Raised Minimum Wage
Sustainability, Conservation & Trails
Community ID
Social Services & Affordable Housing
Fiscal Responsibility
The Press Citizen Endorsement states:
"In the race for county supervisor, our vote for one candidate is a no-brainer: Janelle Rettig deserves another term on the board.
Rettig is sharp, thoughtful, budget-minded, and she is acutely aware of the needs of all Johnson County residents, urban and rural. She brings a different perspective to the board, admitting that she sometimes will play "devil's advocate" for the sake of questioning and exploring all sides of an issue.
Rettig is passionate about addressing the growing issue of poverty and food insecurity in Johnson County. It’s something people don’t see, she says, and it’s something we can’t ignore. She wants to make headway on affordable housing by finding ways to work with city governments to find solutions.
She sees potential in a regional transit authority to address transportation issues and needed access to services. She also knows the importance of establishing a future jail alternatives center in the county — something she wants to help see through to fruition as a board member."
Full endorsement article:
Iowa City Federation of Labor
AFSCME Council 61
Carpenter's Local 1260
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Building Trades Council
Hawkeye Labor Council AFL-CIO
IBEW Local 405
Iowa State Building and Construction Trades Council
Teamster's Local 238
Carpenter's Endorsement:
I'm the business agent for Carpenters Local 1260. The carpenters are proud to endorse Janelle Rettig and urge Johnson County residents to get out and vote in the June 5 primary. Janelle understands the value of skilled workers who are well-trained. She knows good jobs with good benefits make for a stronger workforce and a more vital economy. Her strong support for building our local workforce and raising wages is deeply appreciated by hard working people. We have always found Janelle to be approachable and honest, with a strong determination to support and fight for working people.
- Royce S. Peterson, Iowa City Representative for Carpeners Local 1260
The Iowa City Federation of Labor is proud to endorse Janelle Rettig for re-election to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors in the Democratic Primary Election June 5th.
Federation delegates, from over a dozen different unions representing thousands of workers in our community, voted unanimously to endorse Rettig based on her track record of real success in making Johnson County a better place for all working people.
Rettig has been a true champion for worker-led initiatives to raise the minimum wage, ensure worker safety and fair standards on county-funded construction projects, and establish the ground-breaking Johnson County Community ID program. Moreover, Rettig consistently seeks input from residents across the socio-economic spectrum, ensuring that highly paid professionals, low-wage workers, students, the unemployed, and everyone in between has a voice and a seat at the table in local government decisions that affect all members of our diverse community.
A vote for Rettig in the June 5th primary is a vote for a strong local economy that works for all.
- Greg Hearns, President, Iowa City Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO)
In 2015, over a year of meetings and research came to fruition when Johnson County became the first city or county in Iowa to raise the minimum wage. Helping coordinate and voting for raising the Minimum Wage is one of the things for which I am most proud.
Although the 2016 Republican-led legislature and Governor took away local control for minimum wage, I still advocate for $10.10 and having that wage grow with inflation. I am proud the Board of Supervisors voted to increase the minimum wage to $10.27 effective July 1, 2018.
Click here to learn more about the Johnson County minimum wage
The County is a leader in sustainability, and I am proud of the work I have done to contribute to that. In the past four years, the County has added five solar projects and will soon add a sixth. In 2016, we quadrupled solar-generated electricity.
Other highlights include: greening the County's fleet; building greener roads and bridges; being awarded "Bicycle Friendly Business Gold Award"; establishing sustainability grants for non-profits; water quality and flood mitigation; stormwater management; more habitiat-friendly and thus less-care roadsides; energy-efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction; less paper usage and more composting; and a commitment to Honor the Paris Climate Accord.
We continue to add conservation acres and trails to our system. In 2016, the County earned the 1000 Friends of Iowa Best Development Innovative Leadership award.
Click here for more information about sustainability successes at the County
The Board of Supervisors worked with the Center for Worker Justice, advocates for people with disabilities, and immigrant rights groups to create and promote the Johnson County Community ID. Johnson County was the first in the mid-west, and remains the only entity (city or county) in Iowa, to offer a community ID.
In Johnson County, 17.9% of the population is living below poverty level. Over 19,000 residents are food insecure. This is not acceptable, and I have made it a priority that the County helps all our citizens. The Board annually budgets for grants to local non-profits that are addressing the basic needs and quality of life of our community. We call these groups our Community Partners. This is support we are not mandated to contribute, but support that as part of the Board, I find imperative to continue.
In 2018, we allotted $1,437,300 to over twenty-five local non-profits. In 2017, it was $1,411,300 to twenty-seven non-profits. We also budgeted over $100,000 for one-time emergency short-terms grants throughout the year.
In FY2017, I proposed that the County start funding affordable housing. In FY17 and FY18, Johnson County allotted 1.2 million dollars to affordable housing.
In FY18, I made a recommendation that added over 1.8 million dollars to Mental Health Services, without significantly raising the budget.
Click here for more information about the block grants and community partners.
When I first ran to be a County Supervisor, one of my top priorities was fiscal management. (I'm a numbers person; I love financial reports and budgets, and finding efficiencies.) Since becoming a Supervisor, the County has made great strides in finance and transparency. We established a finance department and have centralized our purchasing and fleet management. The County's finance management now routinely wins awards and we have a finance portal that allows anyone to see exactly how the taxpayer's money is being spent.
I strongly believe that elected officials should do their business in the open and with complete transparency. Our meetings are live-streamed and recorded.
Click here for more about the County's finance transparency portal
Leadership matters. Leaders making their voice be heard matters. I am very proud to make my voice heard through recent proclamations & letters of support, including: supporting the Paris Climate Accord, and a letter of support to maintain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). As a member of the Board of Supervisors, we pass proclamations regarding a wide variety of events, groups and issues. I am proud that we take this platform we have to make strong and important declarations.
But passing a proclamation or resolution, and speaking at rallies is just the first step. These statements are used as the foundation of the County's lobbying positions and programing.
Click the icons above to go to my Rettig for Supervisor Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where I cover and address recent County topics. Below are blog entries that cover these County topics as well. (Facebook will have more details.)