Volunteers Needed -- No Volunteers Need Apply

It has been widely known that prospective volunteers have been discouraged from applying to the Bloomfield Animal Shelter since last July. As of Friday, all active volunteering has been suspended as well. Here are the highlights of a disturbing letter that was sent to many of the most active volunteers at the Shelter: Dear Volunteer,

The BLOOMFIELD ANIMAL SHELTER (John A. Bukowski Shelter for Animals) is about to undertake a positive reorganization. As you are well aware, our facility is being expanded and modernized. We have a new manager on staff and many promising fundraisers in the works. We plan to align with the best practices of our nation’s most respected animal welfare agencies, and we are strengthening our policies for staff and volunteer work procedures. The Board of Health is confident this reorganization will serve not only the disadvantaged animals that temporarily rely on our care, but also will bring a heightened sense of community service and cooperation within the shelter community. ...However, over the next several months, while administrative pieces of the reorganization are put into place, we are suspending volunteer services inside the animal shelter facility. In part, we are restructuring the volunteer program and you will be able to reapply for service once it is completed. If you wish to resume, you will be asked to participate in a volunteer orientation and training program, and you will be asked to sign off on new policies and procedures developed during the reorganization. We have chosen this particular time to reorganize because we are in the fortuitous position of having a lower number of animals currently housed, a highly unusual circumstance. We are confident our paid staff can manage the shelter on their own for a brief time using streamlined procedures for feeding, cleaning and exercising; pet adoptions, vet checks and home visits. ....An interim volunteer agreement will only be given to committee members who wish to continue serving during the reorganization. Signature on this agreement will be required to continue on a committee. .....The suspension of in-shelter volunteer services is effective immediately. The Health Department will announce resumption of volunteer service on the department website, and periodic updates will be posted.

The response from volunteers has been fast and furious -- primarily on various Facebook pages and, most recently, the Bloomfield Patch. Since it was published this morning,The Patch article has already generated a remarkable number of responses by both volunteers and the public:

This situation is very troubling. Whatever legitimate reason the Health Department may have had for their decision to suspend the volunteer program, their complete lack of transparency makes them look exceedingly shady....

I too would like to know why the shelter administrators decided to (1) ban a person from a publicly-funded building without any explanation and then (2) close down the volunteer program entirely, again without sufficient explanation for such a drastic move. Why end a program that was providing free labor and desperately needed care and socialization for shelter animals? The lack of transparency is indeed troubling and gives the distinct impression that the admin and the health department are attempting to cover something up....

Committee members who have been allowed to stay on as volunteers have been forced to sign a paper stating that they will NOT discuss the shelter on Facebook....

I offered my 25 years of grant writing PRO BONO to help the Shelter's budget and access funding (NOTHING happened after months of my pursuit and numerous emails with no follow through from the Health Department Management) and my awe of the dedication of volunteers, none of whom I would call "friends" ...but I can't believe their true dedication witnessed firsthand. I am so sad to hear any nonoprofit do this, as I have consulted with agengies that really need volunteers since 1990...social media used correctly can do so much for individuals and animals in need! As a resident of Bloomfield, I find this decision very painful mostly of course to those precious animals!!!...

An animal shelter restricting the help of volunteers?! What? This is very odd, and so sad for the animals, who are probably experiencing more anxiety with less frequent walks and human interaction. Sounds like Bloomfield is forgetting it is about the animals.....

