mike Thayer

Millions and millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent on the Joint Emergency Communications Center.  County taxpayers bought land, architects' and engineer services, new building construction, new non-emergency response toys for the facility, new staffing hires, new employment contracts had to be hammered out, etc......  We're talking over 20 million taxpayer dollars to put up a building and another $3 million annually to operate it.

Here's a hindsight is 20/20 moment:  Wouldn't it have been better to just get all emergency response agencies on the same kind of equipment and then hire a consultant to get the various agencies on the same page with their policies and procedures?

The objective of the JECC was to improve the communications between departments and modernize equipment.  That was the pitch and that got done, but at a much higher cost to taxpayers than necessary.  Now we have a whole new host of problems as a result of the JECC concept itself.  Management woes, pay/benefits woes of staff that didn't exist before, operational expense that didn't exist before, funding issues and so on...   There are all kinds of new problems, not just *bugs* that need to be worked out - problems that quite frankly, were preventable.

All we had to do as a community was modernize equipment and get everybody on the same page with procedure.   And don't tell me that chore is easier said than done.  That part got done - the thing is we as a county community didn't need a multi-million dollar building to do it.   

What should have been an exercise in communication, became an excuse for a fancy new building.

What was pushed by county supervisors - the fancy new platinum plated building - has become something those same county supervisors now bitch about.   They created a problem, and now bitch about the problem!

County supervisors and an increase in government tinkering gave us the problems we now have with the JECC.  It was totally preventable.

There are other problems besides management, in-fighting (supervisors vs. policy board) and funding that the public isn't being told about. 

This story is developing......  So until the next piece comes out, ask yourself this....  "Why didn't somebody on the county board of supervisors stand up with some common sense back in 2008 when the JECC was first proposed and just say, all that's really needed here is some new equipment and some policy changes?"

There's a reason why Rod Sullivan didn't stand up.

Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan once again demonstrates hypocrisy

By Mike Thayer

Sullivan is still whining about the county not having any control over rental properties in the rural areas of Johnson County.

Frankly, somebody's farm is not his property to govern.

Here's a quote from Sullivan as reported by the North Liberty Leader:

 "The worst possible working conditions are when the person who is your boss also owns your house. When a person not only has control over your employment but also where you live, that's a deadly combo," said Sullivan.

Talk about insulting!  According to Sullivan, if you let somebody live in a house you own in exchange for working your farm, you'll cause death!  Rod Sullivan, a county supervisor, would have people believe that any and all property owners who give somebody a job and a house to stay in, are inherently evil!

And we let this guy write laws and tax us?  And on top of that and his over-the-top generalizations, now he wants to inspect and fine us? 

He's a control freak.

Let's turn this around on Sullivan....

The worst possible government conditions are when a county supervisor wants a multi-million bridge to nowhere, and he can also manipulate the rules and get taxpayer funding for it without needing to take up a public vote on the matter.  When a government official has control over the people's agenda and also the people's money, that's a very taxpayer-abusive combo.  

And I'm not saying all goverment officials are bad apples, not at all, but Sullivan certainly is.  He's a pot-kettle-black kind of guy; he's a liberal - an acuse other people of doing the very thing he's guilty of doing kind of guy; he's a should be looking in the mirror when making those kind of accusations kind of guy.

We don't need to be giving Rod Sullivan more power and control over people, we need to take it away from him.

We can do that in November, he's up for re-election.

Related story, doing the job local media refuses to do..... Tying stories together:

http://coralvillecourier.typepad.com/community/2011/10/countys-management-of-bridges-unacceptable.html

  

Some taxpayers got duped by county supervisors pushing Conservation Bond

By Mike Thayer

Doing the job the local liberal media fails to do, I'm tying stories together.... 

It can be argued that Johnson County Supervisors Rod Sullivan, Terrance Neuzil, Sally Stutsman and others have pulled the wool over some county resident eyes when it comes to "green space."  I take it a step further and contend that what supervisors did in 2008 is outright taxpayer manipulation and abuse when they force fed the Conservation Bond issue of 2008 to the November election ballot.  With the bond coming at a cost of $20 million taxpayer dollars, read the following Iowa City DePressed Citizen article run today regarding a special interest group.  The group specializes in buying up land in the name of "green space" in Johnson County.  After you're done with that article, come back  and read what I posted back in 2008.

http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20120208/NEWS01/302080003/More-Iowa-land-being-preserved-trusts

Posted in 2008:  http://coralvillecourier.typepad.com/community/2008/10/supervisor-rod-sullivan-has-he-abused-his-power-and-violated-the-public-trust.html

As I said back then, the county already has the Heritage Trust, a special interest group going around the county and buying up property in the name of green space.   Why did the county force taxpayers to duplicate the efforts of the Heritage Trust?   $$$$$$$....  Bankrolled by taxpayers, the county can buy up bigger and more expensive chunks of land, purchases can come more readily as well.  That benefits the Heritage Trust, it frees up their project board.  

