City Attorney Theresa James finished her last day of employment in San Angelo. She is headed to Fort Worth to serve as Deputy City Attorney, responsible for legislative affairs.
The City of San Angelo Facebook page recognized her contributions with:
Together
with her staff, she leaves a lasting impact in this community. Theresa
was an integral part of undertakings like ADA compliance/accessibility
upgrades within the city, the newest trash contract negotiations,
executing contracts for the purchase and sale of the Ford Ranch, and so
much more.
City Attorney James was instrumental in imposing restrictions on public information requests and the recent move to restrict public comment to those who register prior to meeting. That effectively prohibits someone sitting in Council Chambers (who did not register) from making public comment based on deliberations by the Mayor and Council members. Citizens do not know what elected officials will say prior to the meeting.
James also led the special citation effort for citizens who'd retrieved their pet from the Animal Shelter but had not yet gotten the required spay/neuter surgery. Council approved a part time position for that project, which was completed by Attorney James daughter. Getting information on that effort was a significant challenge.
Council inquired as to "high volume" public information requestors issues. In my case most PIRs involved Animal Services. Shelter Chief Morgan Chegwidden speaks often about being "data driven," however remarkably little information is provided on the city website or shared with the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee. Public information requests are often the only tool available to citizens seeking further information on any topic.
I did check out Fort Worth's PIR policies. That City tries to put information on its website for the public to access.
Fort Worth is recruiting a full time veterinarian. Their job posting included:
The City of Fort Worth has a progressive animal welfare program that enjoys broad based support from elected officials, industry, residents, and animal welfare agencies. On April, 23 - 25, 2021, the city celebrated the grand opening of its new state of the art North Animal Campus paid for by a $13.5M bond program approved by the residents of Fort Worth in 2018. The new campus boasts a fully equipped veterinary hospital for shelter pets along with five separate dog kennels, each with 10 enrichment yards, a cat ward with windows for every cat and staff and volunteer space overlooking the 7.5 acres campus. At the Fort Worth Animal Shelter, each day is filled with diverse opportunities. We work closely with veterinary technicians, customer service representatives, kennel technicians, animal control officers, and partner organizations to be at the forefront of animal welfare. Come see why over 120 dedicated animal welfare staff call The City of Fort Worth home. The Fort Worth Animal Campuses are open seven days per week.
James oversaw the legal side of the shelter's "no kill" evolution which choked off shelter intake (starting in 2019) and resulted in third world levels of loose pets on city streets. Animal to human bites soared as city streets became a dumping ground and irresponsible owners allowed their dogs to breed.
The Augusta Chronicle reported:
When no-kill shelters are full, workers are forced to turn away people surrendering their animal – even in dire circumstances, Sites said.
Often it leads to more crowding in the shelter and more stress on the animals and on the staff, she said. And there would be more strays living in the streets creating a dangerous situation for the animals and humans.
San Angelo has been there for quite some time.
a taxpayer-supported shelter is obligated to take any animal
Not in San Angelo. Yes, the City Attorney's impact is lasting in the Animal Services arena, but clearly not in a good way.
