By Rachel Eisenmann, Iowa City
I know that Joe Reilly will be successful as a Johnson County Supervisor because of his measured approach in partnerships. He listens first and then acts. This is a vital process that he brings into partnerships and neighborhood meetings. I have always admired how straight forward Joe is in presenting new resources and programs at Downtown District Restaurant and Bar Forums. Joe occasionally would cue up a guest to present an opportunity to the business community or share programming or grants from the City or County. The main thing that stands out is how he presents this information without bias or weighted opinion. He genuinely wants to know if we, the restaurant and bar community, have interest and gauges the level of engagement.
Joe knows that programs and initiatives are successful when you have buy in! He is not going to force something on an end user who didn’t ask for it. When it is something we want to engage with, like getting late night resource signage into our businesses showing the many forms of care we have in nightlife (9-8-8, Mobile Crisis, Guidelink Center, Good Samaritan Immunity). He sourced funding, and had materials printed and framed for this information to be displayed in collaboration with Community Crisis and the University of Iowa.
Another example of Joe seeking our thoughts and opinions in a recent forum was where we learned about the idea of field mediation and how it may work in practice or in night life at all. I understood this program was targeted to remove police officer interactions. I brought up that there might be a use in the restaurant businesses who operate during the day, but in terms of the situations I have seen as a manager in peak hours of operation at night, I couldn’t imagine a mediator helping, because of the physicality of the situations. But I’m glad Joe asked for our thoughts because nightlife has a high utilization for calls for service and this was the first time this concept was being brought in front of the nightlife community.
Joe Reilly listens first, builds consensus and then acts with resources & support. Joe Reilly is what Johnson County needs!
