Richard Johnston, who for 20-years ran the Connecticut Humane Society as its controversial director and board chairman, was given more than $100,000 in compensation when he left the charity under pressure in March.
That fact along with other intriguing details were obtained today by CtWatchdog.com as the result of a Freedom of Information request to the state Attorney General’s office.
The more than 100 pages of documents I reviewed indicate that Johnston – contrary to what the board of directors had said – was forced to resign.
The documents also disclose that his total annual compensation was $225,500, much higher than the $150,00 that had been been public.
And thirdly, the documents appear to contradict earlier claims by the society that it could not disclose the details of the severance package because Johnston’s approval was necessary. The severance agreement clearly states that “Employee may only disclose the terms of this Agreement to any tax or financial advisor…”
The documents were obtained Wednesday by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal after he filed a subpoena demanding the separation agreement.
The agreement call for Johnston to receive 9 months of severance as well as full medical insurance paying the premium that other executives with the Newington-based society pay.
It also states that the society will not object to Johnston collecting unemployment benefits.
While the board had previous said that Johnston had done nothing wrong and resigned, a letter from the society’s lawyer, Gary S. Staff of Shipman & Goodwin to the attorney general indicates otherwise.
“In 2010, the board of directors undertook a review of Mr. Johnston’s performance and the performance of the Humane Society,” he wrote in his 8-page letter.
“While there was general dissatisfaction with some aspects of Mr. Johnston’s leadership, the board of directors determined that he had not engaged in conduct with the Humane Society that would be felony nor had he been willfully engaged in gross misconduct which would likely have materially damaged or been materially detrimental to the Humane Society.”
“As a result, the Humane Society entered into negotiations for a severance package.”
The letter went on to explain that under the terms of Johnston’s 2007 contract, an “involuntary termination vested him in his retirement benefits and also provided him with 3 months of salary continuation,” he that he was given an additional six months of severance.
The separation agreement also requires Johnston not to say anything negative about the society, keep secret all confidential society information, and not to disclose why he left.
Also, Johnston is prohibited by the agreement from ever working again for the Humane Society.
Besides his 9 months salary, Johnston will receive $325,000 as his defined benefit pension, $431,000 in deferred compensation, $281,000 from his 401 (K) plan and $50,000 that he claimed to have in unused vacation and unused sick days.
That claim of unused vacation and sick time is being questioned by former employees who tell me that Johnston spent a great deal of time away from his Newington office and could not be reached at other facilities.
Johnston also took a three week medical leave right before resigning.
Former employees suggest that the Attorney General investigate the documentation Johnston submitted for his unused time.
Johnston, an attorney, real estate agent, and former state senator, came under public criticism in January after he fired several employees because they were backing a union drive at the three shelters – Newington, Waterford and Westport. The fired employees contacted me and provided me with written statements accusing Johnston of being a bully and having staff baby-sit his daughter over a 10 year period and using agency money for his personal spending.
I sent those documents to Blumenthal, who as the result, began an investigation into Johnston and the society.
Employees later told me about how Johnston and his managers fooled OSHA inspectors and having them delayed while evidence of OSHA violations were hidden. As the result OSHA returned in January and found many violations resulting in thousands of dollars in fines.
Blumenthal also issued a statement today saying his office is continuing its investigation:
“The Connecticut Humane Society has responded to our request for details concerning the severance package paid to its former director. My office is reviewing these documents to determine whether compensation paid by the Humane Society, as well as other transactions, were appropriate use of charitable resources.
“Our investigation is continuing to determine whether the Connecticut Humane Society is fully funding its core charitable mission — to provide care and
stop cruelty to animals. Once our review of these latest documents is complete, we will determine whether more information is needed to conclude our investigation.”
“The Connecticut Humane Society has taken several first steps to address some of our concerns, but our ongoing investigation is necessary to ensure that this organization takes every step possible to protect its critical mission.”
And yet more evidence that Chris White and much of the board needs to go. Their willingness to mislead the general public, not to mention the staff, donors, and volunteers, has never been more clearly demonstrated.
