Sales Tax Yes Steering Committee

Team Yes Launches Site, Committee

One day after the tea parties, the Yes side on the May 5 sales tax vote rolled out its yesforall.org web site and its "steering committee."

The committee includes the full membership of the Iowa City, Coralville, and North Liberty city councils. This being Johnson County, that's mostly Democrats (even though the offices are nonpartisan, people are what they are). Yet some Republican names pop up, like realtor Rex Brandstatter and council member Henry Herwig of Coralville, and councilor Jim Wozniak of North Liberty (a former Grassley staffer). And others, like Mike O'Donnell and Bob Elliott (who had this guest piece in today's Press-Citizen), aren't exactly associated with the left end of local politics.

Business and labor names fill out the list, as follows:

Steve McGuire, Co-Chair
Sue Dvorsky, Co-Chair
Jerry Anthony
Mayor Regenia Bailey, Iowa City
Joan Benson
Senator Joe Bolkcom
Rex Brandstatter
Connie Champion, Iowa City Council Member
Coleen Chipman, North Liberty City Council Member
Amy Correia, Iowa City Council Member
Terry Donahue, North Liberty City Council Member
Senator Bob Dvorsky
Bob Elliott, former Iowa City Council
Mayor Jim Fausett, Coralville
Brian Flaherty, former Democratic Party chair
Karin Franklin, retired city planner, Iowa City
Tom Gill, City Council Member
Kathy Gloer
Mitch Gross, Iowa City Council Member
Matt Hayek, Iowa City Council Member
Henry Herwig, Coralville City Council Member
Chris Hoffman, North Liberty City Council Member
Patrick Hughes, City Federation of Labor President
Representative Dave Jacoby
Keith Jones
Gerry Kuhl, City Council Member
Representative Vicki Lensing
John Lundell, Coralville City Council Member
Diana Lundell, former Coralville City Council
Representative Mary Mascher
Supervisor Larry Meyers
Dick Myers, credentials too numerous to list
Rebecca Neades, Chamber of Commerce
Mayor Pro Tem Mike O'Donnell, Iowa City Council
Nancy Quellhorst, Chamber of Commerce
Dick Querrey
Mayor Tom Salm, North Liberty
Ruth Spinks
Scott Smith
Supervisor Sally Stutsman
Randy Ward
Larry Weber
John Weihe, Coralville City Council Member
Jim Wozniak, North Liberty City Council Member
Mike Wright, Iowa City Council Member
Ross Wilburn, Iowa City Council Member and past mayor

One more thought on the tea parties: thereisnospoon at Kos writes an excellent diary that revits personal experience with protests on the left and advises the right:

Public opinion was irrelevant. Protests were irrelevant. All that mattered was the individuals who controlled the levers of power. The only thing that mattered, in the end, was elections.

And locally, the partiers will get to test that theory soon.