Milroy resident Don Jarman served the community as the Rushville Animal Control officer for 18 months. Earlier this month he was fired from that position by Rushville Mayor Merv Bostic for what was described as insubordination.
The day he was dismissed Jarman decline to comment on Bostic’s decision but has since decided to speak out about his time at the Rushville Animal Shelter.
Regarding the mayor’s comments that Jarman’s first few months at the shelter “went smoothly,” Jarman agreed, but only to a point.
“I agree with that things went smoothly, but after the first two months I had figured out that I couldn’t disagree with him (Mayor Bostic). There were several times we (assistant animal control officer Jamie Glandon and I) did things we didn’t agree with just to keep him happy. I could give examples but I don’t see a need to do that. There is a time when you can’t do that anymore and now is that time,” Jarman said.
One of the concerns Bostic expressed about the animal shelter was the cleanliness of the facility; Jarman indicated that although cleaning was a priority, many of his and Glandon’s other duties hindered their ability to spend a lot of time cleaning.
“I believe he did get some complaints. He did talk to me. Knowing I couldn’t disagree, I kept doing the best I could,” Jarman said.
Jarman said that although others may have spent more time keeping the shelter clean, his priority was the animals and finding them good homes.
“I’m saying that they (previous animal control officers) were not concentrating on saving the animals as we were. I don’t believe that Merv (Bostic) ever understood that it was a full-time job to save them (the animals) from being put down,” Jarman said.
He added that volunteers from WorkOne and others directed to the shelter by township trustees did a great job at keeping the shelter as clean as possible.
“I believe this is a slap in the face to all of them. I believe they did a great job and I’m sorry for them that this happened. I would also like to take this time to say that I am very proud of the job Jamie and I and all of these above people have done over the past 18 months,” Jarman said.
When asked about his release, the Milroy resident said that the mayor did not have to have a reason to let him go, noting that department heads can be dismissed without cause.
Jarman said he was in the process of submitting a letter of resignation when he was dismissed.
“I was going to be resigning, maybe as soon as the next week. He (Bostic) said that he had a couple of people to interview,” Jarman said.
He continued by saying that his disagreement with the mayor regarding Glandon’s dismissal a month earlier may have led to his termination as well.
In closing, Jarman said he appreciated the support he received and the time he served the community.
He also thanked county animal control officer Larry Coffey for his efforts and said the county and city worked very well together.
Frank Denzler can be contacted at (765) 932-2222 ext. 106 or via e-mail at frank.denzler@rushvillerepublican.com. To add a comment to this story visit our Web site at www.rushvillerepublican.com.
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Jarman speaks out about animal shelter
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