This is stealing without using a gun WHERE DOES ALL THIS MONEY COME FROM
Fundraising, donations, the fees that they charge. Lot’s of animal lovers leave them money in their wills too. If I’m not mistaken I paid close to $80.00 or more over 10 years ago when I “bought” a dog from them.
I live right around the corner from them. I think that huge RV they bought hasn’t moved in months. Wondering if they ever used it. Had to cost a pretty penny.
You are exactly correct but there is no RV….there is a custom made bus that was designed to go out and help educate the public and to be used for spay and neuter clinics, which have not happened in the five years I was volunteering there. The disaster relief vehicle was purchased and also sits in the parking lot and gets an occassional ride but never for any disasters. It was purchased after Hurrican Katrina but has never moved to any disaster sites.
You are however NOT correct in assuming that the adoption fee actually helps build revenue for CHS. Every dog and cat that comes into the building needs to be vet checked. This entails a health check, deworming, flea application, rabies vaccine, bordatella, distemper, parvo and other parasitic vaccines. They are heartworm tested as well however not given a preventative, that is up to the adopters. They go home with food, leash, collar and then are microchipped. I don’t know about your vet but if I had all that done in one shot, it would be a whole lot more than 80 dollars. Every animal that goes out the door is healthy but CHS does take a bite on every animal leaving for the amount of the adoption fee. Now puppies are a different story, they don’t get all the vaccinations and sometimes are too young for spay an neuter, so they get a certificate to come back to FOX and get fixed, the problem with that is they then charge you for an office visit, seems like in order to get a puppy, you gotta pay a whole lot more which gives me the itchy feeling of running the operation like a puppy mill…The demand is bigger for them so lets jack up the price and really make them want this puppy….
This is absolutely disgusting!
Johnston basically robbed and raped the Connecticut Humane Society while he “ruled” it for 20 years!!!! And, then the BOD LIES to the public, and pays this man more money than any of the animals have EVER have seen or will ever see.
That man and the BOD are despicable. This is DONATION money people. They threw it down the drain and into their pockets for years; and they give him how much? And, benefits???? Are you kidding me?
Of course they asked him to leave, we all knew that was the truth, he was a mad man. And, he should be prosecuted for his CRIMMNAL activities not rewarded with the ANIMALS’ money.
This has to stop NOW! These managers and executives are horrible liars. We always saw through their smoke screen, but now it’s out there in black and white…and boy are we angry.
The five fired people, who, literally made nothing, I should know, I’m one of them; have been wronged more than anyone could ever know. We are still battling to get our measly back pay just to get out of debt. They are spending thousands of dollars of donation money and dragging us to court!
And, we were harassed, abused, and finally fired…BY THESE EXECUTIVES…for getting rid of Johnston! You got it, for fixing the place. And, he’s compensated for ruining it, running it into the ground, and taking from the animals’ mouths.
What are these BOD members hiding? They have been lying this ENTIRE time. They even still claim they would give us our jobs back if we asked or contacted them…we have asked, and we REPEATEDLY have tried to contact them. They are snakes, and now they need to go…more than ever.
Get rid of them, the managers, and GET THE MONEY BACK FROM JOHNSTON!!! They all should be behind bars!!!
I’m confused. We have been saying that the CT Humane Society mistreats
both its employees and the animals in its care, and that most of this is
Johnston’s fault. Now he’s gone, and there have been at least some
changes. However, to fix everything, we would have the BOD resign, fire
virtually the entire management, and possibly have the State revoke the
non-profit/tax exempt status of the CHS. My confusion is this: What
happens after that? How will the place be run, who will do it, and how
will this be in the best interests of the staff and animals?
Specifically, is there a plan/suggestion as to how to deal with the
aftermath, or is the whole place just thrown to the wolves?
The place has already been thrown to the wolves. The current management and BOD were appointed by Richard and continue to manage as though he is still there.
The only way to repair the damage that’s been done is to remove the obviously corrupt executives, managers, and Board members.
I think that is blatantly clear.
And of course, promote the wonderful, dedicated, and knowledgable staff who truly keep that place going. Not the Richard yes men who continue to make poor decisions and harass employees.
