State-Journal.com - Fighting like cats and dogs

Critics say personal conflicts have distracted members of the local humane society board of directors, and they’ve fallen victim to the very ill they tried to correct in their reform sweep – infighting.

However, supporters say the group has accomplished several important goals and will overcome their differences.

On Tuesday, Constable Floyd Hockensmith resigned from his position as an ex-officio member of the Franklin County Humane Society board of directors.

Fiscal Court appointed him to the humane society in March, and he has sent a letter to Judge-Executive Ted Collins explaining why he quit.

“I can no longer serve on a board that continues to operate outside their own bylaws and the laws of the Commonwealth,” Hockensmith wrote. “I do not feel that this board is doing anything to help the Humane Society or the animals, rather they are doing just the opposite, they are destroying the Humane Society.”

Humane society spokeswoman Trudi Johnson said the appointment was not a good fit for Hockensmith and blamed the infighting on personality clashes.

“We’re all very passionate people and believe in the animals,” Johnson said.

A group of reformers elected to the board last year has fallen victim to the same infighting they pledged to end, Hockensmith said.

In July 2010, Copper, a Shiba Inu, was misidentified as a coyote by the animal shelter’s manager and released to run at large behind the old Home Depot building near Lawrenceburg Road.

Copper was never found, and shelter manager Regina McDaniel resigned in the wake of the press for reform.

Six new board members were chosen during the September 2010 election, including Sue Kirkman, Johnson, Stephanie Bramblet, Kendall Clay, Jeanine Sloan and Gary Buchholz. They promised to improve transparency and operations.

However, Kirkman has resigned, Clay was removed and Bramblet has been suspended pending the resolution of her criminal case in Franklin District Court.

Bramblet is accused of refusing to turn over a dog to its owner in June. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Hockensmith cited Bramblet for theft in that case and also said he resigned in order to avoid any conflict of interest.

The remaining board members are consumed with personal conflicts, Hockensmith said.

“This board is doing everything they accused the last board of,” he said. “They have forgotten what the mission is.”

Paul Brooker and Joe Johnson, two board members elected before the Copper incident, have also resigned before their terms expired.

Trudi Johnson and board president Teresa Masters said Kirkman, Johnson and Brooker resigned for personal reasons unrelated to the current animosity among board members.

Three seats will be filled in an election Sept. 24. Applicants must be members of the humane society. To apply, visit the humane society website: fchsky.org.

Johnson and Masters agreed, saying the squabbling has caused board members to lose sight of their mission, which is to help the animals.

“It’s turned into being about the people, and for the life of me I can’t understand that,” Johnson said. “We need to get over ourselves. The board is going to have to get along and work together. We work for the animals, and I think we lost sight of that.”

Dysfunction

Tensions between board members erupted at a meeting July 16. After an hour-long work session, the regular agenda began at about 11 a.m.

Meetings are not conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order, the standard for organizational governance. Meetings are often chaotic with board members speaking over each other.

Masters said she thought the board could operate without formal rules governing how meetings should be conducted.

“I assumed people could interact in a mature fashion,” Masters said.

However, the July 16 meeting was particularly dysfunctional. Buchholz said the agenda was hijacked. Sloan described the meeting as being similar to an episode of the Jerry Springer Show.

At the beginning of the meeting, Sloan asked that Johnson and Bramblet be prohibited from voting because they had not paid their dues. Both women said they wrote checks, but Sloan, the membership coordinator, said she had not received their dues.

Sloan said she knew the women were not in good standing but wanted to see how long it would take before they paid.

By a 3-2 vote, the board took action to prevent Johnson and Bramblet from voting during the meeting. Two newly-elected board members, Christy Burton and Tony Menechella, voted with Sloan against Masters and Buccholz.

Burton and Menechella were elected to the board in June after Sloan asked them to run. Both said they were shocked by the events at the July meeting.

The board also voted to suspend Bramblet from her official duties as acting board vice president until the criminal case has been resolved in district court.

“That is standard business practice,” Menechella said.

But Buccholz disagreed and said it’s as though Bramblet is “guilty until proven innocent.”