Why worry about raising funds for three properties you want to buy, when you can get taxpayers to provide funds for you, right?

Did you know three supervisors and a county director pushing the bond in 2008 were also members of a special interest group?  That's a pretty important tidbit of information the public would be interested in knowing.....   Funny then, how those supes and a director didn't really mention their membership and the existence of that group in marketing the bond, don't you think?

Caution:  Rod Sullivan is once again the Chairman of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors in 2012.  He is also up for re-election.  He has a history of shoving his liberal-minded agenda down voter's throats.  He'll do it again.

http://coralvillecourier.typepad.com/community/2008/09/supervisor-rod.html

Supervisor Rodney Sullivan upset at not getting invited to an event

By Mike Thayer

Johnson County Supervisor Rodney Sullivan is a spoiled child.  When the game doesn't go his way, he throws a temper tantrum.

Seriously, the guy doesn't get invited to what's being promoted as a Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor re-branding campaign and he goes nuts.

“We represent 135,000 people,” he said. “It’d be nice to have a voice at the table,” said Sullivan in a statement to the Iowa City DePressed Citizen.

The guy is upset about not being able to provide his input on how to spend more taxpayer money.  He doesn't want to simply give "ooohhhhs and ahhhhhhs" during the presentation of a new logo, he wanted to be the one in charge of designing it!  

At stake:  A two-year marketing program to 'promote' the corridor area, with start-up costs, just start-up costs mind you, costing $125,000.  That's money paid to an out-of-state marketing firm to boot.

Linn County kicked in $10,000 to sit at the table of corridor re-branding, Sullivan is jealous.

The City of Coralville kicked in $7,000.   Sullivan is miffed at not being included.

For Sullivan it's like, "I want to give away taxpayer money too!"

That's what the 'Corridor Re-branding Campaign' is.  It's a taxpayer money give-away to an out-of-state marketing firm.  Iowa firms can't be pleased.  This marketing firm, called North Star out of Tennessee, has been hired by a group called the Corridor Business Alliance formed in 2009, that involves a mix of area government related groups and private entities benefitting from government relationships.  The Corridor Business Alliance, literally sat down and listened to an out-of-state marketing group conduct a seminar on how to spend money, price tag starting at $125,000.

Rodney Sullivan is upset that he didn't get to play at the start of the game. 

And here's the dirty little secret, Iowa City and Johnson County weren't invited to anything but the new logo and name presentation because nobody wants to work with them.  Who wants to work with people who are intolerant of ideas that aren't their own?

Supervisor Rod Sullivan wears racism on his sleeve, says "The New Jim Crow" should be required reading in Johnson County

The following is from Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan and his blog, Sullivan's Salvos

We often hear about Christians who feel that Christmas has lost its meaning, union members who feel that way about Labor Day, and Veterans who feel the same about Veteran’s Day. I fear that this could be happening to MLK Day as well.

America has come a long way since the 60s, and overt racism is now typically (but certainly not always) frowned upon. We still have a long way to go, however. Unfortunately, Johnson County is home to plenty of racists. The Press Citizen was all too pleased to offer them a forum for 7-8 years, too. MLK’s work – our work – on racial issues is far from done.

I just finished reading “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander. This book should be required reading in Johnson County. Why Johnson County? Because despite our “liberal” credentials, we incarcerate African Americans at the HIGHEST rate in Iowa!

Johnson County is about 85% white, and 6% African American. Yet we incarcerate African Americans at several times the rate of whites. Juvenile Court involvement occurs at a rate of NINE times the rate of whites. How can we possibly accept these disparities?

Way to go Rod, in your attempt to highlight Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day,  you end up actually poo-poo'ing it by inserting wild claims of racism.

Simple question Rod, who is committing the crime and getting caught?  Isn't it possible that it's really just that simple?   Did you even consider that?

Sullivan has made this liberal-minded argument before and it's a hollow one.   He throws racism claims around quite a bit without foundation.  Readers, inform yourselves, I wouldn't put a lot of stock in what Sullivan is claiming here.  I say  that primarily because I read the Coralville Police Daily Bulletin as often as I can, I post both Coralville's and Iowa City's investigative stories on the Coralville Courier fairly frequently.  Granted, Coralville and Iowa City are but two towns in all of Johnson County, but they are the biggest and the data/stories I'm seeing doesn't support what Sullivan is implying at all. 

