What's (not) wrong with IACC?

Those who read the one-sided story by Heather Gillers in the Star Wednesday morning would've been certain that Indianapolis Animal Care & Control (IACC) was literally falling apart. It must be so, if the head of the agency is put on probation. I mean, in 2008 when investigators confirmed that the agency was violating Indianapolis law and their own internal policies and animals were being abused and mistreated there was no probation for Adminsitrator Steve Talley or Kennel Manager Kirsten Vantwoud. Obviously things must be worse at the shelter now?

Clearly, for AFSCME local president Steve Quick to take time out of his job with the department of Public Works to stage a press conference at the shelter and parade the media back into the euthanasia room, and present a series of union employees with their tales of horror at the shelter, it really must be unspeakably bad there, right?

Something is definitely wrong, but it's not at IACC. Those who attended the advisory board meeting Weds night saw Administrator Doug Rae introducing his now-filled managerial staff -- a group of energetic people who sure looked like the most optimistic bunch of city workers you are likely to find anywhere, and a staff who believe that they can fulfill their boss' vision of making IACC a place that doesn't make animals suffer and die, but gives them every possible chance to live and be someone's dearly loved pet.

Anyone who thought that taking a sadly dysfunctional shelter run by a "string of politial hacks" and turning it into a something good was going to be painless must live in a fantasy world. The division has had 9 leaders in 13 years, none of them with any more experience operating a shelter than the average pet owner. The division has been all but strangled by a bully of a union president whose in-your-face style says he is more interested in dominance than seeking to "work together, to promote cost-effectiveness and efficiency, and to promote harmony through the expitious and peaceful adjustment of differences that may arise from time to time" (excerpted from the 178-page AFSCME Master Agreement).

At Wed night's board meeting, the shelter's operating statistics were quite positive, especially compared to the same time in 2008: Volunteerism continues to set records since Rae arrived, already surpassing their yearly goal of 10,000 volunteer hours for all of 2009; Adoptions up 45%; Euthanasia down 13%; Animals returned to owner up 6%. The only statistic that didn't reflect improvement was the number of animals transferred to rescue groups which is running 68% of last year. Not surprising since the position that coordinates such transferred was only filled three weeks prior to the meeting.

Staff reported that of the 153 animals adopted at the incredible July 4th adoption event, only three had been returned. This 1.9% return rate is in sharp contrast to wild speculations by critics that 50-80% of the animals adopted were returned to IACC or other shelters. We also learned that bites are down. Another apparent contradiction to the statements of nay sayers, including acting director Renner who expressed concern in the Star story that public safety was suffering under Rae's leadership at the shelter.

Mind you, Doug Rae isn't crowing about the positive numbers from the shelter. He still see a great deal of work yet to do before IACC is the shelter he committed to re-creating when he was hired by then director Scott Newman in January. His vision of the shelter is one with on-staff veterinary professionals, faster response to calls from the public and a shelter that sees more like 80% of the animals leaving the shelter alive than July's 36%.

With so much positive change and overhwhelming public support, why is the acting director of public safety, Mark Renner, putting Doug Rae on probation? We know that Renner was present at the secret meeting at Humane Society of Indianapolis with councilors and a small group of disgruntled animal interest groups. We know that the union has been filing grievances almost non-stop since Rae began holding staff accountable for their work and for the care of the animals. We know that some animal interest groups are disgruntled. Maybe because they liked the way things were before, or because they have their own agenda for IACC, which has nothing to do with public safety or saving animals, or maybe they just hate the very focused, plain-spoken Rae. Since these critics are concealing their true objections and instead presenting a smoke screen of baseless rumors and random gripes, we don't know.

The most likely explanation for Adminsitrator Rae being placed on probation points to acting director Renner himself and perhaps gives us some insight into his character as a leader. Doug Rae came to town to do a nearly impossible job, and was the only person who is remotely qualified to do it, hands down. He is doing the job, but as the saying goes, no pain, no gain. There has been plenty of pain, much of it from the union. Renner is a lawyer, and prior to being hired on as the deputy director under Scott Newman was a court commissioner in Marion County. You wouldn't think that to be the profile of a man who buckles under the pressure that could absolutely have been expected to appear as the shelter is reformed. Still, this seems to be the case.

The citizens of Indianapolis can only hope that a permant replacement for Scott Newman is chosen soon to avoid the damage that Renner seems to be poised to do.