| Shelter Reform Action Committee (SRAC) ShelterReform.org: Everything you ever wanted to know about the AC&C, but were afraid to ask. |
A Detailed Synopsis of the June 21st ACC Board Meeting
Shelter Reform has hoped for an overflow crowd for the June 21st meeting. Several other organizations
were advertising the event. As the expression goes: “Beware what you wish for.” We got what we wished
for ... and more. It was estimated that between 80 to 100 people were denied access to the ACC board
meeting.
When the Department of Health (DOH) meeting room (which someone saids holds 75 people) filled up, Dr.
Farley instructed his security guards not to allow anyone else into the room.
The guards relayed Dr. Farley’s message to the dozens and dozens of people lining the lobby at 125
Worth Street as well as the outdoors.
First, this was an effective violation of the OPEN MEETINGS section of New York’s “Freedom of Information
Law.” Dr. Farley was on notice that a very large crowd was expected, far larger than the small room usually
assigned for DOH meetings, but he stuck to using the smaller room.
Second, Dr. Farley’s dismissive behavior was insulting. A large number of people denied access to the
meeting had taken off from work, some travelling an hour or more to get to the DOH’s downtown offices.
We have to hand it to Dr. Farley: he’s an equal opportunity discriminator. Not even a reporter for the New
York Times was allowed into the meeting.
The ACC Directors’ position is that these meetings are strictly for ACC business as seen through their self-
imposed bubble. It’s very annoying to be told what is actually going on at the shelters.
In fact, how many of the directors (or even Julie Bank) know the conditions of the shelters just one day
before the June 21st meeting? We have reports that in Manhattan, dogs were literally lying in pools of
diarrhea. As usual, there weren’t enough staff, and no effective supervision. On top of that, the ACC’s
Volunteer Program ensures that only a very few volunteers are around to help.
Thanks to the world of YouTube and Facebook, we have videos of the entire meeting. (SRAC is working to
upload our own videos soon.) In the interim, we offer this report on the highlights and howlers of that June
21st meeting.
WHO WAS THERE: The same old ACC Directors were present, except (as usual) for Parks Commissioner
Adrian Benepe. He’s been a no-show for years, sending an unidentified Parks employee in his place.
WHO SPOKE FOR THE ACC?: Julie Bank gave a quarterly review (for the period from January 1 through
March 30, 2011). She was followed by a young fellow from the ACC’s outside (and over-paid) accounting
firm BTQ. Both deal in double-speak, so Shelter Reform has provided a simultaneous translation … the
materials in brackets.
Let’s start with Ms. Bank’s report.
FUNDRAISING: Ms. Bank discussed the various “exciting” ways the ACC is raising funds with the help of
its fundraising committee. [TRANSLATION: In January 2011, the ACC Board created its first-time-ever
fundraising committee, headed by ACC Chairman Dr. Thomas Farley (the same man who, wearing his hat
as DOH Commissioner, has slashed the ACC’s budget).]
One fundraising project has been the sale of “RESCUE” brand coffee and tea. Ms Bank explained that the
ACC is looking to find a “distributor … to really get this coffee and tea into the hands” of the buying public.
[TRANSLATION: Sale of Rescue Coffee and Tea has been a real disappointment.]
The ACC has had over 6,000 new donors contribute to the ACC “despite a lot of negativity and despite
individuals trying to hurt donations coming into animal care and control.” [TRANSLATION: If it weren’t for
those annoying media exposés about the ACC, thousands of more people would donate money. According
to the ACC, the relative lack of donations has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that people don’t like
giving to a government agency, and the ACC is an extension of the DOH.]
Cash donations given by people who come into the shelter has “dramatically increased” to $85,000.
[TRANSLATION: If true, this is great, particularly as the ACC has a history of cash donations disappearing
from the shelters. Has the ACC placed a spy cam on those cash boxes in the shelter lobbies?]
In fact, fundraising has been “successful.” People are leaving bequests to the ACC in their wills. The ACC’
s Annual Spring Fling fundraiser was sold out. [TRANSLATION: Ms. Bank never specifies just how much
the ACC has raised since she came on board. For example, the Spring fling raised a little over $26,000.
(That means that given 60 or 70 more fundraisers, the ACC might recoup the $1.5 million the DOH cut from
its budget.) In contrast, the ASPCA’s Annual Bergh Ball results in millions of dollars.]
A man who adopted a dog from the Brooklyn shelter donated a billboard for ACC’s use. [TRANSLATION: A
very nice gift, really.]
SOCIAL MEDIA: ACC hired a part-time “social media” person, who will focus not only on ACC’s website but
also on printed material and will “proactively work on social media. This has been difficult because there’s
a lot of social media out there attacking our social media efforts.” [TRANSLATION: This new employee is
serving as ACC’s Big Brother, monitoring all those Facebook pages that expose conditions at the ACC.
The employee’s job is to identify any rescuers, volunteers, or employees who have the temerity to post
anything negative about the ACC, so that these people can be expelled from the shelter system.]
