Animal care chief resigns

PALMER — The borough's animal control chief resigned Tuesday without much word publicly as to why.

Bob Haskell resigned Tuesday effective immediately, said acting borough manager Elizabeth Gray.

“He just verbally resigned,” she said, and could not discuss why. “We typically don’t discuss personal matters.”

Haskell is the second animal control chief to resign quietly and abruptly in the past two years. He replaced Dave Allison, whose resignation in September of 2008 was likewise sudden and unexplained.

He came to the borough from Whittier where he had been chief of police for three years. He arrived at the shelter as the borough was dramatically expanding the facility. He was the first chief in the gleaming new building. Lately the borough has been touting his record at the shelter, which has gone months without having to put down an adoptable animal.

The borough is not wasting any time in searching for Haskell’s replacement. Gray said that human resources will start advertising for a new chief by Thursday at the latest.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.