Sunday, July 4, 2010

HOW IS STARK COUNTY'S NEW DOG WARDEN DOING? WILL SHE MAKE IT PAST THE PROBATIONARY PERIOD?


On Monday, May 24, 2010, Reagan Tetreault (former Homes County warden) took over at the much-troubled Stark County Dog Pound.  On May 23rd, the SCPR did a report on Tetreault's first public appearance (including video) in Stark County.

Recently the SCPR talked with Nanci Miller, who is a member of the Stark County Dog Pound Advisory Board and also involved with the Animal Welfare Society of Stark County (AWS), about her take on the first few weeks of Warden Tetreault.

Nanci was at the Stark County commissioners' meeting of June 23rd to share with commissioners the progress being madeon  the effort to put together a spay and neuter clinic for Stark Countians who cannot afford to spay/neuter their animals.

She shared that the Dog Pound Advisory Board (DPAB)is optimistic that Warden Tetreault is going to work out.  Moreover, she provided the SCPR with a copy of the minutes of the DPAB at its June 17th meeting which has an outline of the projects underway at the hand of the warden.

Readers of The Report will recall that the DPAB (members of which are appointed by the commissioners) got into a fuss of sorts with commissioners over whom should be appointed warden and how much import DPAB members should have.

The DPAB seemed to be concerned that "the fix was in" and that a person who was not on the top five or six list of the DPAB was going to end up with the appointment.  Also, Member Swank got into an argument with County Administrator Michael Hanke as to whether or not Swank was to be part of the interview process of candidates for warden.

Hanke took the position that interim Warden Kevin Fox was to be the "outside" person to be part of the interview process as - according to Hanke - Swank had deferred to Fox.

The import of all of this is that the SCPR does believe that the DPAB was effective to kill the political fix, if there was one.  The operation of the DPAB is a good model for all boards and commissions throughout Stark County.

They should not be compliant rubber stamps.  They should endeavor to be cooperative in the context of taking a critical look at the appointing authority.

Here is a list of achievements that Warden Tetrault hopes to attain at the Stark County Dog Pound:

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