Posts on the Shelter Fb page have had a tendency to disappear only to be reposted on the Save the Shelter Fb page. At this point, the Management seems to be shooting itself in the foot by censoring posts and threatening volunteers who share information. The official Shelter page currently has 265 "likes", while the Save the Shelter page has 5,833. Today's latest Save the Shelter post encourages volunteers and their supporters to share their concerns at Monday's council meeting:

ANIMALS HELD HOSTAGE - Day 3 If you want to make your feelings known, here is contact information. PLEASE: be polite and be factual in reporting what you have read here. Exaggerating or expanding on facts won't help the volunteers or the shelter animals we love. When contacting council members ask that your emails be read into the record at Monday night's meeting and send a copy to the township clerk Louise Palagano: Phone (973) 680-4015 FAX (973)680-0048 E-Mail: twpclerk@bloomfieldtwpnj.com PHONE NUMBERS AND EMAIL FOR COUNCIL AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT Mike Fitzpatrick, Health Officer: 973-680-4026, 973-680-4024 and 973-680 4025 Karen Lore, Acting Director Health Dept: 973-680-4018 Mayor Raymond J. McCarthy Rosemary Brown, Secretary Email: rbrown@bloomfieldtwpnj.com Phone (973) 680-4080 FAX (973) 680-4040

COUNCIL MEMBERS (ALL): Phone: (973) 680-4077 FAX: (973) 680-4040

BOH "Re-organization" Meeting Tonight Canceled

THE HEALTH DEPT RELEASED THIS STATEMENT LATE THIS AFTERNOON: "Please be advised that the meeting scheduled for tonight, January 17, 2013, has been cancelled due to a quorum." In reality there was a lack of a quorum, since two of two of the five have yet to be appointed and a third was ill.

 In the past year, many residents have written to Bloomfield's Town Council and Board Of Health regarding controversial decisions including the mass firing of volunteers, "temporarily" moving Memphis the dog to South Dakota, and merging the Animal Shelter with the Neighbor to Neighbor Network. This year has added the new issues of water toxins and a flu epidemic. Two of the Board's five members have yet to learn if they're being re-appointed.

Tonight's 6:30PM meeting in the Mayor's Conference Room may begin to deal with the issues raised in the following letter by the founder of Shelter Showcase, Beth Mersten Cruz:
January 17 2013
Mayor, Council, Board of Health and Media,

There is much discussion lately on the future of the management of the Bloomfield shelter. Should the township continue to run the shelter as is? It seems this isn’t palatable to any of the players involved due to the many controversies and allegations of mismanagement, wrongful termination of employees and volunteers and much more.

The Board of Health seems to be seriously interested in turning the shelter over to the Neighbor to Neighbor Network (NTNN), even without properly putting out an RFP for bid. The Mayor rightfully seems to have concerns about the NTNN running the shelter, as it seems he doesn’t want the charity’s reputation tarnished by controversy over the shelter. This is a valid concern since conflicts of interest have already caused the charity to enter into contracts with the Board of Health that were clearly unbalanced and potentially mismanagement of assets, breach of fiduciary duties and self-dealing.

 Other viable options include putting out an RFP for shelter management, or keeping the shelter managed by the Township but moving it out of the hands of the Board of Health. It is possible to manage the shelter without major controversy. Shelter management may never be without disagreement, but intense controversy and disasters can be avoided.

The standards requested by residents and other concerned individuals are relatively simple and include the following policies: a welcoming and well-managed volunteer program including a foster program, transfer of animals to rescue whenever possible, investigation of acts of cruelty and other misconduct, keeping Petfinder and similar type listings up to date, treating employees fairly, providing timely veterinary care and working cooperatively with other local shelters to save lives.

Our township can have a model shelter program serving our town if the Mayor and Town Council support the above mentioned policies and ensure the opportunity for effective shelter management to implement best practices with respect and kindness to our citizens and animals.

Please let me know if and when I can help you in any way.
Best wishes,
Beth Mersten Cruz, President and Founder Shelter Showcase
http://www.sheltershowcase.com/ 
Shelter Showcase :: Adopt love, don't buy it!

Shelter Show Case

The handwriting was on the wall when word got out that a phone and email campaign was being made by Bloomfield Animal Shelter to it's long adoption list. It was also clear from the signup sheet for the public comment section of Tuesday's council meeting. What stood out is that nearly all the 8+ signatures were clearly written by the same hand. It was also clear from the numerous professionally printed black and blue signs held by the Shelter staffers sitting in front of the council room.

