Dog Officer Row Unsettled-This Day In Norwood History-June 19, 1974

Town Officials Split Over Back Pay Claims and Temporary Appointments

The ongoing dispute surrounding the position of Town of Norwood dog officer remained unresolved following a lengthy and contentious Board of Selectmen meeting on Monday night. Town Manager John P. Moylan met with the selectmen in an executive session that lasted for an hour and 45 minutes, attempting to broker a solution to the administrative impasse. The core conflict intensified when Moylan reported to the selectmen that he had stopped paying temporary dog officer Albert A. Iodice on May 14. This action was taken because the job had officially become a full-time position under recent town reorganizations.

The situation was further complicated by an old police cruiser. Moylan explained that the vehicle currently being utilized for dog officer duties had broken down last week and requires a costly repair of $160. Moylan stated that the dog officer is currently limited to taking and making calls from his home telephone while his vehicle is disabled. In an interview conducted last week, Iodice maintained that he was continuing his duties despite the lack of official compensation. During the open meeting, Selectman John F. Albanese received a letter from Iodice on Monday night, which directed them to resolve the problem and warned that the county commissioners will have to appoint someone to fill the vacant position and set compensation if the selectmen fail to act.

Moylan countered by telling the commissioners that they should not let the problem go on any longer and that he has been spending too much time on Norwood dog officer problems. Furthermore, Moylan told Selectman Albanese that the board was faced with his complaints that the county officials are doing something in Norwood since Mr. Iodice went to them.

The county dog officer, present at last week’s interview, supported Iodice‘s claims. He stated that Iodice was in his rights to seek help from the county since he was acting without authority in stopping the Norwood officer’s pay without a formal notification by the board. Iodice has indicated that he did not find out about the manager’s action until June 4 when he visited Town Hall. He contends that he should have been paid for the month of May and through June 3 for his services.

He further noted that the town had the money to fix his car, but chose not to. Acknowledging that he told some residents who called him to contact the manager when they asked his service after his car broke down, Iodice said he should not be expected to use his personal car to transport dogs. He has also refused the town the use of his kennel.

Moylan said last night that he will continue with his investigation of using the SPCA shelter facilities or other service to house dogs picked up in Norwood. He stated that his position is that Norwood has a full-time dog officer and is only enforcing it on a part-time basis because he has been investigated in the process of hiring a full-time dog officer. The town manager was given the power to act for the selectmen in the matter by a unanimous vote. He promised to report on his progress at next week’s meeting.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger