From: Glenn Johnson <gmj235@earthlink.

net>
Date: June 27, 2014, 5:27:31 PM EDT
To: "Dist1, John Manning" <Dist1@leegov.com>, "Dist2, Cecil Pendergrass" <dist2@leegov.com>, "Dist3,
Larry Kiker" <dist3@leegov.com>, "Dist4, Brian Hamman" <dist4@leegov.com>, "Dist5, Frank Mann"
<Dist5@leegov.com>
Subject: Concern
Dear Commissioners,
Please find this correspondence regarding the ongoing situation and work environment within Lee
County and specifically at Lee County Domestic Animal Services. In the interest of the community we
serve, it is vital that the decision makers are aware of the caustic environment and current atmosphere
and culture of threats and intimidation within the county. Unfortunately the situation has risen to the
level that I feel compelled to respectfully bring some unfiltered awareness to the B.O.C.C. regarding the
conduct of the County Manager and his recently appointed Assistant County Manager.
I initially met Donna Ward more than six years ago while I was serving with Fort Myers Police
Department. One of my duties was to monitor the contract for animal services within Fort Myers, and I
found Ms. Ward to be a highly committed, passionate and professional representative for the County.
My initial role at LCDAS was as a volunteer, and for almost three years I have worked as the Operations
Manager under the tutelage of Ms. Ward. I currently represent Lee County on the Florida Animal Control
Association as a board member and my admiration for not just Ms. Ward, but our employees has only
increased with my observations and experience working alongside these dedicated individuals. It is for
this reason that I am providing the following troubling insight into what is occurring at this time.
Since Mr. Desjarlais came to Lee County in July 2013, he was placed in the unenviable position of
enacting tough measures to address the budget deficit. One of the decisions that he made was to cut
one of the LCDAS Animal Control Officer positions, which reduced our 24/7 service personnel to a total
of fourteen officers. There was no discussion or prior research into the impact of this decision, and the
contentious nature was addressed at this meeting. Mr. Desjarlais assured the B.O.C.C. that he would
conduct an analysis of the workload and departmental requirements related to this decision and report
back to the commission in six months. Then County Commissioner Tammy Hall questioned the necessity
of a six month process and suggested thirty days. It should be noted that as of this date, Mr. Desjarlais
has conducted no such analysis as promised and has even declined to read a comprehensive
departmental report provided to him.
Animal Services Field Operations provided a comprehensive report to County Management in April 2014
that detailed statistical data and analysis relative to call volume, response times and service provided to
the residents of Lee County by Animal Services. Also included in the report was statistical data as related
to the work conditions, employee retention and the support of this data by the three most recent
county audits. This report was formatted as a business plan with proposed solutions to the troubling
issues that the department faces in providing the requisite service to the residents of the county. At a
meeting in May 2014, Mr. Desjarlais advised he had not seen the report, and the newly promoted
Assistant County Manager Christine Brady advised she had read it but had some questions. As of this
date no questions have been asked of Animal Services by Ms. Brady.
Animal related issues and stories have a long held fascination with the public, and Lee County is no
exception to this. This year there have been a considerable amount of investigations at Animal Services
that have garnered attention with the media. Some of the attention received has facilitated in
information that has assisted in the investigative process and led to the arrest and prosecution of
suspects who have committed criminal acts against animals. The agency has consistently conducted
itself in a professional manner with the media, and most importantly in a transparent and accountable
manner befitting of a truly open government department. At the behest of Mr. Desjaralais, Animal
Services has been placed under a media ban and is not allowed to speak with the media or even send
out a simple press release without approval from the county. This decision has never been explained
other than rumors circulating that Mr. Desjarlais feels the agency is advocating for itself. Whatever the
reason for this decision it is certainly not indicative of a transparent and accountable government. A
subsequent edict came down requesting our PIO question how a reporter had found out about a story!
Not only is this unethical it could also breach the Constitutional First Amendment that allows the press
to operate without the constraints of government. Animal Services is cognizant on a daily basis of
constitutional protections afforded the citizenry, yet County Management seemingly advocates for an
indefensible position that places employees in litigious jeopardy.
This background information leads to the environment that I initially alluded to at the outset. Animal
Services routinely conducts breaches of state statute investigations and has had remarkable success
from a prosecutorial standpoint. While undergoing the aforementioned scrutiny from Mr. Desjarlais and
his newly appointed Assistant, Animal Services was engaged in an ongoing investigation regarding a Lee
County resident. For unknown reasons, the County elected to engage in conduct that can only be
described as interference by attempting to influence the State Attorneys Office to drop the charge.
Animal Services was not included in any discussions prior to this interference and decisions were made
without consultation. The ensuing dictatorial and unprofessional behavior of Ms. Brady, which was
documented by official complaints from me and Donna Ward, was then supposedly investigated by Mr.
Desjarlais designee Glenn Salyer. The complaints were of substantial and serious nature and provided
details on her unprofessionalism and rude manner. Notwithstanding these worrying issues emanating
from an individual who is the Director of the department tasked with teaching harassment avoidance
and implementing policy related to that, are the legal questions that were asked by us. The interference
into a criminal investigation can be construed as misfeasance at best, and malfeasance at worst. Mr.
