Like so much that Republicans say, that's so not true that in fact the exact opposite is true.
The myth got started because for a brief period of a couple years, between Janelle Rettig's appointment/election and Terrence Neuzil's move across town, they and Rod Sullivan lived close together on the east side of Iowa City.
But that was an anomaly, a coincidence. If anything, rural voters have historically been OVER-represented on the Board.
A look back over my 22 years living in Johnson County shows that now is the only occasion when three supervisors lived in Iowa City proper - even though the city averaged about 3/5 of the county population. Before Sullivan joined Neuzil on the Board after the 2004 election, there hadn't been more than ONE Iowa City resident Supervisor at a time.
And as recently as 2000, all five supervisors were rural residents.
Even the in-town addresses have rural ties. Terrence Neuzil's family has deep rural roots, and Rod Sullivan grew up on a century farm near Lisbon.
So if you're arguing for more rural representation, why fix what ain't broke? The group that's under-represented isn't rural voters and the government with historic under-representation isn't the Board of Supervisors. (Correct answer: the Iowa City Council, where no member of the 25,000+ student population has been elected since 1979.)
And as we'll see next, the Republican district plan would actually reduce rural representation.
Supervisor Residency 1991-present
Present
- Pat Harney - rural, Newport
- Terrence Neuzil - west side
- Rod Sullivan - east side
- Janelle Rettig - east side
- Vacancy - both candidates rural
- Sally Stutsman - rural Hills
- Pat Harney - rural, Newport Township
- Terrence Neuzil - east/west side
- Rod Sullivan - east side
- Janelle Rettig - east side
- Sally Stutsman - rural Hills
- Pat Harney - rural, Newport Township
- Terrence Neuzil - east side
- Rod Sullivan - east side
- Larry Meyers - rural, Newport Township
- Sally Stutsman - rural Hills
- Mike Lehman - rural, East Lucas
- Pat Harney - rural, Newport Township
- Terrence Neuzil - east side
- Rod Sullivan - east side
- Sally Stutsman - rural Hills
- Mike Lehman - rural, East Lucas
- Carol Thompson - rural, Penn Township
- Pat Harney - rural, Newport
- Terrence Neuzil - east side
- Charlie Duffy - rural Solon
- Sally Stutsman - rural Hills
- Jonathan Jordahl - rural Tiffin
- Mike Lehman - rural, East Lucas
- Carol Thompson - rural, Penn Township
1997-1998
- Charlie Duffy - rural Solon
- Steve Lacina - rural, Scott Township
- Joe Bolkcom - east side
- Sally Stutsman - rural Hills
- Jonathan Jordahl - rural Tiffin
- Charlie Duffy - rural Solon
- Steve Lacina - rural, Scott Township
- Joe Bolkcom - east side
- Don Sehr - rural Sharon Center
- Sally Stutsman - rural Hills
- Charlie Duffy - rural Solon
- Patricia Meade - rural, Penn Township
- Steve Lacina - rural, Scott Township
- Joe Bolkcom - east side
- Don Sehr - rural Sharon Center
- Betty Ockenfels - Hills
- Charlie Duffy - rural Solon
- Patricia Meade - rural, Penn Township
- Steve Lacina - rural, Scott Township
- Joe Bolkcom - east side
- Betty Ockenfels - Hills
- Dick Myers - rural, Penn Township, former Coralville mayor
- Charlie Duffy - rural Solon
- Patricia Meade - rural, Penn Township
- Steve Lacina - rural, Scott Township
5 comments:
Your post is spin John, Newport Road, while technically rural, really isn't outside the circle of Iowa City politically. And you know darn well that the MAIN focus of Etheredge is smaller government and lower taxes, then to a lesser extent a better rural representation on the board, a valid argument to make. Regarding the JCRCC, they'll lose their petition bid (that's their M.O.), but the argument there too, is a valid one. There's nothing wrong with a district representation approach in county government.
The whole district idea is spin, spin for "we can't win any other way." An at-large system hasn't been a barrier for rural representation, but unpopular ideas have been a barrier for Republican victory here. (The GOP has in relatively recent years been able to win county-wide in Black Hawk, and Lumir Dostal won two terms in Linn at-large before they went to districts.)
And you can't draw district lines based on "outside the circle of Iowa City politically." You use census numbers. And most of the census population outside city limits is in places like Newport and Penn. Acres don't vote, people do. Check back tomorrow for the serious census math.
John,
That you failed to address my Etheredge comments is noted.
Management by district is a legitimate argument to make. Iowa City to some extent is managed that way and just because you may not agree with the concept, doesn't mean it's spin to propose it. And given the record of the JCRCC, I don't know what you're worried about. Your spin claim may make for good reading, but you're giving the JCRCC far too much credit. The district management concept is worthy of debate.
Oh, and why can't you just man up and admit that Newport truly isn't a rural representation on the county board?
A dose of reality: http://coralvillecourier.typepad.com/community/2013/02/john-deeth-blog-spin-.html
Well, this post was primarily about districting rather than about Etheredge, though he is making the same argument for more rural representation - and offering the same narrow definition. Nobody from an Iowa City ZIP code is "rural," which crosses off 40% of non-incorporated voters. I've been to Terry's house and it feels pretty out in the country to me...
Oh, and Pat Harney doesn't count because he lives on Highway 1. Charlie Duffy is spinning in his grave about that definition...
Nobody who is "inside the circle of Iowa City politically" - I'm guessing that's code for "Deomocrat" - counts either. Define it narrow enough and you get the guy you want. Apparently only "farmer from the most Republican township in the county" gets to count as "rural."
I've met John Etheredge a couple times and he seems like a nice guy. But he doesn't seem to be bringing much other than "I'm a farmer" (a good thing) and "taxes are too high." Sure, we'd all like to pay less taxes. But that's a very simplistic approach to bring to the complexities of county government. The overwhelming majority county services are mandated and/or essential. Law enforcement. Mental health and human services. The road system.
Terry Dahms has done more volunteer work for the county than almost anyone I know, on two of the most challenging boards: trails and zoning. He is ready to hit the ground on day one as a supervisor. This whole discussion about residence and districts is really just a sideshow. But your team is the one that brought it up, and I have one more rebuttal of it tomorrow,
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