What a great point you make in the face of all these emotion filled comments. Ever notice how all these people want everyone fired, but never offer a single solution as to how to fix the issues. Fire this one, fire that one, sue, get someone arrested because he’s a crook..blah blah blah.
I suppose these folks think they could run this type of operation so much better right? And they base this on what, working there for a short period of time?
Why did you post this comment twice Tim? A little hysterical are we hmmm?
What’s got you so aggravated? Did someone strike a nerve?
Why don’t you post under the title CHS management? It’s quite clear that’s what you are.
Timrush, I will offer you a few solutions to fix these issues. 1. Hire a new, capable Executive Director. Pay that person well because they have their work cut out for them. Fixing this mess is going to take a good part of this persons life for a LONG time. Allow that person to be in the position for 6 months and then, if necessary, remove some or all of the Board members. Hire a management consultant to select and interview new Board members. Make sure the new E.D. is someone who has led a successful animal welfare organization in the past- but don’t allow him to replace the current Board with a group of his/her own cheerleaders.
2. Allow employee and volunteer representation on the Board.
3. Allow current employees to join national animal welfare organizations and network with other shelters so they can see how things can and should be done.
4. Hire an experienced professional to lead fundraising for the organization. Someone who knows the value of honesty and transparency and can begin to repair the damage that has been done. This person would in all likelihood begin with a fundraising audit, evaluate what has been going on, publish the results to donors and then move on from there. I can see this person spending a year just calling top donors to apologize, explain and beg for their continued support.
5. Require all Board members, the new E.D. and top level managers to spend one day a month working in the shelter so they can see first-hand how things work and how valuable the animal care workers are.
Just a few suggestions…to start!
Also, all existing managers should be required to have training in management issues where they can learn to lead rather than intimidate and harass employees.
Wow….hysterical much? Not surprised to see you were one of the fired employees. Is this the way you dealt with issues that didn’t go your way when you worked there?
For me you lost almost all credibility bringing the term RAPE into your argument. You should know better.
Tim you obviously have no clue what you are talking about; that’s very clear. So I’m not going to waste my time playing your little childish game.
You can say what you want about me, or the situation, your immature comments are very transparent. So they don’t phase me.
However, you should know, I have every reason to be angry, as does everyone else posting on this site. So why don’t you go troll another website on a topic you may have more information on.
You must have a motive for being a negative childish brat…
So what is it? I’m curious…are you bored and need something to do? Do you have issues in your personal life, maybe picking fights with complete strangers is a way to get your aggression out. Or maybe you are one of the corrupt managers that works at CHS and this is a lame attempt at discrediting us. Well no matter what your excuse is, it’s not good enough. Go find something else to do. Your comments aren’t constructive or helpful. We want resolution to this horrible situation, a situation which you know obviously nothing about.
Well Tim, you would be a bit emotional too if you worked in this environment for ANY period of time for low wages. Before you start going off about how it’s a choice to do so, you are correct. Some people follow their hearts and work in the animal field even though you don’t make a lot of money, you do it for the love of animals. This however doesn’t justify having to work for a maniacal monster who puts a staff in place to run this organizaion like a concentration camp. It should be the best and happiest place in the world to work…if that were the case, they why are so many of the new hires quitting? Why can’t they hold on to any help?
As for Bridget’s comments, you don’t know her so it’s hardly fair to assume that if things didn’t go her way, she would deal with them in any sort of way. Bridget is one of the coolest people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and I think the public should be sending her emails thanking her and her fellow comrades who were fired for speaking up against the evil empire in order to take him down.
Having said that, do you still think it’s a knee jerk reaction to be upset that the man who stepped down from his post as Executive Director should be allowed to walk away with all this money? Seriously, look at what he’s walking away with. If you or I quit or job, we can’t even collect unemployment, we have to be fired and then hope they don’t contest it…..This is a travesty and I would say the word rape is justly used in this case.
Why has the IRS not gotten involved in this under executives excess compensation? Doesn’t his salary and comp package seem high for an agency with an $8 to $10 M annual budget?
