Harkins: Animal list should be Westport selectmen’s job

Board of Health director unloads on critics

By Bruce Burdett
Posted 10/5/18

Board of Health director unloads on critics

A week after the Board of Health (BOH) that he chairs came under fire from a large audience for not acting on a farm animal site registry, Chairman …

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Harkins: Animal list should be Westport selectmen’s job

Board of Health director unloads on critics

Posted

Board of Health director unloads on critics

A week after the Board of Health (BOH) that he chairs came under fire from a large audience for not acting on a farm animal site registry, Chairman William Harkins took some return shots of his own.

At the opening of a joint meeting of the BOH and Agricultural Commission (AgCom), he read aloud from prepared notes. Among other things, Mr. Harkins said a farm animal site registry really is not the job of the BOH, that some town department heads are not doing their jobs, and it is not the place of the Board of Selectmen to tell the BOH what to do.

Among other things, Mr. Harkins said that:

• Referring to remarks by Westport Detective Jeff Majewski about the difficulty police have finding the farms from which animals escape, he said he wants to reaffirm that the animal control officer and animal inspectors “are the only ones in town who know where the animals are. So it would make sense that,” when there is a lost farm animal, “that should be the first call that is made, to the animal department that works for the Board of Selectmen.”

• To two doctors who said a registry is needed to help contain animal-borne infectious diseases, “This is one of the main reasons that the barn books came into inception, so the state would have a way to track animals in the event of an outbreak. I believe that adding another layer to this would be counterproductive” and would result in “butting heads.”

• To newspapers, the “nut” of whose articles was that the BOH was taking no action on an animal registry, “That was sparked because I failed to make my intentions plain to everybody … That was purposely done because the BOH started the whole process with the goal of listening and gathering information before rendering any decision.”

“Certain people were apparently not happy with this process and were trying to force the board to make decisions before the process was complete. Had we done that we would have short-circuited the whole process.”

• To the Board of Selectmen, especially member Brian Valcourt … “Then we get into Valcourt at the last meeting. His opening comment was that he will reserve comments about the BOH. Well, Mr. Valcourt, I would firmly welcome your comments about the BOH because obviously you have things you want to say about us …. He went on to (say that) it’s time for the BOS to think about an animal registry bylaw,. This is an option that they can certainly look at … He thinks that’s the only way he can force the BOH to enforce this. Well first of all, he can’t force the BOH to do anything because we are an elected board, the same as he is.”

“And he wants to attack us saying the BOH is worried about the political consequences of acting on this and that we won’t be re-elected if we do this …” For the past two years, the animal department has been under the Board of Selectmen. “These are the people who know where the animals are in Westport, these are the people who should be running the site registry.

“The Board of Health is still getting calls regularly because people are not getting a response from the animal department. This is a problem that needs to be dealt with by the department heads that refuse to do their job.

“As to being afraid of not getting re-elected, that is the least of my worries. I am more concerned about what is proper for the town and all of its residents. I wish I could say the same for you Mr. Valcourt.”

“I appreciate that the Board of Selectmen is indicating that they are possibly willing to talk about their responsibility in this process …

It would be great if the Board of Selectmen would take on the task of putting together a registry which belongs with the animal department.”

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