A storm was brewing all last week. One that would most definitely touch down on Thursday evening, September 24th, at the Town Council meeting, which Supervisor Vecchio would most definitely be dodging. A letter, formally resigning with prejudice, was sent to all Town Council members, including the Supervisor a week prior, with a promise to “read on” said letter, at the next meeting. The Smithtown Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, kept their promise and then some, as the three members spoke on the record to the four Council members in attendance.
The reason for the resignation was simple. The single most vital recommendation the Advisory Committee made to reform the Smithtown Animal Shelter was the hiring of a full time behaviorist. According to the animal welfare experts, Councilwoman Nowick had assured the committee that they would have their behaviorist. However, the Animal Shelter’s 2016 budget made no mention nor provisions for the new hire. More shock came at the discovery, that the rest of the Town Council had no prior knowledge of these recommendations from Councilwoman Nowick, the animal shelter liaison. In an interview with Diane Madden, we learned that the advisory committee was told by Councilwoman Nowick that there was resistance from the Town Board to grant approval for the behaviorist, dating back to last winter.
“We were lied to by Lynne Nowick, who told us that the town board was not approving these recommendations. Now we find out that she never informed the board, which was not only dishonest, but extraordinarily deceitful… These animals are being tormented mentally on a daily basis, with no immediate plan to bring in the experts to provide the enrichment and training they have been deprived of for years… One must challenge the logic behind spending millions on cosmetic appearance which do not serve the neglected animals now.” – Diane Madden Animal Activist/Smithtown Animal Shelter Advisory Committee
Councilwoman Nowick waited to speak at the end of the meeting, after all those wishing to be heard communicated all opinions. She acknowledged the recommendations of the Advisory Committee, thanking the members of the advisory board for their service.
“No recommendations were outright denied. The reason this recommendation has not been implemented is due to budgetary restraints including and most importantly due to the tax cap which has been imposed upon us by New York State.” -Councilwoman Nowick
The Councilwoman continued to assure community members and the advisory board she has not given up on the animals and then turned the microphone to the new animal shelter director, Sue Hansen. The new Director also had a written speech prepared regarding changes at the shelter, which included new dog walking logs, specific feeding times and new adoption programs. Hansen informed the room of the upcoming two million dollar construction project happening over the course of the next few years.
After hearing her speak, Councilmen Creighton and Wehrheim reached out to Diane Madden of the Advisory Committee, in hopes of resolving the issues at hand. The two councilmen intended to better understand how the chain of communication broke down and hoped to try to find the means to fund the bare essentials at the shelter.
“It’s more than unfortunate that we are just learning about this… Here are guests in our town that will depart with contempt for the way they were treated. More importantly, we have an obligation to care for our lost and abandoned animals. If we can find the money to do so, we have a responsibility to provide for these animals.” – Councilman Bob Creighton
Smithtown Animal Shelter Advisory Committee Point of View:
The funds that have been allocated toward Animal Shelter reform are not being spent on the immediate care for the animals. You can’t blame the budget in one breath, then announce the spending of over 2 million dollars on construction and renovations in the next. We’ve already wasted $30,000 in taxpayer dollars this year for advice from an architect on how to improve the shelter. The hiring of a behaviorist would provide assessments for animals on an individual basis as well as assist in coordinating various programs like foster care, adoption days and volunteer scheduling. A behaviorist at the Smithtown Animal Shelter would serve the immediate well-being of all the animals, including working on Sundays, which the shelter needs desperately to make a difference now… not in a few years.
The Hard Facts:
- Cost of a full time behaviorist = $45,000 annual
- The resignation of George Beatty results in a new director salary that is more about $30,000 less annually.
- A second employee resigns leaving an additional surplus of over $10,000 in unallocated personnel salary.
The question must be raised by Smithtown Taxpayers… Where does that money go and why can’t it go to fund the behaviorists salary? The Animal Shelter Advisory Committee did not resign to give up on the animals. They did it to bring public awareness back to the shelter, in hopes that Smithtown residents will band together yet again for our innocent creatures and put a stop to the political grandstanding which Supervisor Vecchio has sanctioned behind closed doors for far too long. Furthermore, the leader of this town had an obligation to attend Thursday’s meeting, at the very least to apologize to the good women who traveled from towns all over Long Island to help make Smithtown a better place for our animals to live in. Instead, he hid from the fallout, insulting guests in our town, which resulted in insult that will resonate with future guests. Smithtown residents have an obligation to hold those accountable, responsible for their actions and acknowledge those local officials, who reached out to the Shelter Advisory Committee, to find a solution for the animal shelters dire situation.
** Thanks to inspiration from our discussion with Diane Madden, Smithtown Today has begun an inquiry with local officials. If we are able to raise the funds privately and we are given a written guarantee that the money will go to pay for the salary of a behaviorist, we will hold an online fundraising campaign. Diane Madden has offered her expertise to help with finding the perfect candidate for the job. Check back soon for a special update!