With all the goings on with the current director at the HS. I think it would be a great idea to reinstate the position of shelter manager. A position he did away with about the same time he did away with the accounting firm. Sandy Hudson was a good shelter manager. She has years of experience in animal control and animal welfare. She worked endlessly to get animals placed in homes instead of euthanizing them. She and I have had our differences but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the animals come first for her. She should be immediately be put back in her position as manager. This also at least makes some checks and balances and puts someone else in the position to know what the day to day operations are and what they should be. She is trained in her field where the current director has so little training it's a joke. Someone needs to be in that building that knows the laws and actually cares about the animals. Why did he do away with this position when all other shelters have someone in this capacity. No one person should be in total control. Sandy should be brought back to do her job while a nationwide search is conducted for a real shelter director with animal sheltering experience. They are some good employees at the HS but they are afraid to speak up about anything that happens there for fear of losing their jobs. Most have years more experience than David Fitzgerald and know that he isn't doing his job in the best interest of the animals. You know how people say be careful what you wish for. Well Linda Lugo and Sandy Hudson are now gone and the ones suffering are the animals of Wicomico and apparently Dorchester County at the hands of a man that doesn't even like animals and is all about the money. Please residents of the county stand up and demand an audit and demand that someone with experience that cares is put back in the building.
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
21 comments:
How are you going to fund the new positions? Remember, you all want low taxes and a revenue cap...
This is why we need your blog. You bring issues to light that normally would be ignored by the local news outlets. How do we go about getting Dave Fitzgerald removed?? Once he is gone, we can bring back Sandy Hudson and let her be in Dave's position. She certainly is more qualified.
they aren't new positions. They existed until this new management took over. It would be funded the say way it has been funded for years.
Funding will come from Fitzgerald's job which he is not doing and needs to be removed before more animals die and that b-s--rds hands!
If petitons are circulating I'll sign one and donate to the cause. The Board also needs to be carefully reviewed. They do nothing as well.
Some people on the board need to go too. They worship David. My experience with David is that he is the most inconsistant, unethical, unprofessional and don't let me forget lying person I have ever met. I can say it on here and not worry about losing my job.
The salaries for 2011 with (David)$349,102 & in 2010 with
(Linda)$334,656. In 2012 Animal Control & Humane Society got $240,000 from Wicomico County, plus an amount from City of Salisbury, $20,000 from Delmar, & I am not sure how much they are collecting from Dorchester County. Isn't it amazing, they get all this money but don't fall under anybody's supervision because they are a 501C non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors & Executive Director that sets its policies & procedures. They get all that tax payer money but no one can tell them how to take care of the animals & it shows they do a lousy job. 2 locked up at 123 Shamrock Dr. since 2011 released on 3/26/13 after Wicomico Sheriff took action & 2 died of starvation at 6619 Benita Ave. on Easter Weekend. Both of these incidences have reported repeated neighbor complaints. The HS website states no ANIMAL CONTROL after hours or weekends. Private run group on our money & animal suffering.
I've got chest pains, Fitzgerald is making that kind of $ and animals are dying right and left this is pure criminal neglect of duty. I can't believe he gets that kind of money and does nothing. He is so physically out of shape, he can't do any work.
He is no count, another flunky that can't do anything but screw up and the county of course does nothing about poor performance; except to move him around from job to job out of the way.
Pollitt needs to do something besides feed his face and get control of this situation before more animals die.
This is just unforgiveable, the pain, suffering, and neglect these animals are put through.
Fitzgerald spends too much time at the county building up town with his croonies when he should be doing his job. The shelter should have coverage Monday through Sunday. At the very least on the week-ends a person should be there 1/2 day.
For the money he makes, he should earn it. He is stealing from the taxpayers, we pay the taxes and he doesn't do his job.
There has been so many articles about his total failure at the shelter and still he is there....WHY????
Complaints were made on the following dates against Sandy Hudson. She was so bad at her job and dealing with the public the natives wanted her head. So that came to be. Now it appears she was the best thing since sliced bread. Do you folks know what you want.
MONDAY, FEBR 14, 2011 Forever Grateful
FRIDAY, JULY 01, 2011 Wicomico County Humane Society
TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2011 Another Wicomico Humane Society Letter To The Editor
SATURD, JULY 14, 2012 A Letter To The Editor 7-14-12
Same is true of Linda Lugo. Lord only knows how many postings were on Sbynews proving she did not know the difference between the front and hind end of a dog - GET RID OF HER - yelled the crowds. Well she is gone and the masses are still unhappy.
