Long a controversial figure among animal-rescue groups and owners of “pit bull” breed dogs, Mr. Skeldon faced building pressure in recent weeks from pet advocates, the media, and some elected officials — most notably Commissioner Ben Konop — who called on him to step down or drastically reform his euthanasia and adoption practices.
Lucas County is believed to have one of the highest kill rates in Ohio, killing 77 percent of all dogs that entered the pound last year and weren't reclaimed by owners.
Altogether, Mr. Skeldon's office put down 2,483 dogs last year, records show. Also killed were 183 healthy and non-“pit bull” puppies from January, 2007, through late October, a number considered by rescue groups as especially egregious because of puppies' easy adoptability.
News of Mr. Skeldon's resignation, announced by Mr. Gerken yesterday morning, spread fast through animal control and rescue circles.
For Jean Keating, co-founder of the Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates, the departure was cause for celebration. The coalition was planning a second candlelight vigil outside Government Center in protest of the warden's practices. It held its first vigil last month outside the dog pound on South Erie Street.
“If he had made it from now to his [previously planned 2011] retirement, we would have lost another 4,000 to 5,000 dogs,” she said.
As criticism heated up, those who supported Mr. Skeldon often noted how his primary duties as warden are law enforcement and protecting people from vicious dogs.
Barb Knapp, president of the Ohio County Dog Wardens' Association, said yesterday that she and colleagues across the state will miss Mr. Skeldon.
“It's a sad day for the dog warden profession in Ohio,” said Ms. Knapp, who is dog warden of Erie County. “We lost a very valued and experienced person who succumbed to the pressure of the media and personal vendettas.”
Chance for reform
But for Tamara Ernst, co-founder of the group 4 Lucas County Pets which petitioned last year for Mr. Skeldon's firing, the warden's departure grants the community a rare chance to completely re-examine its approach to animal issues.
“This is opening up an amazing opportunity for Lucas County to abandon the 1950s model of animal control that we've latched onto and to really step into modern times,” she said.
Mr. Konop at a news conference yesterday commended the warden for “having the courage” to step aside, but said he will make a motion at Tuesday's commissioners' meeting for the warden's immediate dismissal.
“I am not comfortable with him as our dog warden for even another day,” he said.
A similar motion by Mr. Konop last week was voted down 2-1. If his motion to fire the warden fails again, the commissioner said he will try to have the warden suspended until his retirement begins.
Once Mr. Skeldon is gone, “We can truly make strides in adopting out dogs, dramatically lowering euthanasia rates, and begin to erase the black eye that our county has received because of the treatment of dogs,” Mr. Konop said.
He also objected to Mr. Gerken's plans to have the pound manager become the interim warden and to create a search committee to which each commissioner may appoint one person.
“I don't think Mr. Gerken has earned the right to dictate the terms of replacing Mr. Skeldon, as it was he and Tina Skeldon Wozniak — Mr. Skeldon's first cousin — who consistently stood in the way of real change in the dog warden's office,” Mr. Konop said.
A rare ‘victory'
Nevertheless, Mr. Konop said that the warden's departure, whether it happens next week or in January, represents a rare “victory in changing the status quo.”
“There is a ‘circle the wagons' mentality too often in county government, and I think that's what we were seeing here frankly for months and months,” Mr. Konop said.
Ms. Mitchell, the pound manager, rose to her position last year following stints as Mr. Skeldon's executive assistant and office dispatcher. Her current duties include squeezing dogs' genitals to determine if they are well-behaved enough for adoption.
Decisions about which dogs go up for adoption and which are put down lie mostly with her.
Explaining his reluctance to have Ms. Mitchell as warden, Mr. Konop said that she “has made a lot of those decisions to kill a lot of puppies.”
Family ties
Tom Skeldon hails from a family renowned for its local political involvement and public service.
He is the son of former Toledo Zoo director Phil Skeldon and grandson of the late Frank Skeldon, who was the first head of the zoo and a former business editor of The Blade.
His uncle, the late Ned Skeldon, was a Lucas County commissioner and largely responsible for the return of the Mud Hens minor league baseball team to Toledo after a decade-long absence. Ned Skeldon was Ms. Wozniak's father.
Tom Skeldon still speaks with pride of his boyhood experiences helping his father care for zoo animals. Before he became dog warden, he ran a business in the Philippines training guard dogs for corporations and private individuals.
In his resignation letter, Mr. Skeldon said that past boards of county commissioners “allowed me to operate this department as I see fit and according to the Ohio Revised Code.” Yet the “recent unjustified attacks” were rough not only for him but for his wife, daughter, and other relatives.
And some of Mr. Skeldon's critics have suggested that the mounting pressure from the media and members of the public had also become too much for Mr. Gerken and Ms. Wozniak, whom Mr. Konop often criticized for not abstaining from votes involving a first cousin.
“They caved,” said Ms. Keating of the Ohio Coalition of Dog Advocates. “It might have been the flyers that we distributed in Tina's neighborhood over the weekend that finally pushed her over the edge.”
Volunteers distributed the 400 leaflets last weekend near Ms. Wozniak's home in Toledo's Old Orchard neighborhood. They planned to distribute them around Mr. Gerken's home this weekend, too, Ms. Keating said.
The leaflets, which feature a photo of three caged puppies and the tagline, “You're paying Warden Skeldon to kill Lucas County's puppies … Is that okay with you?” urged people to call the two commissioners.
More complaints
Dog warden complaints reached a higher pitch on Wednesday after a story appeared in The Blade about how Mr. Skeldon's office last winter euthanized 10 apparently healthy puppies less than 24 hours after they were brought in.
The day that article was published, Mr. Skeldon and Mr. Gerken were spotted lunching together at Michael's Cafe and Bakery in East Toledo.
Shortly after Mr. Gerken returned to the commissioners' suite on the eighth floor of Government Center, he joined Ms. Wozniak for a closed-door meeting with staff members.
Questioned about the meeting, Ms. Wozniak said, “We were discussing a number of issues, it was a planned meeting, and, um, and conducted my meeting and that's, I assure you, no violation of Sunshine laws.”
Neither Mr. Gerken nor Ms. Wozniak took questions from The Blade yesterday about the warden's resignation.
Ms. Wozniak said in a statement that “I wish him all the best in his well-earned retirement. I look forward to working with my colleagues and county administration to develop a transition plan that will identify a strong leader for that department in the future.”
In his statement, Mr. Gerken said, “I'd like to publicly recognize Tom Skeldon's 20-plus years as dog warden. He has served over 10 different commissioners in a very difficult position and I wish him well in his retirement.”
Yesterday, the day the dog warden said he would step down, was the first day in more than a week that no dogs were killed at the county pound. Two were adopted and found new homes.
Contact JC Reindl at:jreindl@theblade.comor 419-724-6065.
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The forces of nature, not budget woes, are to blame.
Leaves didn't drop from trees until later than usual, causing the city to delay its leaf collection program by a week.
The first pile of leaves wasn't picked up until Nov. 2.
"It actually paid off, because everything came down right after that," Edward Moore, commissioner of streets, bridges, and harbor, said.
But with snow and ice around the corner, officials now say that any second pass through neighborhoods by leaf collection crews will depend on the weather.
"As long as the weather holds, we'll go until we get them," Mr. Moore said.
Absent winter weather, crews should finish a first pass through neighborhoods about Dec. 5, Mr. Moore estimated.
"We've been fortunate," he said. "This is about a best case scenario. We're moving along pretty good."
Winter weather in late 2008 meant that city crews couldn't collect leaves on some streets until spring.
"The weather's cooperating," Mr. Moore said. "We're hoping to get [leaf collection] done all this year."
Starting Monday, the city asks residents not to rake leaves into the street after crews have been through once.
Remaining leaves can be mulched for gardens or bagged for refuse collection after the program ends, officials said.
Leaves also can be recycled at Clean Wood Recycling, 6505 West Bancroft St. or 5330 Stickney Ave.
Leaf collection is scheduled for today on curbed streets in ZIP Code 43606 and uncurbed streets in ZIP Codes 43614 and 43615.
Collection also is set in those areas tomorrow plus on curbed streets in ZIP Code 43624.
The city's schedule is posted at www.toledo.oh.gov.
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Sarah Bunch, 21, pleaded guilty Oct. 2 to amended charges of voluntary manslaughter, arson, and attempted tampering with evidence stemming from the Dec. 8 death of Robert Porter, 60, a long-time carpenter at the University of Toledo.
Bunch maintained she killed him in self-defense.
Prosecutors said Bunch had agreed to pose seminude for Mr. Porter, who lived near her grandmother's house where she had been staying. Bunch told investigators that he became aggressive with her during the photo shoot in his bedroom, and she shot him twice in the head. Later the same day, she set his West Andrus Road home on fire.
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Kevin Babcock, 53, of Bowling Green, died Wednesday at Wood County Hospital after battling pneumonia and bronchitis since August, his sister, Starlah Burks said. She said he tested positive last week for the H1N1 virus.
"In 2006 he had open heart surgery and had a pacemaker put in," she said. "He has been fighting. He's just been struggling."
Pat Snyder, spokesman for the Wood County Health Department, could not name the patient but said Wood County Hospital had reported the death this week.
"Someone has died who tested positive for H1N1, and the hospital believes it was due to complications from H1N1," Ms. Snyder said.
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Their deaths mark the 23rd and 24th murders in Toledo this year. No one has been arrested in either case.
In the first shooting, Bassam Kanouh, 46, was shot about 9:15 p.m. Thursday while working as a clerk at the Lewis Carryout, 4252 Lewis Ave. Police crews responding to a report of a person shot found the victim in the store with a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen area.
He was taken to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead, Toledo police said.
An unidentified man died Friday morning at the same hospital after being shot once in the chest while riding a bicycle in North Toledo.
That shooting happened about 10:15 a.m. in the 700 block of Maywood Avenue near Stickney Avenue. Neighbors reported hearing shots fired and found a man lying near a bicycle. The victim is believed to be between 25-30 but his identity has not been released.
At the Lewis Carryout, customers gathered Friday morning to recall Mr. Kanouh, who was described as very friendly. Flowers were left outside the store's doors Friday morning and signs were posted to the clerk who was known as "Sam."
