Article published November 11, 2009
Attempt to fire Lucas County Dog Warden fails
Gerken, Wozniak reject Konop's motion
Commissioner Ben Konop's motion to dismiss Tom Skeldon was opposed by Pete Gerken, right, and Tina Skeldon Wozniak, who support giving an advisory panel time to complete its assessment.
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By JC REINDL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Lucas County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon will keep his job after an effort Tuesday by one county commissioner to fire him failed with a 2-1 vote.
Commissioners Pete Gerken and Tina Skeldon Wozniak opposed the motion by Ben Konop to dismiss Mr. Skeldon for what Commissioner Konop described as unacceptable high rates of dog euthanasia and low rates of adoption, as well as years of noncompliance with suggestions on how to improve dog warden operations.
In explaining his vote to retain Mr. Skeldon, head warden since 1987, Mr. Gerken said the warden's mission is ultimately law enforcement and protecting people.
“At the end of the day you've still got to remember that Tom Skeldon's job is not just adoptions or euthanasia, it's to protect the people from dangerous dogs,” Mr. Gerken said.
He later added: “The outright dismissal of Tom Skeldon based on some innuendo and opinion and emotional feeling by certain groups in the community — which I respect — is not cause for dismissal.”
Additionally, Mr. Gerken said he believes commissioners should allow time for the relatively new dog warden advisory committee to fully assess the situation before taking drastic measures like those Mr. Konop proposed.
The committee's oversight, along with the commissioners' scrutiny, will continue to monitor the warden's office. The committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow afternoon and discuss matters related to the warden's kill and adoption rates.
“You can't ask these citizen groups to come volunteer, do the work for free that they do, and then not even wait to take their reports on how the situation can be improved,” Mr. Gerken said.
The 2-1 vote represented a setback for Mr. Konop, who has criticized the dog warden and his practices for more than a year while lending support to animal-welfare groups opposed to Mr. Skeldon.
The dog warden's office euthanized 2,483 dogs in 2008 and more than 1,800 so far this year, killing 77 percent or 66 percent of all dogs that entered the pound last year, depending on how the number of animals reclaimed by their owners are counted.
Lucas County's dog adoption rate in 2008 was 13 percent, much lower than in neighboring counties. Included in this year's numbers were 78 puppies under 3 months of age killed by Mr. Skeldon.
‘Innocent dogs'
Mr. Konop said his backup proposal during an executive session called for Mr. Skeldon's demotion and relieving him of adoption duties. But that idea “was a nonstarter” among his two commissioner colleagues, he said.
“Innocent dogs, oftentimes puppies, are being killed in our dog warden's office and they don't have to be — that's the essence of this,” Mr. Konop said.
“This is another instance of what plagues politics here in Toledo — a resistance to change and a continuation of the status quo,” he said.
In explaining her vote to keep the warden, Ms. Wozniak said that she supports the oversight committee's ongoing assessment of the warden's office and emphasized how “we as a board are focusing on and addressing adoption policy.”
She also addressed Mr. Konop's request that she abstain from discussions and votes involving Mr. Skeldon, who is her first cousin, saying that the county prosecutor's office has told her that there's no conflict of interest.
“In fact, it is my duty to continue to participate in the administration of the dog warden's office,” said Ms. Wozniak, the daughter of the late Ned Skeldon, who was the brother of Tom Skeldon's father, Phil Skeldon.
Mr. Gerken said he is satisfied with the prosecutor's office's opinion and sees no need for Ms. Wozniak to abstain.
Not ‘unethical'
“Nobody sees her as unethical,” he said. “We get complaints about elected officials all the time but I haven't heard ‘unethical' being slung at Tina Skeldon Wozniak yet.”
After the meeting, Mr. Konop said he disagreed with Mr. Gerken's suggestion that he was usurping the work of the dog warden committee by seeking the warden's dismissal.
He noted how the 11-person committee only plans to issue recommendations on policies or procedures — not on Mr. Skeldon's job.
Steve Serchuk, chairman of the panel, confirmed that his group doesn't plan to rule on whether Mr. Skeldon should keep his job.
“Our committee is not formulated to make human resource decisions on specific individuals,” he said.
Mr. Konop also criticized Mr. Gerken for what he described as a callous disregard for the welfare of puppies.
During the executive session, Mr. Gerken “defended Mr. Skeldon's record on killing dozens of puppies this year. There was no indication on his part that that was a concern,” Mr. Konop said.
Yet prior to voting yesterday, Mr. Gerken said that it is wrong of Mr. Konop to immediately denounce the death of a puppy at the dog pound without knowing the circumstances.
For instance, a puppy could have been severely injured or diseased and in serious pain, he added.
“Puppies are probably put down in private vet offices every day of the year,” he said.
A growing number of elected officials have in recent weeks called for changes at the county pound that could bring about more adoptions and fewer euthanizations.
“As the [advisory committee] report has indicated there's room for improvement, and we need to put procedures and the policies in place to reduce the number of dogs that are euthanized,” said State Sen. Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo)
“I'm not sure if that means any change in the leadership right now, or to put the procedures and the policies in place and monitor it, and hold people accountable for the results.”
More hearings
State Rep. Barbara Sears (R., Sylvania), who is sponsoring a bill calling for an end in Ohio to defining “pit bulls” as inherently vicious regardless of individual behavior, said yesterday that she is pushing to get additional hearings on her legislation.
Ms. Sears said that while she was not in a position to critique Mr. Skeldon's overall performance, she disagrees with his attitude and practices related to “pit bulls.”
The warden refuses to adopt out adult or puppy “pit bulls” to people or rescue groups. All “pit bulls” who enter the pound and aren't reclaimed by their legal owners are ultimately killed, including puppies and dogs that are not vicious.
A single breed
“I do question his decision to spend so much time and resources singling out a single breed of animal,” Ms. Sears said.
So-called “pit bulls” are not a breed of dog, but usually are one of several bulldog-type dogs or a mix of breeds that may be trained to fight.
The dog warden advisory committee is scheduled to meet at 3 p.m. tomorrow at the Lucas County Emergency Services Building, 2144 Monroe St.
The meeting is open to the public.
Contact JC Reindl at:jreindl@theblade.comor 419-724-6065.
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