By Bob Arbuckle, Iowa City
Johnson County Supervisor Royceann Porter, running for re-election, has skipped recent candidate forums, apparently fearful of questions she may be asked.
Porter has also missed the most Supervisors meetings of any Board member, even considering her recent personal issues. County department employees and agency leaders remark that Porter has lately missed about half of their liaison meetings with them to keep current on County business.
Perhaps Porter is distracted by running her soul food restaurant while also serving as Supervisor. Past Supervisors have tried to hold a second job, but it hasn’t worked well for the county or for the other Supervisors that have to pick up the extra load. The Supervisor salary is enough to expect 100 percent attention to the job.
Yet even when Porter is on the job, she has managed to mock mentally ill citizens, disparage Indigenous people, bully others associated with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, state that she will not work with other Supervisors, and most recently remark that the formation of a County Transgender Task Force is “bullshit.” Look at these two video compilations of Porter’s public meeting statements:
A friend of mine stated that Royceann may be a better activist than an elected official. Or a better cook than a Supervisor.
Personally, I am supporting other candidates in the June 4 Democratic primary. Take a closer look at the candidates before you vote.
