Over at the Houston Press, Craig Malisow continues to keep tabs on the misadventures at BARC, the city’s problematic animal control organization. According to the report, BARC failed to have a vet on duty again this weekend, due to some sort of mixup. Then, the city couldn’t seem to get its story straight:
[W]hile important folks like HHS Assistant Director Michael Terraso speak openly and freely with some volunteers, he’s never spoken directly with Hair Balls. So this morning, Terraso e-mailed a volunteer about the weekend mix-up, stating “The unfortunate circumstance of this last weekend was the result of relief vets not showing up as scheduled on Saturday and Sunday and not calling to let the management know. “
Which is perfectly in keeping with what [Kathy] Barton told us. But at 2:56 pm today, he e-mailed that volunteer again to say, “I apologize, but I was in error in the email I sent earlier. I have been told that a vet was not scheduled for last Saturday. I am investigating as to why one was not scheduled.”
So, for publication, Health and Human Services tells us one thing. And then, in a private e-mail, the assistant director says the complete opposite.
That doesn’t sound like Mayor White’s story of transparency. Maybe he should have a task force look into these ongoing problems. Err, never mind.