NEW SHELTER SLATED FOR STATEN ISLAND: The ACC and the DOH, won an award for an
architectural design firm’s design of the new S.I. shelter. [TRANSLATION: It’s wonderful that the longtime
Staten Island Borough President, James Molinaro, secured the funding for this proposed new shelter. He
deserves a big thanks. But Mr. Molinaro may be unaware that the ACC cannot properly staff its existing
small shelter. They don’t have a vet. They don’t have a person to test dogs’ behaviors. And from 8 PM to
8 AM, there’s not a single human on premises. The animals are left alone, including the sick ones.]
INCREASE OF STAFFING: The ACC is “trying to increase our staffing.” [TRANSLATION: People don’t
want to work at the ACC. Over the past two years, the ACC fired a lot of people, and many employees left
on their own volition. To save money, the ACC rarely hired replacements. At last count, the ACC
employee numbers went from 185 to 135.]
We are currently hiring a Director of Operations. Dr. Janezcko is moving to and working with ASPCA.
However, we’re excited the ASPCA has agreed to allow her to continue to help ACC, and a good
percentage of her time will be spent on internal operations at the ACC. We hope to have a fulltime Director
of Operations … in a couple of weeks.” [TRANSLATION: For over a year Dr. Janezcko has refused the
title of Medical Director, which came with a host of professional responsibilities and liabilities. She served
as the “interim” Operations Director instead. She has recently sought safety with the ASPCA. She’ll be
employed there, but (using ASPCA money and support) will try to help the ACC’s internal operations. With
Dr. Janezcko’s departure, the ACC is without both a Medical Director (de facto or real) and an Operations
Director.]
ACC has “a variety of open positions, all posted on ACC’s website, including New Hope staff, behavior staff,
and kennel staff. [TRANSLATION: These positions have been posted for months. New Hope staff has been
drastically reduced, the situation worsened with the recent firing of the much-valued Emily Tanen from the
Manhattan office. The “behavior” staff are the so-called SAFER-ists (uncertified people pretending to
evaluate shelter dogs’ behavior) and unqualified staff guessing how to grade a cat’s behavior. As for
kennel staff, there simply aren’t enough people to properly clean and sterilize cages. And Ms. Bank does
not even mention the possibility of re-hiring dog walkers.]
VETERINARIANS: Ms. Bank reported that “attracting veterinarians continues to be a problem.”
[TRANSLATION: the ACC has only two fulltime vets, for a shelter system taking in over 40,000 animals a
year.] The ACC does have “a couple of leads and is close to making a couple of offers and hopefully they
will accept, and we can beef up our vet support.” [TRANSLATION: Vets simply don't want to work for the
ACC, given all its problems.]
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM: Ms. Bank reported that the ACC Volunteer Program “moves forward. The ACC
“has trained over 537 people,” and is “working hard to figure out, [pause] to communicate with those
volunteers who’ve gone through the program and haven’t come in the shelters.” [TRANSLATION: Of those
537 volunteers, just a scant few have actually shown up to volunteer at the ACC.]
The ACC is “trying to listen to what [the volunteers] are saying and address things according.” Of the
volunteers the ACC has contacted who haven’t actually volunteered, they’ve heard such reasons as “it’s
too sad,” or “I’m very busy,” or “it’s not the right time for me.” [TRANSLATION: When new ACC Volunteers
don’t show up to volunteer, it’s not the ACC’s fault. It’s because of a moral failure by the volunteers
themselves.]
ACC FIELD OPERATIONS: ACC “Field Services keeps streets safe, saving lives of people and animals.
Last year, the ACC received 15,000 calls.” [TRANSLATION: Field Services are the van drivers who pick
up stray and injured animals. In October 2010, the ACC stopped picking up stray cats. That act alone
immediately reduced the ACC’s “intake” numbers by an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 animals a year (and the
number of “calls” they respond to). Moreover, because the ACC reduced the hours, days, and even
numbers of its Field Operations van drivers, far fewer dogs are being rescued from the streets. The ACC
may receive 15,000 calls about stray or injured animals, but responds to a much smaller number of those
calls.]
WHAT POSITIVE PR CAN DO:
One of the ACC’s highlights was its Field Operations rescue of the starved dog named Ella, dumped
behind a trash container. The ACC’s S.T.A.R. program has paid for Ella’s medical care and foster.
[TRANSLATION: This is indeed positive news. The ACC needs to care for (and advertise) a lot more
special-needs animals. This is the kind of “PR” that is worth the effort: good press while saving lives.]
This is what “positive PR can do.” [TRANSLATION: Being honest with the public doesn’t help. Only happy,
upbeat news brings in money and help. It’s best to give a positive spin on everything at the ACC, as Ms.
Bank did throughout her entire presentation on June 21st. The ACC will not admit they are in deep trouble
and desperately in need of money.]
THE OUTSIDE ACCOUNTANT’S REPORT
At the suggestion of ACC Board member Bruce Doniger, a few years ago the ACC retained BTQ
Accountants to do a special audit of ACC finances. (Apparently, the result wasn’t very pretty.)
Mr. Doniger persuaded the ACC to keep these expensive accountants on. They report on ACC finances at
every board meeting
The June 21st report was noteworthy in one respect: the ACC has a positive cash position right now
because of monies saved due to positions that have not been filled. By not hiring people, the ACC has
saved on salary and benefits. [TRANSLATION: To keep balancing its budget, the ACC cuts down on staff
and services. Not a way to run a shelter.]
At this point, Dr. Farley opened the meeting to public comments, limiting each speaker to 3 minutes. As
soon as possible, we’ll be posting videos of various of those speakers.