Saturday, September 26, 2009

Lib Horn writes in support of the changes at the Fayetteville Animal Shelter

The mayor's office, I understand, is being bombarded by letters complaining about the City letting Jill go.
This is not good. Real changes are being made at the shelter, changes for the good both in the physical structure and in staff management. The dog kennels are being painted, concrete floors sealed, lighting improved, etc. These were all in this year's budget but nothing had been done toward achieving these improvements. Other big changes are being made, such as staff counseling, that will benefit the animals.

Jill Hatfield is a likeable person and people in the City like her. Her discharge has nothing to do with likeability but rather failure to perform management duties. And when the management fails, the animals do not get all that they should from us.

The investigation uncovered no animal abuse. It uncovered substantial evidence of failure to perform assigned duties.

We must not let the followers of a previous administration label this a political act. The shelter is not political. This is about proper management which performs required duties. It is not about personality. It is about animals.

Please, if you will, call or write the mayor's office and support the things being done so that the animals at the shelter will be in the best environment we can provide and so that the staff will have the support and care that they need and deserve. Also, please encourage folks that you know who care about the shelter to call or write the mayor in support of his efforts to improve the shelter.

We must not allow these changes to become a political issue. They are not.
Thank you for caring about the shelter and the staff.
Lib Horn

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is unfortunate that I am seeing this blog after so many years, But I feel I need to add some truth to this post.
Real changes had been made to the shelter with major renovations, including a new ventilation system, and the listed improvements being done more than eight months prior to this post, in fact Ms. Horn was at the Re-Grand Opening of the shelter and actually cut the opening ribbon herself.
It was never about my ability to properly perform managerial duties or duties as assigned. I was under the direction of the Police Department for over 6 years of my tenure and always had ratings of above average or excellent in my evaluations.
I was offered another position when the Animal Services department was reorganized under the direction of Community Services, I chose to resign.
I have the records to prove it.
Be Well - Jill Hatfield