Further back in the room were shelter manager, Kathleen Gregorovich, Karen Lore, and BOH members, Joel Elkins and Kathleen DeMarino. All the comments can be seen and heard online. Their shared message was that the Shelter was being perfectly managed, but could only survive by being merged with the Neighbor to Neighbor Network.

Beth Mersten Cruz and myself were the only speakers present to offer any rebuttal. The leader of the fundraising committee felt the need to interrupt her more than once and plead with the Mayor for a re-rebuttal -- without success.
For an odd variety of reasons, there was no online press coverage of the meeting. The Board of Ed Meeting that night was considered more important for coverage by Bloomfield Life and The Patch. The Independent Press covered it, but has reduced it's online presence. The Baristanet correspondant's car broke down. More comments on the issues raised can be found on the very active Facebook pages of Citizens of Bloomfield and Save the Bloomfield/Bukowski Shelter.

Beth sent out the following note after the meeting"

Mayor and Town Council: 
Thank you for your time during the public comment section of today’s council meeting. It is abundantly clear, yet again, that people in our town and surrounding areas really care about the animals and the shelter. To avoid future controversies and to ensure quality shelter management and care for the animals, I respectfully request the RFP to clearly state the requirements expected of the agency providing shelter management.  

Some requirements should include a welcoming and well-managed volunteer program, a foster program, the transfer of animals to rescue whenever possible, investigation of acts of cruelty and other misconduct, keeping Petfinder and similar type listings up to date, treating employees fairly, providing timely veterinary care, working cooperatively with other local shelters to save lives, and continued “no-kill” status with less than 2% “euthanasia” rate. Key performance indicators (KPI) should be defined for all required services. 

I also ask the Township to clarify in advance how the outsourced service provider will be overseen by the town and how complaints will be handled. The agency should provide reports with clear metrics to the Township. There must also be a process to escalate complaints to the Township and follow up with the service provider when needed. These management tools of reporting and problem resolution are critical to ensure the requirements listed in the RFP are indeed being provided to the town, and issues can be resolved quickly without long-term controversy.  

 I have previously listed numerous issues in the past year related to the BOH’s oversight of the shelter’s management and refusals to comply with the Town Council’s requests. Please consider appointing fresh faces to the BOH and/or changing the BOH from autonomous to elected. 

 Thank you, Beth Mersten Cruz Shelter Showcase

Lore has managed NtNN for 12 years until her resignation last month. She always maintained that the NtNN's mission has been to provide volunteers "to fill in service gaps in the township's behalf." The question remains how NtNN can continue it's mission with the Shelter which has adopted a policy of firing its most experienced volunteers and turning away nearly all prospective recruits.  The shelter issue is once again on the official agenda for this Monday's council meeting.

Bukowski Shelter Survival Fight Goes Viral

Hell hath no fury as a volunteer scorned. The mostly volunteer Bloomfield/Bukowski Animal Shelter has been fighting for its life for several weeks now -- ever since the town's 2011 budget was announced with a 100k cut. The volunteers maintain that this cut would eliminate so many vital functions that the shelter would have to either close or send most of it's animals to other shelters that can euthanize unadopted animals after as little as 7 days. After pleading their case at packed town council meetings with shelter supporters. Mayor Ray McCarthy assured the Shelter advocates that money would be found to eliminate the cutbacks. Yet the Board of Health has continued to be pressured to make deeper cuts by trading off the needs of people and animals.

Monday's Council meeting is scheduled to include a final vote on a revised budget, and Shelter supporters are taking no chances. A Facebook page was recently setup to spread the word and marshall support from no-kill supporters from around the state and beyond. Earlier today, Volunteer Marc Mercer revealed himself to be the creator of the page.

