Johnson Democrats are taxing, spending

It's funny that Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek is accusing Republicans and Lori Cardella of being “tax and spend” simply because we wish to exercise our constitutional right to vote on elected positions, i.e., the Johnson County supervisor vacancy. Surprisingly, more than 8,100 county voters, including Democrats and Independents agreed, and signed the petition, knowing full well what they were signing.

County Auditor Tom Slockett has stated he doesn't know what it will cost to hold the election. Slockett (a Democrat) directly determines and is responsible for the cost of elections because he controls the number of early voting sites and staffing.

The board of supervisors, all Democrats, has increased the county budget by more than

56 percent in the last four years. And Pulkrabek wants more than $60 million for a new “justice center,” up from only $10 million a few years ago.

So who's taxing and spending? Certainly not Republicans, because there isn't a single Republican in an elected position in Johnson County or Iowa City government. The sheriff should be careful that he's not the pot calling the kettle names. He and Johnson County Democrats are clearly the irresponsible ones.

Deborah Thornton

Iowa City