By Jessica Kerman
May 15, 2008 08:49 pm
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ANDERSON — More than one month after the resignation of the director of the Anderson Animal Shelter, the city has named two people to temporarily run the facility, hoping to improve its image and efficiency as soon as possible.
Joe McClain, who was recently transferred to be the deputy chief humane officer, and Claudia Smith, who was a consultant for the city, have been recommended as director and chief deputy, respectively, of the now-named Animal Care and Control facility.
Dick Wiley, chairman of the Board of Public Safety, said the interim position, at least for McClain, was more a test period to see how he would handle the job.
“We put him on a 90-day basis,” he said. “It’s like at any job: If you prove yourself, then the job’s yours.”
McClain’s appointment to senior humane officer comes after months — and some say years — of controversy and strife at the animal shelter.
In January, the Board of Public Safety approved the appointment of Larry Russell to be the senior humane officer at the facility. On March 26, Russell euthanized 28 dogs, one of which was on hold for a rescue group.
Mayor Kris Ockomon announced at a public meeting on April 9 that he would be accepting applications for the position of director until April 16.
McClain was the last of nine people to submit his résumé to the city for consideration of the position, turning it in during discussions of his being moved to the shelter as deputy chief.
McClain and his wife have volunteered at the Madison County Humane Society and have had several pets of their own, including a lion. McClain has more than five years of business education from several colleges, but he went into the U.S. Navy before he received a degree. McClain also has supervised union workers, which was experience most of the other applicants did not have, Wiley said.
McClain said his business plan had been evolving as he learned more about how the shelter works.
“You can’t go in there and turn everything upside down and get results,” he said.
On Monday, he had the staff completely clean the facility, keeping it closed until the job was complete. That afternoon, he said, 31 people visited the facility, and the animal control officers responded to six calls.
McClain said he would strive to keep accurate records of visitors, animals adopted and number of responses made by the control officers.
“We want to get accurate paperwork,” he said.
For the future, McClain said he would like to see ordinances updated, including raising the adoption fees and creating stronger penalties for infractions. McClain also said he wanted the time the facility is open to change to accommodate the needs of the animals and the community.
Others who applied for position focused on several initiatives from creating a more professional and inviting environment for the public to privatizing the facility to bringing more education to the city about animal welfare and adoption responsibilities.
Maleah Stringer and Paul Moran, as part of the Animal Protection League, were the only people to suggest a privatization plan. During the April 9 public meeting, Ockomon clearly stated he did not want to privatize the facility, but he said he would consider any proposals made for that direction.
Greg Graham, chairman of the Board of Public Works; Nara Manor, superintendent of Water Pollution Control; and Wiley started the interview process, reviewing all applications of everyone and bringing candidates in for first interviews.
The newly established Animal Control Commission completed another round of interviews and recommended McClain to the interim position.
Susan Frye, a member of the commission and part of the Halfway House Pit Bull Rescue, said the interim positions were set so the city could start changing some parts of the facility.
“Nothing is set in stone,” she said. “You can’t let it sit. Unfortunately, the thing with Claudia was, not that she wasn’t a good interim director, but because she was not an actual city employee. There were some changes she couldn’t get done.”
Frye said she wanted to see how the new administration worked out.
“I think the best thing to say is I’m more interested in how it plays out,” she said. “They haven’t named a permanent director. They’re still working through some issues. I’d like to give them some time to work through those issues.”
The commission might be doing more interviews for a permanent director, Frye said. However, she said she was not fully positive about that because the last meeting of the commission, which was not publicly announced, left the issue unresolved.
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People who submitted applications to be director of Animal Care and Control: Joe McClain; Brandy Isaacs; Heather Ridenour; Joe Ridenour; Maleah Stringer, Paul Moran and the Animal Protection League; Anna Reed; Shaia Trick; Jill Dolon
Source: City of Anderson
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