It didn’t take long for the Guilford County Board of Commissioners’ Thursday, June 20 meeting to get very interesting: The first speaker from the floor was Guilford County Animal Shelter Manager Darryl Kosciak who announced at the podium that he was resigning due to a lack of adequate staffing at the shelter.
He said the staffing issue was not being addressed in the 2019-2020 county budget that the board was about to adopt so he felt compelled to step down.
Kosciak told the commissioners that, when he took the job, he was promised that the staffing issue would be dealt with by adding new positions, but he said that hadn’t happened and wasn’t happening again this year.
At the June 20 meeting, Kosciak had a lot of praise for Guilford County Animal Services Director Jorge Ortega – who he called a “rock star” – and he said the county should give Ortega the support he needed.
Earlier in the week, in a work session, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners did vote to add two positions of the six that Ortega requested.
Kosciak also had praise for Commissioner Jeff Phillips who he said had come out to the shelter and listened to the needs, and he encouraged more commissioners to come out to get a better understanding of what the staff there faced.
According to Kosciak, the current shelter facility is also woefully inadequate though he acknowledged that a new shelter was now on the way. He said that the new shelter had to be staffed properly to be well run.
“If not, a shiny building is not going to be shiny for long,” he told the board.
What we do with Dogs and Cats is a reflexion on our hearts. Those who are cruel to them are despicable and belong in a small space with an orange jumpsuit. Those who are indifferent are just as bad. With a County Budget in excess of $500,000,000.00 these people somehow can’t find money for four more employees to care for animals who just want to be adopted by a home full of people they can love. Despicable applies to those in a position to help save these gifts from God, and who just turn away.
It’s been almost 30 years since I worked for the County but not much has changed Mr. Kosciak. During a long period of consistent upheaval, unrest, and low morale in a group meeting we were asked what could be done to improve things. The people who could be quite vocal in the parking lot or dark hallways said little at the round table. The department director suggested acknowledging employee birthdays and a summer employee picnic with games, food, and fun for all (except those that had to cover mandatory shifts, of course). When asked how that would help attitudes those around the table voiced their agreement until… I declined. The director asked me again. I declined. He chuckled and said, “No really I want to know what you think of the ideas.” I said, “No really you don’t.” He was getting irritated, “No really what do you think of the ideas I want to know.” “Well, Mr. —, a cake covered with amazing decorations and incredible icing but made of shit still tastes like shit when you cut into it.” There was dead silence. Less than six months later my budgeted job was no longer in the budget. Morale, attitudes, unease, distrust still was rampant. It’s worse now than it was then. I’m far better off for saying my truth. You will be also, Mr. Kosciak because, as you said, that “shiny building is not going to be shiny for long.”