"My role was really just as a social media consultant. I thought that this page would max out at about 1200 and that it would take a lot longer to reach that. I underestimated the passion that so many people have for shelter pets, which is something of an irony since my shelter beagle is behind me on a big dog bed, keeping an eye on the boss " In only a couple of weeks the FB page has gained more "Likes" that any other page in Bloomfield.

At this writing, it has over 3000 followers including nationally known comedienne Elayne Boosler. In her role as president of the animal advocacy group Tails of Joy, she concluded her extended written comments to the council with this plea:

" …As city planners I appeal to your good sense in what will best serve your community and actually enhance your budget. The rescue community in America is organized and strong, and watching. You are judged by how you treat the weakest among you. Often that is not only animals, but people as well. Please look again; at the end of every leash is a vote."

My Takeaway on Lore's Takeover Plans

I wasn't at the 6PM Conference Meeting on Monday in the Mayor's conference room, but Karen Lore reportedly showed up and said nothing. Then stayed for the closed session at the end -- presumably to make her case for her Neighbor to Neighbor Network's plan for taking over the Bloomfield Animal Shelter.

Over half of the subsequent Town Council Meeting, at 7:30PM, was taken up by public comments regarding what we knew of the plan. ALL of them were critical of Lore's recent actions. There was one written comment and about 8 others by folks who ALL chose to speak out on issues that were raised at last week's Board of Health meeting. The video of both meetings is now available for streaming on the WBMA-TV website.  Public Comments start at the 59 minute mark. Here is the gist of my comments:

Like a few other Neighbor to Neighbor Network volunteers,  I applied for both the shelter and neighbor to neighbor at the same time. I was told in February that the shelter was suspending volunteer applications for a few months. This was shortly before the mass firing of dozens of the most experienced volunteers.
I've since learned from one of them that she saw about 75 applications ripped up and trashed.
At about the same time, a convicted felon was retained and promoted despite evidence of serious crimes and a falsified resume.
Why were so many experienced Shelter volunteers fired? My best guess is that most of them tended to to work along  side each other and saw and knew too much about such improprieties. On the other hand, at Neighbor to Neighbor, we work independently of each other and only know the people we help. We sign a nondisclosure statement to protect their privacy. This makes total sense. What doesn't make sense is to not disclose to donors or the township where their money goes.

 At last week's BOH meeting, I asked Ms. Lore specifics about the Board's vote in September to transfer Memphis to Neighbor to Neighbor. What did the Board know about what they were voting on? They stopped me in my tracks by telling me that NtN is a private organization and has nothing to do with the town. I would need to ask them.
Who is "them"?  Lore, Fitzpatrick and Ricci were all sitting in front of me at the time, and clearly knew all the answers. Lore claimed to be wearing her BOH Board Secretary hat at the time. 

Thankfully, Mimi Michalski was there to report on the meeting for Baristanet. I learned from Mimi's article the later in the meeting, Lore put on her Shelter Director or NTNN hat, (I'm not sure which) and made a general update on what has happened with Memphis since the September meeting 

It was also disclosed that she is apparently negotiating with herself to have NtNN take over the shelter. Will that mean the town no longer has any say in Shelter policies either?

Bear in mind that the town website has several links to NtN info. my NtN directives come from the Human Services office in room 231 of Town Hall. The emails come from a town email address. Phone calls usually come from the town switchboard. 

And yet Ms Lore has reportedly bragged that she is accountable to no one.
 In the 19th century, Lord Acton first spoke what has become a truism that "power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Whatever happens with her negotiation with herself to put the shelter entirely under her control, any lawsuits lost because of her continued poor judgement will still probably have to be covered by the deepest pockets around. Won't that be our town and it's taxpayers?

The next conference meeting is scheduled for Monday in the Mayor's Conference Room.

New Cutbacks at Shelter Stoke Shutdown Fears

The Bloomfield/Bukowski Animal Shelter appears to be circling its cages to reduce its exposure to public scrutiny and interaction. It has lately been spending more time deleting questions and comments than sharing info on the pets that are available for adoption.

