Forwarded from: Diane Rosenberg <di...@dianerosenberg.com> Dear Friends,
This is a personal email from me. I signed this letter along with 39 other Jefferson County residents endorsing Susie Drish and Dee Sandquist for Jefferson County Supervisor. Please see why I am voting for these two fine candidates and not CAFO owner Nick Adam. Feel free to widely share. Best, Diane --- Dear Jefferson County Voters: Your vote for Jefferson County Board of Supervisors is consequential for the future of our county. There is a stark difference among the candidates. There are two seats to be filled. We urge you to vote for Susie Drish and Dee Sandquist. One candidate, Nick Adam, is the owner of two 5,000-head hog CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) in Batavia and Eldon. These CAFOs were built heedless of the expressed concerns of his neighbors, whose worst fears became reality after the CAFOs were built. Seventy-five neighbors formed a group, “Save Batavia and Eldon,” to try to stop the CAFOs from being built, and they sued after the CAFOS were constructed when the confinements impacted their health and quality of life. Although the suit ended in a settlement, Iowa’s laws and regulations favor CAFO owners over their neighbors, so those neighbors continue to suffer the consequences of living near Adam’s CAFOs. Adam is currently building another 5,000 head CAFO in Wapello County. The effects of CAFOs on their neighbors are real. As Dr. James Merchant, Professor Emeritus of Public Health and Medicine and Founding Dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa put it: “CAFO neighbors suffer increased childhood asthma and adult asthma, bronchitis, airway obstruction, nasal and eye irritation...(and) also suffer odor-associated increases in stress, tension, depression, and confusion, and decreases in measures of quality of life and well-being.” Why is this important? County Boards of Supervisors can have some input into whether or not hog CAFOs can be built in the county. They can assume the authority to score Master Matrix evaluations of the suitability of a site for CAFO construction, and they can appeal a large (2500 hogs+) construction permit approved by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. We need supervisors who can make these decisions objectively and are willing to listen to the concerns of local citizens. For the November 3 election, you will have the opportunity to vote for two people to fill two positions on the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors. We urge you to vote for Susie Drish (a Democrat) and Dee Sandquist (a Republican) to fill those seats. Susie Drish is a life-long resident of Jefferson County, a graduate of Fairfield High School and Iowa State University and currently is a Jefferson County farmer using sustainable farming practices. She has worked at the ISU Diagnostic Veterinarian Lab, and for 39 years she worked as an Employment and Training Specialist through Indian Hills Community College. In that position, Drish provided resume, application, and interview-skills development as part of the job training program for at-risk kids, low-income workers, offenders, unemployed, and dislocated workers to improve their employment opportunities. She also interacted with community employers and school systems in the counties she served to match students’ newly acquired skills with employers’ needs. She managed large budgets for the training program. Drish is currently on the Jefferson County Extension Board and the Jefferson County Mutual Insurance Agency board. Dee Sandquist grew up in Jefferson County on a family farm and, with her husband, currently owns and operates a farm that employs conservation practices to protect soil and water health. They raise hogs humanely, using the sustainable (non-CAFO) Niman Ranch system. She has a master’s degree in management and has career experience in managing people and services in healthcare systems. Dee has capably served one term as a Jefferson County Supervisor, demonstrating a capacity to work with the full range of Jefferson County residents, a truly valuable quality for a County Supervisor. We endorse Susie Drish and Dee Sanquist for Jefferson County Supervisors and urge you to vote for both of them on—or before—November 3.. Jim Anderson Sara Anderson Jerry Avise-Rouse Cindy Ballou Dave Ballou Patrick Bosold Steve Boss Kent Boyum Susan Chapin Denise Crosby Lois Dovico Marg Dwyer John Fagan Bob Ferguson Gloria Foster Dean Goodale David Goodman Jay Greco Marguerite Gunn Billy Hunter John Ikerd Willy Koppel Diana Krystofiak Thomas Krystofiak Claudia Melrose Carol Morehead Einar Olsen Diane Rosenberg Jim Rubis David Sands Mark Schroeder Ulrike Selleck Carole Simmons Rich Sims Patti Steurer Barbara Stone Francis Thicke Susan Noll Thicke Marj Van Winkle ----- Diane Rosenberg
