With Shannon Sims quietly retiring last week as director of San Antonio’s embattled Animal Care Services department, the search for his replacement is heating up. Sims’ two-and-a-half-year tenure as ACS director was mired in controversy after a slew of headline-making dog attacks rocked San Antonio.
San Antonio's embattled Animal Care Services department is looking for a replacement for director Shannon Sims , who quietly retired last week.last week as director of San Antonio’s embattled Animal Care Services department, the search for his replacement is heating up.rocked San Antonio. Animal advocates have also criticized the department’s low live-release rate and blasted it for accidentally euthanizing of three dogs last summer that were not supposed to be put down.
During those comments, advocates alleged that both Oster-Gabrielson and Colonnese had past failures that should raise red flags. Advocates also argued there’s a conflict of interest in Assistant City Manager David McCary’s involvement in the hiring process. “It is unclear how their expertise is an appropriate choice for determining qualities of a strong ACS director,” LaPort said. “And would you feel comfortable going against the choices of your boss?”Using the Freedom of Information Act, advocates have obtained pages of text messages and emails that they argue demonstrate that both Oster-Gabrielson and Colonnese are unfit to take on the leadership role.
“I just don’t like the angle of apologizing for what we do,” Davenport wrote in a text message to ACS Communications Director Lisa Norwood. “We will make mistakes, but not fair to take that blunt of responsibility on our staff for an error. We pay about the same as an admin assoc in most depts. It’s a flaw in the COSA system that is not okay.”
“I am concerned about some of this additional staff, like the five for animal exams,” the councilwoman said. “I just feel that we need to focus the additional ACS budget for boots on the ground, for people responding to critical calls. So, when I see 14 positions on enhancing campus adoptions, on support service, on thriving work force — to me that’s not boots on the ground, and we really need to focus on boots on the ground so these dogs are getting picked up.
For context, Alderete Gavito has taken a keen interest in ACS and its internal operations, even touring its facilities Aug. 18, 2023.aimed at getting the city’s dangerous-dog problem under control. She called for stiffer penalties for owners whose dogs repeatedly wander off property, a system for anonymous reporting of dangerous dogs and allowing ACS to spay and neuter — at the owner’s expense — wandering dogs it picks up.
“Pelaez will go on a streak on and cops and something we can’t follow,” Oster-Gabrielson texted Davenport.The other potential internal hire, ACS COO Colonnese, is also facing criticism from animal advocates, including one Austin-based consultant who worked with the department, for what they call her support for the department’s questionable euthanasia practices.
According to Sims’ version of events, Hassen visited ACS Dec. 7-8, 2022, and sent her findings to the department a few days later. However, Hassen told theshe identified a significant flaw in the department: that it focused primarily on moving animals out of its care as soon as possible instead of striving to prevent euthanasia of otherwise healthy and adoptable ones.
City Of San Antonio Animal Welfare Shannon Sims Assistant City Manager David Mccary Petco Love Outcomes For Pets Consulting Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito
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