What? Get the IRS involved, for what? What could they possibly do? They have absolutely no say in what someone is paid for a job.
And no, his compensation package did not seem excessive. Did he not deserve something for building that facility and running it over the past 20 plus years?
Granted, he seemed to have run it like his kingdom and has now been overthrown, rightfully so.
Non-profits have different operating standards, enforceable by the government, as part of the privilege of doing business tax free. If Johnston’s salary and severance were excessive the government (that would be the IRS) is well within its rights to hit CHS with a fine or revoke the tax free status and charge them for back taxes. If you don’t want to pay taxes you have to play by the rules, and those rules include provisions for not compensating the top paid employee by more than X percent of the lowest paid employee.
So yes, the IRS can do something, and does have a say in how much someone is paid for a job.
Don’t bother with this character – he’s ignorant to this particular matter and he’s combative. Just a miserable person that likes to start arguments that make no sense because he has no clue what he’s arguing about.
Ah yes, name calling. The sure sign of a person who can’t sustain their position any other way.
I guess since YOU decide I’m ignorant, that must be the case right?
Try, if possible, to look at some of the commentary here and tell me if it all sounds rationale. Some people are to close to this issue and are throwing out terms like “fire everyone”, “put them in jail”, “everyone is a crook” etc etc etc.
I’m searching real hard for a proposed solution to the problem amongst all these flaming comment.
Oh, and I don’t see one from you.
Absolutely insane.
This is what are donations go to?!?
Ugh. This is atrocious.
Time to get rid of the complete BOD. Nothing personal, just needs to be done…..so obviously.
Time to get rid of the managers who have been killing pets left and right (many of us have the euthansia reports–those don’t lie, despite Chris White’s letter to Rep. Urban stating that “much of what you hear and read is simply not true”).
Keep Melissa Z., Lexi, Marissa and Eric…they’re the only good managers there (is Eric a manager?), and, for what it’s worth, I personally want them to know that I am still rooting for them to make CHS a better place.
I stand by my earlier post about the cavalry coming over the hill- changes are coming.
unused sick time? Vacation pay? That man was never in the office! Even if he was he stayed locked in his office doing real estate deals.
That man is a crook!
The Board needs to go? I agree…straight to jail. Time for them to spend some time in a cage to see how it feels. I almost puked when I saw what Johnston received to walk quietly away.
The AG needs to close this place down for a period of time, remove the acting board, fire current leadership team (not the “managers” who really are not) and replace the whole lot. You can no longer hide from the truth CHS. So many things are out now, too many. You soil the once good name of the org. Resign today, take CHS off your resume and you might, just might land a job in line with your skills – Inmate!
Oh, and if closed…all staff continue to receive pay!
That would constitute a violation of charity laws. People have to work to get paid.
I’ve now been sitting here for exactly 10 minutes trying to figure out what I want to say about this and it’s official…I’m speechless. Nauseous, but speechless.
It sounds like they let Johnston write his employment and termination agreements. Inmates running the asylum.
Did Johnston engage independent counsel to review his 2007 employment agreement, or did he just use CHS counsel? Huge issue if he just used CHS counsel to review it; tremendous conflict there. Someone should look into that. Even if the conflict was waived (if any firm would touch that), this shows how intertwined the B of D is with Johnston.
I am assuming that counsel was retained at all in connection with his employment agreement- perhaps it was not. After all, Johnston is a lawyer- the Board probably just had him review the agreement and tell them that it was kosher. Which would have been super nice of Johnston, because then that would have saved CHS some legal fees.
Seriously, where do hardworking folks sign up for a deal like this? Where do we reach the crafty individual who drafted that agreement? And, is this really how donations should be sent, placing the corrupt one’s desires above the animals’ needs?
Not sure who drafted it, but in any functional business, an executive gets a proposed contract from the board, and their respective attorneys argue over the terms.
Here, I guarantee there was no arguing amongst anyone, since Johnston was both the President of CHS and the head of the Board of Directors. For all we know, he drafted it himself.