Desjarlais response has been to provide no answers and then further empower Ms. Brady.
Prior to going on FMLA leave, Donna Ward named me as the Interim Director in her absence. One day
later I was contacted by Ms. Brady advising that she and Mr. Desjarlais would be coming to LCDAS for a
meeting. The subsequent meeting resulted in their decision to place the Director of Parks and
Recreation, Dave Harner, in the position rather than me. A managers meeting then followed where Mr.
Desjarlais apprised all within the meeting of the decision, with Ms. Brady adding that the decision was to
provide reinforcements. These reinforcements also include Human Resource Department supervisors to
provide support whenever Dave Harner is in a meeting. One of these supervisors has less than 1years
tenure and like all the other reinforcements, has no law enforcement or applicable background. Even
to the most avowed supporter of Mr. Desjarlais, this is very hard to represent as anything other than
condescending and an effort to intimidate and target certain individuals. During the meeting, Mr.
Desjarlais even went as far as to elicit comments from one of my supervisors based on his perception of
that individuals body language.
Since this decision has been made, an example that is illustrative of the naivet of Mr. Desjarlais serves
as an example. An address in Lehigh Acres becomes the target of a fanatical neighbor regarding the
treatment of a dog. Despite Animal Services attending the location on at least 14 occasions, no offense
was ever committed and therefore no action possible. The continued unabated social media attacks on
this address created the issue to go viral and bring media attention. Without having the ability to
respond publicly added fuel to an already impassioned fire. Animal Services was then subjected to a
barrage of complaints from all over the United States about their lack of action. A cynical observer may
note that the only person that gains from this scenario is the individual who is attempting to create an
aura of incompetence where none exists.
Animal Services serves a vital and public safety service to Lee County. Providing this service to the
community and to animals that are unable to defend themselves is indicative of a fair and just society.
The shelter on Banner Drive elucidates the neglect and cruelty that occur within the county. The animals
we house are living and breathing creatures capable of unconditional love as well as pain and suffering.
They are not potholes and unkempt lawns. From a truly strategic perspective this is a simple matter of
cause and effect. The effect is what the shelter houses, and the cause is the treatment that placed the
animal there. Field Operations through education and enforcement deal with limiting and trying to
eliminate this causal behavior. Not everyone is guilty of committing an offense, but those that are
should be held responsible for the cruelty and neglect. An individual who pick axes a dog to death or
severs anothers tongue before killing it has committed a criminal act (both recent cases). Experienced
investigators that glean knowledge and skills through tenure are those best tasked with representing the
county in handling such investigations. Despite this, Mr. Desjarlais has made proclamations that the
Officers high turnover rate is because it is one of those jobs where people dont stay. He has also
made accusations that Animals Services are over-zealous and that maybe we are doing too much.
This claim is an unsubstantiated supposition from an individual with no knowledge or background in law
enforcement and who is apparently unwilling to engage in any dialogue to rectify these inadequacies. A
lifetime spent working in government with lofty titles and a matching salary should not excuse or explain
ignorance.
A cursory search of Mr. Desjarlais background shows that there is a pattern of similar behavior during
his tenure in Broward County. Threatening and intimidating reporters along with dismissing
Departmental Directors just one month prior to his surprise resignation appears to be remarkably akin
to his recent conduct towards myself and Donna Ward. On a daily basis the employees at Animal
Services conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner according to Lee County
regulations, directly under Donna Wards tutelage. The agency has behaved in a transparent and
accountable manner in exactly the same way and represented the county and its residents well.
As the elected representatives of this community I hope you would agree that the words Transparency
and Accountability are more than words to be uttered to gain employment or to be used as a shield of
convenience to cover nefarious activity. The conduct of Mr. Desjarlais and his seemingly sycophantic
cohort(s) have created a toxic environment that is ruled by fear. This climate creates a natural
reluctance to come forward for fear of retaliation. Unfortunately for Mr. Desjarlais, I will not be
intimidated or ruled by fear. The targeting of individuals is simply unacceptable, immoral and ultimately
the act of a bully. His handling of Animal Services is obviously agenda driven and he needs to be held to
account. The power that you have authorized him to use is being utilized to create division and reduce
the service to the community, along with the politics of personal destruction. There is nothing
transparent or accountable about any of Mr. Desjarlais actions documented in this correspondence.
Recent coverage of ongoing litigation by both current and former county employees has publicly
highlighted what appears to be the systemic targeting, intimidation and retaliation by county
management. This conduct portrays the county in a negative manner and only the most myopic of
individuals would feel that this is acceptable behavior.
In hindsight, providing Mr. Desjarlais with the complaint against Ms. Brady has escalated the animus
towards me and Donna Ward as well as the department. This behavior necessitates my direct contact
with the B.O.C.C. directly through this correspondence. As a loyal county employee and long time
resident of Lee County this saddens me deeply. As public servants I hope you would agree that unbridled
and unchallenged power in the hands of anyone, let alone a narcissist, is a dangerous combination. The
county employees as well as the community deserve better than this. I welcome the opportunity to
provide more detailed information and documentation to substantiate the facts as outlined.
Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.
Respectfully Submitted
Glenn Johnson