About an hour later, Sloan made a motion to remove Masters as president. The motion did not receive a second and did not come to a vote, but it sparked a fierce debate.

“You sabotaged this meeting,” said board secretary Holly Vanmeter. “You are taking over this board meeting, and that’s not fair.”

Members of the public attending the meeting said they were shocked by the lack of professionalism, saying Sloan blindsided the other board members.

“I have never seen anything like this before in my life,” Kristy Standifer said. “I am shocked and really disappointed that this is happening.”

Sloan said Masters has not provided leadership to the group.

Masters said she prefers to let members “duke it out” when it comes to disagreements.

“I am not your mom; I can’t ground you,” Masters said. “I’m not your boss; I can’t fire you.”

Johnson said it’s unclear if all the actions taken at the July board meeting were “kosher.”

Board members still face a number of other issues.

Investigation

An investigation by the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners in April found that the shelter was “extremely” overcrowded.

Animals were being kept in hallways or anywhere there was room, which created “disorder,” an investigator found.

There was no euthanasia policy, and euthanasia drugs were also improperly stored, according to the report.

Johnson said the humane society has corrected all the problems reported by the state board.

Dognapping

Johnson said that on the advice of her attorney, Bramblet declined to meet with The State Journal to discuss the alleged dognapping or the current turmoil on the board.

Humane society volunteer Barbara Murray is also accused of taking the dog from a home on Tracy Lane and bringing it to the shelter where Bramblet allegedly hid the animal when the owners tried to claim it.

Murray made an emotional statement at the July board meeting, saying she began finding animal carcasses on her property after her name and address were published in The State Journal.

Johnson, Masters and Buchholz said they stand by Bramblet and Murray.

“They are really pillars in the animal rescue world,” Johnson said.

Finances

Hockensmith also said he’s concerned about the humane society’s financial condition. Documents obtained by The State Journal show the society has lost more than $68,400 between July 2010 and May 2011, including $14,700 in May and $15,400 in April.

Buchholz said reducing the euthanasia rate has resulted in a large financial burden.

“It’s inexpensive to euthanize an animal, but it is more expensive to keep them long-term.”

The financial situation is not as dire as critics claim, Buchholz said. Some months the finances are pretty tight, but the humane society can transfer funds to cover costs and still has a $20,000 cushion, he said.

“If we were running in the red as bad as some people say … we would be bankrupt,” Buchholz said.

Accomplishments

Masters, Johnson and Buchholz said the humane society has also accomplished a lot, including reducing the euthanasia rate, rebuilding relationships and improving fundraising.

Before the new board took over in September, the euthanasia rate was about 80 percent and has since dropped to between 10 and 15 percent, Buchholz said.

The board of directors has also rebuilt relationships with local veterinarians and rescue groups who previously shunned the humane society, Buchholz said. A shelter that was not even on speaking terms with the humane society last year recently donated $300 to the group, he said.

Buchholz said the current problems are “minor speed bumps,” which pale in comparison to the accomplishments of the humane society.

Other accomplishments include building a fenced play yard for dogs and a play room for cats; improving communications, outreach and fundraising; and offering $10 spay and neuter sessions.

Going forward

Hockensmith said it’s up to the membership of the humane society to find a solution to the current discord on the board of directors. But he suggested the city and county could appoint members with the authority to vote on issues instead of non-voting representatives. That would create more oversight, he said.

Sloan said the entire board should be replaced with new elections and suggested the city and county could contract with a nearby humane society to take over the shelter.

Menechella said he’s opposed to new elections but isn’t sure the board can work together.

Johnson said she believes the personal conflicts can be put aside and said the board is going through “growing pains.”

“I hope this is a hiccup,” she said.

Buchholz said the humane society will begin using Robert’s Rules of Order as soon as possible.

Masters said the current turmoil will not cause her to resign, and she will seek re-election.

“I’m not a quitter,” she said. “I will not walk out on the staff and animals.”

The humane society board of directors meets again at 10 a.m. on Aug. 20 at Hope Lutheran Church.