FREE THE AC&C FROM THE DOH’S CONTROL AND CENSORSHIP DATE: December 22, 2010 In September 2010 there was a broad outcry when the AC&C announced its new volunteer rules featuring restrictions on what volunteers could say about the AC&C. Specifically, the new rules prohibit volunteers from “publicly criticizing or casting AC&C in a negative light” or “fail[ing] to support AC&C philosophies.” In contrast, few people know how the AC&C is itself being censored. The AC&C has no freedom to speak openly and honestly about its conditions and needs. According to the AC&C’s contract with the DOH, the AC&C must secure the Department of Health’s approval before issuing any public statement:
The prior written approval of the Department [of Health] is required before the Contractor [the AC&C] or any of its employees, servants, agent, or independent contractors may, at any time, either during or after completion or termination of this Agreement, make any statement to the press or issue any material for publication through any media of communication bearing on the work performed or data collected under this Agreement. The AC&C didn’t negotiate this provision. There are no negotiations. The head of the DOH (Dr. Thomas Farley) is also the head of the AC&C Board, and Dr. Farley does not negotiate with himself. A prime example of the DOH’s censorship can be found on the AC&C’s website. In response to ABC’s recent coverage (View the ABC clips Part 1 Part 2 Part 3) about shelter conditions, the AC&C revised its website (with the DOH’s pre-approval, of course). The AC&C now assures the public that it provides “the highest level of quality care the animals deserve,” but because of recent DOH budget cuts, it has become more “difficult.” The truth is that the AC&C has never been able to provide “the highest quality care,” or anything close to that. Ever since the AC&C was created by Mayor Giuliani’s Office in 1995, the AC&C has had to operate with an insufficient budget that does not allow for quality. The recent budget cuts have devastated the AC&C’s ability to function. Nor is it a ringing endorsement of “quality care” when the best the AC&C can claim is that “[a]ll the animals are provided food and water and veterinary care, and the cages are cleaned daily.” The AC&C is silent about how, at times, it runs out of canned food for its animals. There’s not a word about how the AC&C has insufficient medical staff and has slashed medical supplies and services. As for cleaning cages “daily,” that’s not enough for dogs who are confined to their cages for 2 to 3 days at a stretch, and must lie in their own waste. (One of the first casualties of the budget cuts was the elimination of the dog walking staff.) THE AC&C HAS BEEN UNFAIRLY HIT BY THE NEW BUDGET CUTS A fair question to ask is, in this struggling economy, if people are facing reduced City services, why should the DOH shield the AC&C from budget cuts? The answer is simple. The AC&C is not starting from a level playing field with other organizations dependent on City funding. It has always been underfunded. The AC&C holds the record for having the lowest per capita funding of any animal shelter in the U.S. Factoring in the latest budget cuts, the AC&C is the most egregiously underfunded shelter in the nation. Moreover, if you compare the DOH’s budget for 2009 with the one for 2010, its total operating budget was reduced by less than two percent. In contrast, since September 2009, the DOH reduced the AC&C’s budget by 18% (from $ 8.5 million down to $7 million), with annual reductions of $457,000 slated for every year going forward. WHY CAN’T THE AC&C BE HONEST ABOUT ITS SITUATION? The AC&C cannot disclose how disastrous its financial condition is, because that would reflect poorly on the DOH’s supervision and funding. Ordinarily, when an independent charity (that’s what the AC&C technically is) finds itself in distress, it would turn to its Board of Directors for help. The AC&C doesn’t have that option, because the AC&C Directors cannot and will not help. They’re all chosen by Mayor Bloomberg and the DOH. They are loyal to the Mayor and the DOH, and not to the AC&C and its animals. WHY DOESN’T THE DOH CARE ABOUT ANIMALS? Care of animals is not part of the DOH’s mandate. The only mention of animals on its list of “Critical Objectives” is to “reduce risk to human health from unwanted and abandoned animals.” Therein lies the insurmountable conflict of interest: the DOH does not want to divert money that could be used for human health services, and apply those monies for animal health and care services. Given this basic conflict of interest, the Mayor’s Office should have never appointed the DOH to be in charge of the AC&C. HOW YOU CAN HELP RELEASE THE AC&C FROM THE DOH’S CENSORSHIP AND CONTROL We realize that any AC&C employee – from the Executive Director on down – who dares to publicly criticize the DOH will be fired. How can we help them speak without fear of retribution? WRITE OR CALL your New York State Legislators. http://www.votehumane.org/who_represents_me.php Ask them to change the State Law giving the Mayor’s Office absolute power over the City’s animal care and control. NYC mayors have always chosen the DOH – the worst department to supervise the AC&C. WRITE Mayor Michael Bloomberg : mbloomberg@cityhall.nyc.gov Tell him to remove the DOH from control over the AC&C. Tell him to appoint qualified people to the AC&C Board. WRITE OR CALL your New York City politicians: http://www.votehumane.org/who_represents_me.php Ask them to demand the creation of a new Department … of Animal Affairs. Unlike the DOH, this new Department would have, as its sole mandate, the humane care of the City’s animals. WRITE OR CALL the City’s Comptroller’s Office: Municipal Building, One Centre Street, New York, NY 10007, Tel. 212 669 3016. Request an audit of the AC&C, focusing on the DOH’s disgraceful control over the AC&C. Hopefully, heads will roll at the DOH, leading to a political decision to deny the DOH control over the AC&C. WRITE OR CALL THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE, BUREAU OF CHARITIES: http://www.charitiesnys.com/contact_new.html Request that they investigate the conflict of interest on the ’s Board. But whatever you do, please don’t be silent. |
| Shelter Reform Action Committee (SRAC) ShelterReform.org: Everything you ever wanted to know about the AC&C, but were afraid to ask. |
