Humane Society officials reacts to mass exodus

PULLMAN – Whitman County Humane Society directors reacted Monday, Aug. 1, to allegations of mismanagement raised by the July 25 mass exodus of several employees and others.

“At this point, the board of directors of WCHS has multiple current investigations regarding allegations of improper conduct of staff, improper care of animals under charge of staff, improper conduct of an ex-board member, improper release of confidential information by staff, allegations of negligence regarding shelter funds, and allegations of wage theft,” a written statement to the media and supporters said. “Until we retain appropriate counsel, we regret we cannot go into further detail.”

During a recent interview, newly instated local chapter President John Musselwhite confirmed the resignations came during the Monday, July 25, meeting in which a new executive board was installed.

“The first thing we heard was that the staff was resigning,” he said.

As of press time, only board member John Mahnkey could be reached for comment.

While he said he was surprised by the way in which staff resigned, he couldn’t comment further due to legal ramifications and his current campaign for county commissioner.

Mahnkey is challenging incumbent Mike Largent for a seat on the Whitman County Commission. The two candidates faced off in the Tuesday, Aug. 2 primary, and are both advancing to the Nov. 8 general Musslewhite was unsure of why staff resigned.

“I figured that they decided that they were going to move on. It’s physically and mentally demanding. You see a lot of things with hoarding,” Musslewhite said.

In her resignation letter, former board member Gabriela Mazur wrote that she stepped down because of how the board was enacting new operations and policies.

“The diametrically opposed views of how things should be handled, long-term goals, expectations of BOD members, and what appears to be a lack of compassion and concern involving homeless and sick animals,” she said in her resignation July 15.

Her resignation was effective immediately.

Mazur was involved with the local chapter of the Humane Society since its founding in the early 2000s, and with Animal Haven since it came into being in 2010, she said.

“I have been a dues-paying member since the beginning,” she said.

Director of Shelter Annie Lindsey and Training and Enrichment Coordinator and Interim Foster Care Director Zoe Skiadopoulou expressed other reasons for resigning.

“We have resigned as we find our working conditions to be untenable with no hope in sight for positive, enduring change,” they said in an open letter to the board, also released Monday, Aug. 1.

For Skiadopoulou and Lindsey resigning wasn’t easy.

“The biggest thing we are letting the community know is our resignation came from a deep difficult and devastating decision, but we did it to make positive change,” Skiadopoulou said.

In response to concerns about the culture of the shelter, Musslewhite said the culture belongs to the staff there, and the board tries to stay out of it.

“One thing I can say is we are concerned that all of our staff is OK, and we want to make sure they are safe and sound. That’s what we’ve tried to do,” Musslewhite said.

Several concerns were raised about bylaws, and if the current board members were due paying members.

Depending on the designation under federal law, some non-profit organizations are membership-based and only paid members can be elected to voting positions such as a board of directors.

“Membership bylaws that were up there when we took office were from 2020,” Musslewhite said. “The new bylaws approved by the previous board in January 2022 were not on the website. We corrected that as quickly as we found it.”

Skiadopoulou and Lindsey both knew that the bylaws had been updated but noted that it was not made public until Monday, Aug. 1, when it was finally posted online.

Regardless, prior to the bylaws being changed, they were not being followed, Lindsey said.

“There were board members who were not due paying members,” Lindsey said.

The differences in the questioned bylaw (Article 5, Section 2) comes down to a phrase in the 2020 bylaws: “Only active members in good standing are eligible for election as directors.” The 2022 amended bylaws said, “No person who derives his or her livelihood or any significant income from the purchase, sale, use (veterinarians excluded), or commercial exploitation of animals; and no person convicted of cruelty to animals may be a director.”

While Mazur recognizes that bylaws do change, “they need to reflect reality,” she said, still questioning why this was suddenly changed.

“Now, all of a sudden, board directors don’t have to be dues paying members,” she said. “The only benefit I can say it saves them (individual board members) money, which doesn’t sound very ethical.”

Mazur questioned how many of the current board members are legitimate members, eligible to vote on a bylaw change.

She further questions the validity of the contracts they would be signing.

“Why are they not involving the membership,” Mazur said. “I haven’t received a reminder to pay my dues since 2020, and I just told myself I’m going to pay my dues in January. The society used to send emails to announce what was going on to membership.”

Musslewhite downplayed her concern.

“Since COVID hit, everyone has had a rough time,” he said. “Especially this year with the inflation, and the changes in economy. It’s a hard thing to do to try to balance a budget.”

“We’re not denying that COVID played an issue in this,” Mazur countered. “How is the society expected to raise $15,000 a month? Now, this person who was treasurer and didn’t finish the treasurer responsibilities, is president.”

Musslewhite said the current board is trying to find new ways to raise funds to pay Humane Society expenses.

For example, Merry Cellars winery is hosting “Wine and Whiskers” from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6.

“We’re hoping to get a lot of turn out to raise money for the shelter,” he said.

Several of the resignees want current board members to step down.

They have even started a petition.

“Our goal is to have directors who work with the staff, keep everything in light of the community, and advocate for them to have their voices heard,” Skiadopoulou said. “It is the staff working day in and day out.”

Skiadopoulou said directors should support staff efforts and reform policies.

“We want to make sure we are doing things ethically, professionally, and with our animals as the No. 1 priority,” Skiadopoulou added.

Musslewhite said the board does put the interest of the society first.

“This is not anyone’s shelter except the people and pets of Whitman County. It doesn’t belong to the board,” Musslewhite said. “We’re trying to the best we can to make sure it’s here for the next 20 years.”

Lindsey wants everyone who has supported them to know that they’re grateful.

“Even people across the country have reached out to learn about what is going on,” Lindsey said. “We’re happy to see support of the animals and the society. It is really important, and we’re more than happy to share details.”