People commit crimes Rod, they get arrested.   Incarceration rates indicate who is committing crimes and getting busted, it does not indicate racism. 

Sullivan is inserting a racially based argument without a basis in fact.  Is he doing this just to push his MLK article?  I tend to think so.  Note that Sullivan didn't provide any examples or real statistics.  How irresponsible is that?  Sullivan is a Johnson County Supervisor, I don't care if his blog is his personal opinion, he's irresponsibly posting an unsubstantiated, unqualified claim for public view.  If you're going to issue a charge, you better back it up and Sullivan didn't. 

Think about what Sullivan has done here.  He is implying that police are looking the other way and not making arrests for other groups.  If I'm Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek or Police Chief Hargadine of Iowa City perfoming my duties honorably, I'm not going to care for Sullivan's comments.  I'm going to stand up for my department and call Sullivan out on the carpet.  Sullivan is also implying the county's justice system is prejudiced.  If I'm the County Attorney and my department is performing their duties honorably, same thing, I'm not at all happy with Sullivan's comments and I'm taking Sullivan to task.  And judges make the final determination on incarceration, Sullivan would have us believe they're racists?    Incarceration is based in skin color and not the guilt in committing a crime?  Due process is not taking place?

If Sullivan is right, then where's the beef? 

Do you have examples of racism Sullivan?  Do you have proof that the police are exercising racism when determining who gets arrested and who doesn't?  Are court cases being based on color and not crime?  That's what you're implying.

And you want to force people to read The New Jim Crow?

No thanks, your definition of racism is twisted.  Worse yet, you wear it on your sleeve.

This guy is up for re-election folks, he tells constituents who disagree with him to "F___ You!"   He calls his peer liars, he makes angry calls to people at their homes during their dinner hour and tells them they're full of hate, he charges the local liberal paper with facilitating racism, he issues threats of physical violence, now he makes the unfounded charges of racism with the Johnson County legal system.

Do we really want to put this guy back in office?  Look at that pattern of behavior.  What's next?

 

FEMA funding for the Sutliffe Bridge Unconstitutional

By Mike Thayer

"The true test is, whether the object be of a local character, and local use; or, whether it be of general benefit to the states. If it be purely local, congress cannot constitutionally appropriate money for the object. But, if the benefit be general, it matters not, whether in point of locality it be in one state, or several; whether it be of large, or of small extent." -- Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution, 1833

RE:  The Sutliff Bridge.  Spanning the Cedar River in northern Johnson County, the bridge did not have a transportation function, it was a pedestrian bridge only, primarily used by visitors of a local bar/grill to cross the river, look at a open field, then go back to the bar/grill parking lot.  The bridge lost one of three spans back in the flood of 2008.  Federal funding has been secured to replace that span and bring the bridge up to code, at a cost of approximately $2 million.  For those of you who live in University Heights, that means it's taxpayer dollars being spent.  

The problem is we have people in office who are totally ignorant when it comes to the Constitution or flat out don't care.  Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan is a prime example.  He arranged to change the charter for the Sutliffe Bridge, giving the county authority over the local bridge to nowhere (from a bar to a field).  He orchestrated things at the county level so he could spend county taxpayer money to secure federal taxpayer money to replace the missing bridge span and make other repairs.  Why?  Because for Sullivan, the bridge holds sentimental value.  He grew up near the Sutliff area.  His sentimental value cost you money.  No doubt a few people from the Sutliff area tugged on Sullivan's ear as well, but by no means did they have to twist his arm. 

Here's the thing, a REAL leader would have said, "No, federal funding for a local thing like this is not appropriate."  

But Sullivan didn't do that.   Instead, he looked for ways to manipulate, he played games not just with county taxpayer money, he played games with federal taxpayer money. 

Do you really think people from Charleston, South Carolina or Midland, Texas give a rat's rear end about the Sutliff Bridge, a bridge to nowhere?  Why should residents of those locales be sending their hard earned money to Iowa for a bridge they'll never use?  They shouldn't.  Those monies should stay in Charleston, they should stay in Midland to address their local needs.   The Sutliff Bridge is of local character, of local use.   It is not something of general benefit to all states. 

Meanwhile, supervisor spending of county taxpayer money has reached a new record high - more than $100 million - Sullivan likes to spend your money, whether it came out of your county pocket, or your federal pocket! 

Why do voters keep poisonous people like Sullivan in office?