10/05/05 State vet Siroky talks about his firing

Dr Clarence Siroky was shown the door and is no longer the State Veterinarian. Siroky says he was fired Monday by State Ag Director Pat Takasugi because he didn't communicate with Takasugi or deputy director Mike Everett. SIROKY "Between the two of them they've been picking and harassing. It's not me it's the whole fricking department that this is going on in." It came to a head when Siroky told the ag director he was going public and going to talk about department problems. SIROKY "He said that email was over the top. Well it might have been. But frankly some of the inability to respond to me when he himself initiated a situation with no remedy I thought was rather not forgivable." Siroky says Takasugi doesn't want another veterinarian to run the Division of Animal Health. SIROKY "All you got to do is look at what he proposes for the statute, to change the statute at the next legislative session. He not only wants no veterinarian he's got the option not to have a veterinarian have anything to do with animal health." We tried to get Tagasugi's side of the story but a spokesman said there would be no comment because it was a 'personnel matter." Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott