Johnson County BoS!

In today's special election for the vacant seat on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, the Cigar is going to endorse (and vote for) Janelle Rettig. Why? Well, I'm not exactly wild about the thought of voting for a Democrat in this race, but the alternatives are worse- let's consider:

Exhibit A: Lori Cardella, Republican, Tea Partier, etc. It's not that I'm immune to the anti-incumbent mood currently sweeping the country, it's just that I don't trust Ms. Cardella's motives. She says she wants to 'ensure the citizens' voices are heard in the final decision' yet her husband owns a wildly successful telemarketing firm and the two of them are richer than God, have their own suite in Kinnick and gave a hefty donation to help complete the Pomerantz Center on the UofI campus. So why does she want to be on the Board of Supervisors?

Hmm- perhaps this: lower the cost of living in the county with tax cuts to citizens and private business (Those last two words perhaps being key, given her husband's current occupation.) I'm not sold.

Exhibit B: Jim Knapp- whose letter to the Press-Citizen seems nicely sane and sensible, yet this morning's letter in the Daily Iowan (which I'll post as soon as it appears online) was not so much. More on that later.

In short: Ms. Rettig appears to be the least bad choice of the three. I'm gonna vote for her as a result- and kids, you should too!

**UPDATE: Found it! Here's the letter Knapp wrote that was in this morning's DI. It's got several classic 'WTF?' moments, so I thought I'd reprint it verbatim:

It was no surprise when I opened my paper and saw that the Press-Citizen had decided to support Democrat Janelle Rettig in today’s Board of Supervisors special election. She expresses herself well and has some points that are certainly valid. What hurts is that the PC continuously supports, recommends, and nominates people almost exclusively from the gay community. I have no problem with gays, but there are other people here who also want to serve. Nothing Janelle said or campaigned on has to do with reducing taxes by any significant amount. After I indicated that the jail can be renovated and added to for substantially less money, she said, “Revisit the jail.”

So, Janelle, how often have you visited the jail? What do you think of home release? What would you do to help reduce the need for a jail? Let us face it: Juvenile crimes and truancy are real problems. Some of this can be handled by education, but mentoring is also in great need. I want to set up four $1,000 scholarships for the kids in jeopardy through Kirkwood Community College. All the child would have to do is stay out of trouble, attend school, and graduate. This would be directed at the minority community because they have the greatest disadvantages. I have already communicated with Amy Correia regarding this matter and would be happy to share it with anyone interested.

Janelle was instrumental in the $20 million bond issue for conservation, and that is a noble thing that passed by 61 percent of the voters, she will tell you again and again, ad absurdum. I think it should have encompassed more benefits for all people of the county. Elevated trails could be constructed to contain the potential flooding, as well as possibly serving as the road bed for a narrow-gauge railroad that would enable all people of the county to visit the natural areas regardless of their physical condition. Not just the Sierra Club but the people in wheelchairs or needing walkers. Visit the Silverton and Durango website for more inspiration. Eventually all the small communities of the county could be linked with each other to the extent of even commuter transportation.

Janelle even talked about the county information system and its need for improvement. Personally, I think the records and the links to all the other necessary information are very up to date and accessible. Just visit the various pages by the supervisors, auditor, treasurer, and recorder, and you will be overwhelmed with up-to-date information. They spend substantial funds to do this, and it is state of the art. A couple of key strokes, and the entire budget including comparisons are right there for your perusal.

In closing, I want the people of Johnson County to know that I do not think love is a sin. Neither is riding a bicycle a sin. I do think that ignoring the needy is a sin, and they deserve more than Janelle Rettig carrying their issues forward. Taxpayers, believe me: The choice is still yours, and you should vote in today’s special election.

I don't know where to start with this- first of all- who cares about Ms. Rettig's sexual orientation? Up until reading this I know I hadn't given it a second thought and while perhaps not openly homophobic, it certainly has the nauseating tinge of heading in that direction. Her sexuality is her business and it's certainly not business of yours, Mr. Knapp to bring it up.

Second of all: OK, so the Press-Citizen endorses 'the gays' a lot. First of all- just what town do you think you've been living in all this time? Hate to break it to you, but Iowa City is pretty damn gay, demographically speaking. It'd only stand the reason there'd be more political active gay people here, a lot of whom run for office. But you think the Press-Citizen's over endorsing of 'the gays' is a bad thing, because 'there are other people who want to serve.' Hmmmm, so you're fighting for us vanilla straight people here in Johnson County? What? (Speaking as a straight person: please stop.)

Mr. Knapp- you almost had my vote. But then, I read this letter and it sorta creeped me out- hence, my vote for Ms. Rettig. Just so you know!
cheers,
The Cigar