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| Questions for Candidates: for Austin City Council |
| Question on Donations Fund: The city's animal shelter (TLAC) has a Donations Fund that has no policies or written guidelines that guide the distribution of this fund. Do you support improving public involvement in the decision-making process regarding the Donations Fund? If elected, what would you do in this area? |
| Question on Adoption Center: Council Member Lee Leffingwell sponsored a resolution to keep an Adoption Center at the current animal shelter site on Lady Bird Lake when the new shelter opens in East Austin. CM Leffingwell recently stated at a public meeting that it was his intent that animals would live on site at the Adoption Center. Which do you support: an adoption center at the LBL site where animals live "on site" or an "offsite adoption"site on LBL to which they are transported for the offsite adoption event then returned to the East Austin site where they are housed? If you support CM Leffingwell's intent that the site on LBL be used to house adoption animals around the clock, what will you do to ensure this comes about? |
| Question on Lost and Found Program: The Lost and Found program does not have clear written policies that inform people who drop off an animal at the shelter that they are able to come back and adopt the animal if the owner does not come and reclaim the lost pet. Some people have been traumatized when they have dropped off a dog or a cat only to find out later that the pet they tried to help might be destroyed. What do you think about this and if elected, how will you help improve this situation? |
| Question on Cruelty seizures: Cruelty seizures are problematic. When large numbers of animals are seized in a cruelty case, they take up cage or kennel space at the animal shelter, resulting in other animals at the shelter being put down to make room for the seized animals. Other cities have successfully used the media to get the public to come to their shelters in large numbers after a cruelty seizure. In Austin, the media is not called and rescue groups are not mobilized to help immediately, and sometimes not at all. Would you be in favor of appointing a Task Force to examine the issue of cruelty seizures? Do you have any other ideas for improving the process so that saving animals from cruelty does not result in the animals that were "saved" - or other animals - being destroyed? |
| Question on Ride-along with Animal Control: City Council candidates and members often go out with police, firefighters and EMS on ride-alongs. I have not heard of any City Council candidate or member going out with Animal Control. As a candidate, would you be willing to go out with Animal Control and, if elected, would you use what you learned to inform your decisions? What other ideas do you have for becoming knowledgeable about animal shelter operations? |
| Question about Animal Advisory Commission: Recent changes by City Council limited the scope of the Animal Advisory Commission and restricted public involvement. A good example of an issue that can no longer be discussed by the AAC is cruelty seizures. Do you think the AAC should have a range of animal welfare issues discussed at its meetings and run the meetings in a way that invites public input or do you favor the limited role it currently plays? How would you address this? |
Sam:
Process Stories,
I worked in a state
assembly race in Manhattan
in a district where Democrats
outnumbered Republicans 16 to 1.
But everywhere we
went
there'd be one lone poster
of a right wing nutbar who wanted
to eliminate the income tax.
He was holding up signs and
canvassing everywhere and
bugging the local reporters
until we had to comment on it. So
I introduced myself to his
campaign manager and
I said,
"What are you doing? Your
candidate doesn't have a chance
and neither do your issues."
He said,
"This is what I believe,
and no candidate gets to
run in my district without
speaking to my issues."
I came this close to voting for him.
West Wing
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