Why I'm Voting for Johnson County Supervisor Janelle Rettig

Johnson County Supervisor Janelle Rettig had my allegiance when she was quoted in the Gazette as saying that Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek's latest annual raise, this one being $5,000 a year, is "outrageous." I couldn't agree more. Janelle voted against a raise for the supervisors, including herself. John Etheridge, a Republican, Terrence Neuzil, a Democrat, and another supervisor, I forget who, voted for raises for themselves, but without enough votes, the measure failed.

I admire Janelle's character in passing up a raise for herself and calling Sheriff Pulkrabek's raise what it is: outrageous. He's been racking up annual raises for himself for years, and for what? He runs the jail, and he runs it badly according to the people who've been there, including me. I was there for arguing with an Iowa City police officer over whether I had a right to ride my bicycle on the right side of the road without being harassed by a motorist who wanted me off the road and on the sidewalk. The cop's name was Marty Leik, and at the time, according to Chief Hargadine, he was the officer with the most citizen complaints of any other officer on the force. I can see why.

Who ever heard of denying a person their right to a phone call until she no longer needs it? My husband came to bail me out, and THEN the jailer offered me a phone call. Since my husband was already there, of course I refused it. Then the jailer had the nerve to make me sign a paper saying I'd been offered my phone call. Yeah, when I no longer needed it! I was incensed.

I've known other people who've had the misfortune to spend time in the Johnson County Jail, mostly young people, and they report similar enormities.

So, no new jail. Not for now. Fix the people staffing the jail we've got. Then maybe, just maybe.

I'd like to delay a courtroom annex, as well, until we have a new county attorney to replace the current incompetent and partisan Johnson County Attorney, Janet Lyness. Perhaps you are one of the many people supporting Lyness' challenger, John Zimmerman, who would be a definite improvement over what we've got now. 

However, I can see the logic of wanting courtroom space for civil cases, which are always preceded by criminal cases. Civil cases languish for years for lack of space, and sometimes become moot because the bad guy in the case has filed for bankruptcy. How can you collect damages from someone who's broke? Maybe he wasn't broke three years ago when the case was originally filed, but the trial was delayed for years because criminal cases always take precedence.

On the bicycle and pedestrian trails front, which is important to many of us who bike, progress is being made, but slowly. There are safer ways to get out of town than there were before. For those who are worried about being harassed by motorists who think that bicyclists have no right to the road, former Detective Marty Leik (he was promoted after arresting me) is now retired.