Now, it has apparently given up competing with the Save the Bloomfield Shelter site. for fans on its Facebook page, with a status post that "For future updates on Memphis and other shelter activities, please visit us at bloomfieldanimalshelter.com.

Just posted on the Bloomfield Township website, but NOT posted on the shelter website are the newly limited hours for public access:
Monday 12pm - 2pm
Tuesday 12pm - 2pm
Wednesday 12pm - 2pm
Thursday 12pm - 2pm
Friday 12pm - 2pm
Saturday 12pm - 2pm
Sunday CLOSED

There are also reports that the shelter is requiring all visitors to provide photo ID.
Tuesday's town council meeting is expected to draw a large turnout by animal lovers concerned about recent cutbacks and firings as well as the confinement of Memphis.

Memphis in His Cage (Video)

Pat Gilleran, who happens to be a long time member of Bloomfield's Open Space Board, suggested that Saturday might be a a good time to visit Bloomfield's Bukowski Animal Shelter and check up on the status of Memphis. After stating we wanted to check out the dogs, we were led into the large dog section by the Animal Control Officer.  Pat followed him to the right and I pointed my camera to the far left where Memphis was. He seemed glad to see us and can be seen through a gap in the gate rapidly wagging his tail. After less than 15 seconds,  I was stopped by the ACO who called in the shelter manager to inform me that I was breaking the rules against taking pictures.

I informed her that I had made many visits to the shelter this year in search of a cat and taken many photos without mention of said rule.
She insisted that she had never seen me before even though I had talked with her in her office several times, most recently when my wife and I spent half an hour with her filling out their lengthy application to adopt.
Pat commented on what followed:

I asked if we could see the cats - while we were in the cat room the ACO came back in a told is that F. Michael Fitzpatrick (Head of the Board of Health) had been called and we had to leave. I asked why I had to leave- the ACO said "he took a picture". I said "but I'm not him". I was told that I had to leave anyway. 

We walked out and looked for signs that said NO PHOTOGRAPHY in the main room and outside of the shelter. There were none. As we exited onto Hoover Ave. a cop car with blazing lights pulled into Bukowski Drive.  It was followed by two more - I didn't stick around to see if they turned into Bukowski Drive- but assume they did. Wowee- 3 cop cars because we visited the shelter. Wonder what crime I committed? I guess it's now illegal to visit the shelter....

Blessing of the Animals to Benefit Bloomfield Shelter

Shelter Volunteer Karen Banda reports that "the pastor has very generously offered to donate all money collected at the service to the Bloomfield/Bukowski Animal Shelter. We are extremely grateful. Volunteers and some shelter animals will be present to receive the blessing which we hope will be carried back to the rest of our shelter critters."
(Click on poster to enlarge)
Two other animal blessing events are taking place in Mpntclair and Nutley this weekend.

Waiting it Out

At last night's packed conference meeting, Bloomfield's Council voted to give control of the animal shelter to Ted Ehrenberg, the new Town Manager.
After discussing the controversial plan of the Neighbor to Neighbor Network to takeover the shelter, the Town Council voted that the Mr. Ehrenberg be in charge of the administration of the animal shelter. NTNN will be allowed to negotiate with the Town Administrator.

After a 21 day waiting period, it comes back to the Town Council. If the town council so chooses they can appoint NTNN to take over the management of the shelter.

Councilman Hamilton said and RFP should be issued. Other items of the BOH and its autonomy came up but everything will be dealt in due time. No one who works for the town can be on the NTNN board.

Bullied

An Open Letter to Bloomfield's Board of Health:

I find it a bit ironic that we happened to be at a Board of Health meeting in the town courtroom, last night.  Karen Lore may have been trying to put Jeff on trial, but in a real sense it's Karen Lore,  F. Michael Fitzpatrick -- and this board -- that are on trial right now.  And the rest of us in that room were the jury -- along with the Town Council.  If you doubt this,  I'd suggest googling "Karen Lore," Bloomfield, or "Board of Health," Bloomfield, and take a look at the "Images" tab.