I am willing to bet that,whoever drafted this awful contract was acting on behalf of both Johnston personally and CHS, which is just not right- clearly, they have divergent interests—and as a result of no one sticking up for CHS, but rather allowing such favorable terms for Johnston, all this money (donations, like you said) is going to him instead of to the animals–it’s just a shame.
Both Johnston and the lawyer on the board should be reported to/ investigated by the CT Bar grievance committee.
Just add these folks to the list of corrupt individuals….what a shame….can’t think of anything to say that could be printed….
The more I hear about how Chris White “explains” things to concerned individuals/groups (basically covering up, misleading, lying), the more he sounds like another Richard Johnston among us. Chris White and the Board have to go if CHS is to rebuild its reputation and really be what this organization needs to be. It is very selfish of them to continue to stay…and for what reason? It is a volunteer position and it’s time to go. Is there just more stuff out there not yet discovered that they are trying to hide? Whatever it is, it is just a matter of time that it will come out. This kind of behavior just makes you wonder…
$1,000,000.00 to walk away? Nice…………
I’m wondering if that “deferred compensation” figure is not supposed to be $431,000 as there is no comma after the 4 and all other figures have correct commas. Could George verify this? Not that it will make anyone feel a whole lot better about this!!!
Thanks for noticing, I corrected it
Plus $325,000.00 a year for the rest of his pathetic life! People STOP donating your money to Richard Johnston, I think he has already taken enough! It is not like CHS uses your money for the animals anyway. I think that has been made very clear.
Johnston is not getting 325K for life. He actually never got 325K a year either…. George should check his math. He got just a 9 month hand shake.
You need to put your reading glasses on. I wrote $225k not $325k for his annual compensation, which is documented.
Board members were horribly dishonest and so was the public information person. This is very disappointing. Nothing like sunshine to ferret out all the slimey details. It’s really a shame. That he was paid that much to run the Humane Society is really shocking but then again, the executives at CT Public Broadcasting richly reward themselves too…higher than the disgraced E.D. of this organziation.
I hope this information makes it into the mainstream press, like the Courant. The people outside of CHS need to know. BTW, all staff just received a 4% raise- wow, imagine 4% on 20 grand! Don’t spend it all in one place!
Reality Check !
4% is a good raise…even more so in this economy where companies are freezing wages, and handing out pink slips.
Reality check back atcha–
% is very relevant (and does not automatically = good raise) when you’re already underpaid, and have been so long before the economy tanked.
Can I ask you why you would continue to work at a place that underpays you for “so long”? Do you like the abuse, or is it that difficult to find another job. Why would it be difficult to find a good job, oh ya, companies are laying people off and not giving raises.
I think the employees start working there, and stay there to be involved with the animals.
As “me” suggests–Timrush, you fail, entirely, to appreciate the difference between a nonprofit and a for-profit org, and the meaning that the animals the staff cares for has for them. It’s not just a “job,” which seems to be your very flat measure of the value of an occupation.
wow. so that’s how easy it is to make a quick million? be a corrupt leader for a corrupt group of board members, lie to everyone under the sun, and the public will just blindly hand you money! guess i chose the wrong career path…
They think they can hide how bad the environment is but when a shadow person leaves for lunch and never comes back this says alot! So why I ask if we can give so much money to Richard, why can we not take better care of the staff that is busting their asses because they truly give a damn about these animals unlike Richard, who so many times, tried to adopt out his own dog while in the office. The animals need more people to help give them the proper care, because let’s face it, a caged kennel is not the best home. We need to be their voices!
Is there any real reason to have a Humane Society? What have they done in the past 10 years? Have they investigated and prosecuted any animal cruelty?
Aren’t they just another animal rescue?
Just thought I’d like to post the basic standards and mission of the Humane Society of the US as a reference point as to what a true Humane Society’s activities might look like:
We work to reduce suffering and to create meaningful social change for animals by advocating for sensible public policies, investigating cruelty and working to enforce existing laws, educating the public about animal issues, joining with corporations on behalf of animal-friendly policies, and conducting hands-on programs that make ours a more humane world. We are the lead disaster relief agency for animals, and we provide direct care for thousands of animals at our sanctuaries and rescue facilities, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and mobile veterinary clinics.
