Remember Rene Varela?

Rene Varela, our former mayor, in the news

As some of you remember, Rene Varela resigned as our mayor to be the director of Baltimore County Animal Services. back in 2011.

Varela made some history here in Lake Worth after being the first public official in the history of Lake Worth to stick us with a $25,000 bill forcing us into a special election after he resigned 5 days early and an election amount that I was told at the time would cost us double. Rene Varela skipped out on Lake Worth and went to work in Towson, Maryland as a veterinarian.

Now he's the director of Baltimore County Animal Services...a big job.

For decades, colonies of feral cats have lived on the Spring Grove Hospital Center property. Volunteers with the nonprofit Cats on the Grove have cared for the cats since 2014, and they don't want to see the population abandoned. They've reduced the number of cats from over 100 down to 35.

The volunteers maintain six to seven feeding stations that provide food to the cats twice a day. But recently, a raccoon drawn by the food bit a volunteer, and now, the group has been notified by Rene Varela of Baltimore County Animal Services that they have three months to relocate the colony.

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Our former Lake Worth Mayor is in the news!

Baltimore County passes pet protection legislation

Our furry friends aren't just cute—they're a huge responsibility, one that some owners unfortunately neglect. New laws passed by the Baltimore County Council this week seek to hold those pet owners accountable.

Dr. Rene Varela, Bureau Director with Baltimore County Animal Services, said the news was music to his ears.

"[I got] goosebumps. It's incredible to see all the hard work that's been going on for years finally come to fruition," Varela said.

• The first piece of legislation would deem residents "reckless animal owners" if they commit multiple animal-related violations within two years. They would also be banned from owning a pet for four years and have their pet licenses revoked.
• The second law shortens the window for residents to appeal an animal cruelty or neglect case from 30 days to 10 days.
• The third adds a "potentially dangerous" animal category to the county's classifications, and the fourth clarifies basic owner responsibilities.

Varela told WMAR-2 News that the laws will help address widespread problems of people letting their dogs roam without supervision.

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From AI: Rene Varela served as the Mayor of Lake Worth (now Lake Worth Beach), Florida, from 2009 to 2011, elected in a 2009 runoff. A veterinarian by profession, he ran on a platform to rebuild taxpayer confidence and reduce city electric rates. He did not seek a second term and resigned abruptly in May 2011.