At your September meeting, you may have set a record for violations of the Open Public Meetings Act. You began by announcing, without justification, that no photography or video would be allowed, and promptly went into an unscheduled closed session before finally allowing comments 55 minutes later. You then announced that a decision had been reached on Memphis that would be announced the next morning.  So we were then allowed to comment on an issue that had already been decided -- except we would be told nothing about the decision. Kafka would be proud!
 Kafkaesque is commonly defined as:
 1. Marked by a senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity. Kafkaesque bureaucracies

 1. Marked by surreal distortion and often a sense of impending danger.

Your continued unresponsiveness to the worldwide condemnation
of your actions truly fits all these definitions.  You've also dismissed Facebook comments on the subject by saying that many of them are inaccurate belying the fact that Lore's misleading statements and refusal to interact with volunteers about shelter issues -- as well as Memphis -- have sparked thousands of passionate reactions in the social media.

Bloomfield residents and animal lovers from throughout the region have pled Jeff's case to a stonewalling BOH.  Joel argued with a Zoning Board member who called attention to your violations of the Open Public Meetings Act.  Maybe it's time for an "intervention" by Bloomfielders on other volunteer boards.  I know members of virtually all of them who are incredulous at the actions of Lore and the BOH: That includes the BOE, Planning, Zoning, Recycling, Open Space, Downtown Alliance, Oakside, Bicentennial, Watsessing Heights, Halcyon Park, Save Bloomfield Now, Bloomfield Neighborhood Assoc., and Friends of Clarks Pond.

 Like many of them, I literally don't have a dog in this hunt. But I react strongly when I see injustice.  As others have stated about their rescued pets,  the dog I rescued as a teenager, would not have passed Crosby's evaluation.

I e-mailed Lore and Fittzpatrick 5 months ago for a legal justification for your continued unresponsiveness to pertinent questions at BOH meetings and got no response.  I assumed she never read the e-mail until I was confronted by your fundraising chair who angrily referenced other Shelter issues raised in the the email. This occurred in the shelter office in early spring when my wife and I were applying to adopt a cat. Of course, our application was never acknowledged. Instead, we wound up adopting two wonderful cats through PAWS.

 In going over the minutes of several of your meetings and watching the last two in person, one gets the impression that your main function is to rubber stamp every item on Lore's agenda. I've been to a number of other board meetings in Bloomfield, and this appears to be the one with the most unanimity and the least discussion. Please advise me of an issue that provoked a divergence of views or a dissent from Ms. Lore, as I'm still looking for one. Undisputedly, the Health Department has a vital role to play in Bloomfield's continued well being. But your arrogant procedures and practices is dragging our town into international notoriety and threatening the security of its taxpaying residents.

Not only aren't they from this area, Lore and Fitzpatrick may be insulated against lawsuits like this one.  They'll get their hefty paychecks and pensions no matter what.  Bloomfield's taxpayers will pay in the end. That said, I still hope Jeff wins it all.  Maybe HE could take over the shelter and begin repairing Bloomfield's severely tarnished reputation.

Sincerely,

Geoff Gove

Would Sharing Services Solve BOH Problems?

Bloomfield's recent disconnect between its Health Department, Board of Health, Neighbor to Neighbor Network, and Animal Shelter has many causes. Among them are the elimination of their most experienced volunteers, the attitude of unaccountability to the town council, and the alienation of overpaid directors who live many counties away from the communities they serve.

During his presentation to the BNAC last month, our new Town Administrator suggested that increasing our level of shared services may be the only way to reduce expenses in future budgets.  Diane Lilli recently reported some of the details on how Montclair and Nutley are successfully sharing their health departments, allowing for a wide range of health services including nursing services.