We celebrate pets, as well as wildlife and habitat protection. We are the nation’s most important advocate for local humane societies, providing shelter standards and evaluations, training programs, a national advertising campaign to promote pet adoption, direct support, and national conferences.
Sorry to break your bubble on the purity of HSUS, Last, but here is the rest of the story.
“The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is a radical animal rights group that inaccurately portrays itself as a mainstream animal care organization. The words ‘humane society’ may appear on its letterhead, but HSUS is not affiliated with your local animal shelter. Despite the omnipresent dogs and cats in its fundraising materials and television commercials, it’s not an organization that runs spay/neuter programs or takes in stray, neglected, and abused pets. And quite unlike the common image of animal protection agencies as cash-strapped organizations dedicated to animal welfare, HSUS has become the wealthiest animal rights organization on earth.
HSUS is big, rich, and powerful. While most local animal shelters are under-funded and unsung, HSUS has accumulated $162 million in assets and built a recognizable brand by capitalizing on the confusion its very name provokes. This misdirection results in an irony of which most animal lovers are unaware: HSUS raises enough money to finance animal shelters in every single state, with money to spare, yet it doesn’t operate a single one anywhere.
Buried deep within HSUS’s website is a disclaimer noting that the group ‘is not affiliated with, nor is it a parent organization for, local humane societies, animal shelters, or animal care and control agencies. These are independent organizations – HSUS does not operate or have direct control over any animal shelter.'”
A “radical animal rights group”? Prone to hyperbole a bit, Madeline, or just lying?
Guess I wasn’t clear enough. I, in no way, intended to endorse the HSUS. I only thought that this would be the ideal set of goals for a local humane society. I don’t have information enough about the activities of the HSUS to comment about what it does or does not do. My impression of Madeline’s quote is that it is extreme and biased heavily on one side of the issue. Hard to know where the truth lies.
Madeline the HSUS is not affiliated in any way, shape, or form with local humane societies. HSUS does not operate any shelter anywhere. This is a common misconception and understandably so.
Concerning the severance package that Dick received, we should all be so lucky, rip off your place of work and then when you get caught, get fired with a million dollar severance package. What a deal! Who’s running this show, a bunch of crooks??? Obviously, Dick has something on all of them.
There should be some further investigations – and this time into the board members as well. Why would they ever approve this? We all have learned that they are Dick’s friends. I would never approve such a thing for my friends if they were caught red handed. I would expect my friends to step down gracefully. Of course, from what I have read, there is nothing graceful about Dick. He is a power hungry egotist who abused his employs, and his position to do nothing for the poor innocent animals he was paid highly to protect. Now he is taking all of this money from the CHS to further RAPE the poor animals. If he is falsely collecting unemployment, he is also RAPING you and I, we all pay for that.
What a poor excuse for a human being!
(Not a reply to Mom) I’m not going into details about the snafu that occurred at CHS on Sunday when the power went off around 10AM. A volunteer friend informed me that it was real chaos. New hires didn’t know about any procedures, didn’t know where any additional lights (flashlights, etc.) were, emergency lighting was spotty and not very helpful. New hires then just left, manager called said she’d be in “later”, no one wanted to call Joanne F. because “she yells at us”. Finally the acting director was contacted and came with a master key. I don’t know how long the power was off but you can imagine that animals used to normal lighting would be frightened when nearly total darkness occurred suddenly. The point is that no emergency procedures were given to staff for such an occurrence. No one there seemed to know where fuse boxes were or any way to remedy this situation, even who to call. I understand that Chris White has promised to look into this and to bring it up with the Board. If it hadn’t been for certain volunteers who were there helping with cleaning and provided some guidance, things could have been much worse. AND I don’t think volunteers should be depended on “take up slack” on holidays anyhow. Let’s hope that the new Director gets on board ASAP.