The carryout remained open Friday.
Mr. Kanouh of Perrysburg Township had worked at the carryout for less than a year. He was born in Syria and moved to the area in 1990, family members said. He is married and has three children, ages 15, 17, and 21.
He was working the 5 to 11 p.m. shift when he was shot.
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"Americans are cr=azy about college football and now that you are new Americans, you should be crazy about college football too," Toledo attorney Timothy Nackowicz told 47 men and women about to be were sworn in as U.S. citizens yesterday in a ceremony at Owens Community College.
Mr. Nackowicz, whose father immigrated from Poland and was naturalized 30 years ago, exchanged his suit jacket for an Ohio State jersey while suggesting that the citizens-to-be root for the Buckeyes in tomorrow's rival matchup with the University of Michigan Wolverines.
"You're in Ohio so you should be an Ohio State Buckeyes fan," Mr. Nackowicz said before advising them to wear "something red" this weekend and avoid anything in yellow or blue.
He led the crowd in the O-H, I-O chant before discovering at least one Michigan fan in the group.
"It's unfortunate, but in America, all views are welcome," he said.
While the group seemed to enjoy the tongue-in-cheek pep talk, they heard a more serious message from U.S. District Court Judge David A. Katz, who called Mr. Nackowicz's address "the single most original welcome" he'd ever heard in his 15 years of conducting naturalization ceremonies.
"I encourage you to take full advan-tage of the rights you will now enjoy as citizens, but also to remember well your obligations as citizens to vote, to serve on juries, to become active in your communities and schools," Judge Katz said.
The judge talked about the state of affairs in the world today - both political and economic - that challenge the freedom Americans enjoy.
"I urge you, I plead with you, each in your own way, to reach out to others and to seek the mutuality of respect we so desire and need to preserve the liberty we so value in this society," he said.
Hastings Gokor seemed up to the challenge. He said he left his native Liberia eight years ago.
"I was a journalist back home and I was persecuted," he said, adding that he is now enrolled at Owens, studying to become a registered nurse. Thanks to his wife and her family's affinity for Ohio State football, he's already a Buckeyes fan, he added.
A native of the Philippines, Cristy Rowold of Findlay said she was happy to become a U.S. citizen "because I want to vote."
Ms. Rowold said she planned to watch the big game tomorrow.
"I watch football with my children," she said. "They love it."
The ceremony was held at Owens as part of activities planned for International Education Week. Owens has more than 135 international students from 39 countries.
The countries of origin and the new citizens' names are:
Afghanistan - Sadaf Sediqe and Yasmine Sediqe
Bulgaria - Stancho Minchev Stanchev and Yana Neycheva Stanchev
Canada - Rajiv Kumar Huria and Robert Tanner Sterling Milne
Costa Rica - Claribel Timmins
Dominican Republic - Annette Abreu
Egypt - Adly Guindi Shenouda
India - Prashant Parshuram Chinchankar, Rajeshree Prashant Chinchankar, Usha Gupta, Hafsa Yousuf Kanjwal, Poonam Bhupesh Saini, and Rubina Hassan Shah
Korea - Kue-Yun Zielinski
Lebanon - Nassif Chamoun, Bassem Ahmad Fakih, and Adib Mohammad Smidi
Liberia - Hastings Gonlakpor Gokor and Whorway Handfull Williams-Johnson.
Malaysia - Mee-Len Wong Koh and Tek Giap Ooi
Mexico - Margarito Alonso, Raul Sandoval Hernandez, Mario Marmolejo, Antonio Ramirez Ornelas, Mirna Delia Sanchez, and Ana Maria Banales Vazquez
Nicaragua - Denis Areas
Nigeria - Ahmed Oyesola Giwa and Bayo Stephen Oshunlalu
Pakistan - Saadia Khan
People's Republic of China - Mandy Shum
Philippines - Arlen Flores Herman and Cristy Jardeniano Rowold
Russia - Elena Vasilyevna Saylor
Somalia - Hanna Hussein Saed
Syria - Evana Abbse Eissa
Thailand - Montri Makpleek
Togo - Edjrosse Edgar Bagan
Tunisia - Lilia Jmiai
Ukraine - Kateryna Sergiyevna Derkachuk
United Kingdom - Malcolm Edge, Paul Barry Hughes, and Adrian Dominic Price
Vietnam - Christy Giang Pham
Contact Jennifer Feehan at:
jfeehan@theblade.com
or 419-724-6129.
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To balance the budget, the city has laid off three full-time employees, including a police officer, and two part-time employees, city administrator Patricia Bacon said.
For 2009, the city was able to cut $400,000 in expenses without layoffs.
Through September, income tax collections were $484,020 lower than 2008, in part because auto parts plants shut down for several months.
In related matters, council gave a second reading to an ordinance approving a health-care contract for nonunion employees. The coverage through Medical Mutual of Ohio is expected to save the city money.
Council gave a first reading to an ordinance discontinuing its police K-9 unit, also a money-saving move.
The dog will remain with the officer to which it was assigned and his family, Mrs. Bacon said.
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