Remember to be careful what you wish for.
Well whomever believes that Sandy "the Butcher" Hudson should come back is sadly mistaken on how things worked during that regime. I have personally seen and unfortunately had to euthanize many animals that not only had a chance to be adopted but seemed to be a nuisance to Sandy's plan for running the shelter. So unless you have worked there please keep your comments to yourself because you haven't the slightest idea of what goes on behind the walls.
Priorities... priorities...
No apologies.
There are a lot more pressing problems in our society for these people to be wasting time, money and intellectual abilities on animals.
I know that hurts some people very much, but, WAKE UP.
If Mr. Fitzgerald has not held an open meeting for HS members either last year or this one, he is in violation of the organization's own bylaws. Why can't someone make him do it?
9:49pm Yes, priorities should be identified. But isn't it a priority for the county to handle animal control. No, I believe it is a mandate. County Government, do your job. And if those you have contracted with don't do their job, then hired someone else to do it.
9:49 Animals have no voice----Only those of people who care.
A letter was publicized on here to the County Council & Mr. Pollitt asking them for an audit & more or less a balance & check of what's going on out there-----I've heard of nothing being done as to that.
Their only concern is to keep the animals from running at large---take them in & euthanize them. How disgusting.
It's tax payer money funding much of the HS & WE have a right to know that it's being handled properly & that animals are trying to be adopted out instead of killing them all!!
Where are the members of the County Council on this & Mr. Pollitt? I urge you to email them to get an answer!
Sure bring back Sandy and Linda, like Dave they all had told their employees no that nothing leaves the inner walls or they were FIRED.
If it wasn't for Sandy, Linda Lugo would still be there. The County needs to clean out everyone, from the top to the bottom and start with a clean slate.
Turn Animal Control over to the Sheriff where it should have been in the first place. The County Council need to stop funding the Humane Society and take that money and do COUNTY SHELTER run by the County, not
County shelter with no money to Humane Society is a good idea.
12:44 You have hit the nail on the head!
Why does everyone kiss Linda Lugo's a$$? Trust me, there was corruption and euthanizing plenty under her watch.
Of great concern, I am trying to wipe this ridiculous look off my face,as I cannot imagine who in the world would write such a crazy letter as this, pleading for Sandy Hudson's old job to be reinstated. Really?! I mean REALLY?!?!? Sounds like a pleading letter a mother would write for their child, when they miss a day at school but want no consequences for lack of attendance..."please excuse Sandy from school today, she was not feeling well and had to stay home". Or perhaps it was her best friend in the world pleading for life to travel backwards and undo the mess in the Humane Society. Puh-leaeeze! Get real, whoever you are! If Sandy Hudson was so incredible, ethical, professional there would not have been the onslaught of complaints against her treatment of the animals, coworkers, the public and mismanagement of the HS. The same goes for Linda Lugo, if her work performance was so credible, then both she and Sandy would still be there. Change is good! Unfortunately, it went from bad at the HS, to insanely worse! There are too many personal connections between people, like Sandy and Linda, like David and the family board member, etc. However, the last handful of years has seen heartless euthanasia on dogs that could have been placed in loving homes, but, that would entail doing an ethical, professional and caring day of work at the HS. We haven't seen that happen in so many years, it's ridiculous!
The ONLY WAY to change this is to open an ethical shelter, bid for the same contracts that the HS seems to get ($) and then the people will have a choice, it will let the people stop walking into the front door of the HS, instead choosing an ethical, professional place that functions on the behalf of the animals and not the people that work there.
Oh my, did I say an animal shelter should operate for the benefit of the animals??? What a concept, a novel idea! Now who has the brains to pull this together? Or will we just all sit by and continue to blame? Obviously the councils, mayor, whomever, are NOT going to act on this. It will take the people to make a change. Who's ready? I know Joe Albero is, so lets move forward, nobody wants to repeat history, we must organize to make change, otherwise more dogs will continue to die and then there will be nobody to blame but ourselves.
Some of you praise Sandy and want here back. The shelter was at it's best before she started working there and dating the boss Linda. No complaints, no over killing of animals, no neg-blog postings. everyone was happy. Now you all want is her back.
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