Lisa Green-Douglass, Johnson County Board of Supervisors

The Gazette sent a questionnaire to candidates who are on the Nov. 3, 2020, ballot for boards of supervisors in Linn and Johnson counties. The responses are unedited, unless to correct spelling or punctuation. 

Three seats are up for election on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Lisa Green-Douglass faces fellow Democrats Royceann Porter and Rod Sullivan, and Republican Phil Hemingway.

To see other candidates' responses for county, state and federal races, visit our Election 2020 Candidates page. 

Why are you running for office? What have you done to prepare for this position? How will you approach learning about issues and making decisions on issues that you don't have extensive experience with?

I'm running to continue being a part of the decision making of county government. Having been a county supervisor for the last 4 years, I'm prepared for all aspects of the job . I've learned: the responsibilities of each county department; how to create the county budget; & policy making. When faced with unfamiliar issues, I read about them, seek information from subject matter experts, and listen to others with more information than I have. This helps inform my decision-making.

What are the three largest issues facing the county? What will you do to address them?

The 3 biggest issues facing the county are actually 4 issues, spiraling through every facet of poverty: hunger, affordable housing needs, transportation, & childcare options. To address hunger I'd support mobile food pantries, farm stands, in-school food pantries, & use of the County Poor Farm by organizations addressing hunger. We currently address affordable housing by allocating $640,000 annually to the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County. However, we also must increase the stock of available affordable housing as soon as possible & ensure nearby public transportation. Lack of transportation & childcare can be obstacles for maintaining employment. As for childcare, we need options beyond what is currently available. Second & third shift employees are at a disadvantage if they can't find childcare while at work. I'm working on solutions for on-site childcare for businesses. We must work to resolve all of these issues or we'll have to face a growing population living in poverty.

What do you identify as your budget priorities? What do you see as the least important funding priorities?

My budget priorities are: 1) funding adequate staffing and providing them the necessary resources so they can do their job and provide services to the public; 2) addressing poverty, specifically by programming for hunger relief, creation of available affordable housing stock, providing alternative childcare options, and collaborative transportation options; 3) affordable and available mental health care; and 4) infrastructure. I can't identify anything as the "least important" funding priority.

What can the county do to expand the reach and availability of mental health services to residents?

The County is the lead partner in GuideLink Center (access center), which will open in January 2021. The facility will be available to all. In fact, no one will be turned away for an inability to pay. The scope of services will include sobering, detoxification, crisis observation, crisis stabilization, and linking to ongoing services. One big concern in the availability of mental health services is the dearth of providers. This shortage of mental health care providers is a nationwide problem. Johnson County should advocate and lobby for a student loan forgiveness program that will incentivize employment in psychiatry, psychology, drug treatment, and other mental health care sub-fields.

What, if anything, would you do to improve the way the county works with other governmental bodies in the county?

It is a myth that the county and other governmental bodies don't work well together. Johnson County works quite well with the city governments within the county, as evidenced by more than 1,500 28E agreements with our cities. We also hold regular Joint Entities meetings in order to keep each other apprised of current issues and projects. The county has been asked to provide local funding when a city is seeking to garner grant monies. Three recent examples of this are when the county provided the local funding piece for Coralville to get the grant used to build the arena, for Solon to get the grant for its splash pad, and for Lone Tree to get the grant for its wellness center. Iowa City has been very cooperative and helpful to the county for projects on two of our properties that are fully within city limits: the Historical Poor Farm and GuideLink Center. Opportunities for intergovernmental agreements will be explored and considered whenever they arise. 

What is your response to recent protests calling for racial justice? What changes to law enforcement policy or budgeting do you support?

My 1st response to protests calling for racial justice is to listen. Demands to defund law enforcement & divert funds to mental health care, marijuana reform, & deescalation training are being done at the county level, but I'd like to see the elimination of bail for non-violent crimes. I also support eliminating the use of chemical deterrents & rubber bullets.

Another response came after the protests when it was brought to our attention that Johnson County was named after Richard Mentor Johnson, the 9th Vice President of the US at the time the county was established. He was a slave owner who also bragged about having killed more native Americans than anyone else around. David McCartney, archivist in the UI Libraries Special Collections, said, 'Johnson County should be renamed for a far more worthy individual, also named Johnson.' I chaired the Ad Hoc Eponym Committee & we chose to give that honor to Dr. Lulu Merle Johnson, 1st black woman to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.