Someone should draft a memo to the board and the DM. Take the opportunity to have a concrete example of the assistant manager’s vast failure as a “leader.” Don’t appeal to emotion, the facts of the situation alone are enough. CHS is a huge building, this is a tragedy (and lawsuit) waiting to happen. Also, it may worth placing a call with OSHA. Emergency procedure should be clear and documented – this could be another violation.
Karen is anything but a leader. The place is a mess, there is still no where near enough staff to care for the animals properly. 2 employees just left and 1 more(a staff member from medical) is leaving next week. They have alot of replacing to do, and they have Kitty Baker in charge of hiring, I can assure you that this will be a nightmare, if she even follows thru with anything. There has never been a plan for power outages and OSHA was told that there was no back up generator and they were told by management that there was one. Apparently OSHA never asked to see it, staff wear head lamps if power goes out, the building is pitch black and you can not safely operate this way. CHS does NOT care about its employees or the animals in its care. I’m sure they are “working” on this problem as well.
My biggest concern when I read this was….it was 95 plus degrees outside yesterday, with no power, how long were the animals in darkness with no air circulating? Worst case scenario is you have enough people (oh yeah CHS doesn’t have enough help) to take some of the animals out in the woods where it’s cooler…..how is it that the people running this place still have such blinders on that they just don’t see that they can’t keep hiding????
It may be true that many here post sweeping admonitions to simply “fire the entire board,” and some may find that overwraught, but that is exactly what does need to happen. The Board was well aware of the goings-on and continues to defend Mr. Johnston. Paying him huge sums as they have only damages CHS more: there is NO WAY I would donate to them any longer. This is hundreds of thousands of dollars that comes from people who in many instances cannot afford it.
We all fear for the fate of the animals… if… but frankly, Mr. Blumenthal should find management in contempt and I do believe that they are abusing donor funds. There ARE good employees, who are being paid very nearly nothing, and all of the shelters have been short-staffed: if it isn’ for volunteers, many animals never see the outside of their cages for days if not weeks. I have volunteered for years and have seen this on a DAILY basis, no matter what management–local or Executive– states otherwise.
Volunteers are not treated well and the proof is in the lack of them. And without volunteers, the animals suffer, then they don’t show well, and take longer (if never) to get adopted. And the current BOD and managers haven’t even commented to volunteers about this issue… oh, it is just swept under the rug.
I disagree that a new Executive Director has to be “paid well” according to some posts here. What is the limit? WHY does this position have to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars? There ARE people who will do it for less, and paying top dollar–or should it be called extortion level salary– did that get them a person who was worthwhile?
I volunteered for over a year (I quit several months ago after a bunch of shy cats were put to sleep under the deceitful guise of aggression) and I always thought the volunteers were treated well. They aren’t treated like royalty, but they don’t, and really shouldn’t, expect to be.
The real problem was, is, and, for the near future, will be, the need for sweeping reform, which includes a new board and a new outlook on finances. I don’t know how many times it’s been stated in the past, but to reiterate: CHS has a multi, multi million dollar endowment, and still refuses to help the local rescues that take CHS “problem” pets. What sort of people are the board members to allow this to happen?!
I’m very upset that I ever donated money to CHS. My dollar would have gone MUCH further at a local rescue, where the people running the rescue at an executive level are also involved with the animals on a caretaking level.
And your point about the pay for the position is well taken. There’s no shortage of true animal lovers with experience and intelligence who would do the job for much less than Johnston did- but at this point, maybe the position is a hard sell.
I went to get my dogs vaccinated last Friday and there was some crazy women hollaring at a shorter women and to be frank, I felt like deacking her for the other women…I am not going into detail but the shorter lady was only assisting me with my dogs….after she was asked to from I assume one of the Vet techs and after that scene I will not be going back there….RUDE
There are so many articles on this site about the problems at CHS that sometimes it’s hard to follow them all. But nothing has changed as we can easily tell. Please check out the postings at https://ctwatchdog.com/2010/07/06/proposed-legislation-to-be-announced-wednesday-for-ct-humane-society to get the latest info … and please comment! And for the Coalition … please do something about this! The people who care need your help!