The Nutley Health Department, in partnership with the Greater Montclair Health Reserve Corps, is creating a Nutley Chapter to train and supplement the existing emergency services in responding to public health and other emergencies. The new chapter will be known as the Nutley Public Health Reserve Corps.

Sharing services has saved both towns significant amounts of money, while also allowing both towns to maximize available services and continuing to meet the healthcare needs of residents.

Animal control for both towns is run by the Montclair office. Many of the Montclair Shelter's most experienced volunteers are "exiles" from Bloomfield's shelter.

Curioser and Curioser

At last night's Board of Health meeting I asked for details about the Memphis move to South Dakota. This was the first time I've seen Board Attorney Ricci present for the comments portion; he and Joel Elkins couldn't wait to inform me that the BOH no longer had anything to do with Memphis, since he was the property of Bloomfield's Neighbor to Neighbor Network -- which is "a private organisation with no connection to the BOH."

This despite the fact that Lore, Fitzpatrick, and Ricci were sitting in front of me and clearly knew the answers to my questions -- and despite NTNN's multiple locations on our town's official website. All my questions were answered by Ricci and Elkins with words to the effect of: "You need to ask them, not us." I reminded them that I'm a volunteer for NTNN, but have never had any answers to questions written to either Lore or the Board. In the 6 months, I've been associated with them, I've seen no news of meetings or updates on their activities.

Anyone for tea?

We later learned that the Health Department is negotiating with Neighbor to Neighbor to give the group total control over the Bloomfield Shelter as well as Memphis. As one of the fired volunteers explained it:

"...in a nutshell, Karen Lore went into an agreement with herself, basically, and all of the (current) volunteers who have made consistently derogatory statements about Memphis, to anyone and everyone. Presently, Karen Lore (the Health Dept) has agreed, at the direction of the Board of Health who has repeatedly stated they cannot direct the Health Dept (Karen Lore) on what to do, to enter into negotiations with Karen Lore (NTNN) to take over control of the Animal Shelter. And if Karen Lore cannot negotiate with Karen Lore by December 31, 2012, control of the Animal Shelter automatically goes to the Town Council (Mayor and Council members)."

Confronting the Board of Health

At last night's Board of Health meeting, more than a dozen people made comments before being stopped by the notorious Marimba ring tone 5 minute timer. I began by reading an excerpt from a letter that my wife, Rebecca wrote to the Mayor and Town Council. It was read at Monday's Council meeting:

"....the idea that the township has no authority over the Board of Health decisions is ludicrous - the Board of Health has to be responsible to somebody. You appointed the Board of Health. And although they may do a good job when it comes to Town Health issues involving humans, they know little about taking care of animals or running an animal shelter.

 Ms. Lore is one person making decisions that affect the entire township, and she appears to have no supervision above her, and no input from the public. Especially in the case of a director who is only an acting director, you would think there would be some sort of supervisor working with her and watching to see if she indeed, could handle the position. 

Whenever I have attended a BOH meeting, it seems like Ms. Lore makes a decision and no one even discusses or questions her - They seem to be "Yes" people who rubber-stamp what she decides to do."

Jeff Coltenback reaffirmed the commitment he made at Monday's meeting to take over responsibility for the training and adoption of all the dogs now at Bloomfield;s shelter -- including Memphis. I was able to shoot a video clip of his concluding comments.

 Some of my comments:

One of my unanswered questions in my September letter was whether you could refer me to a recent meeting where there had been a non-unanimous vote on an issue that Ms. Lore raised. 

 Silence.... 

I believe it was Mr. Mcloughlin who told us--at a recent meeting--that you never talk to each other between meetings regarding any issues that are on the agenda. Well many of us on the outside talk every day in the social media about some of the major issues that you seem determined to ignore. We do it publicly, so folks like Mr. Fitzpatrick can cherry pick rumors that he finds inaccurate. We do it partially out of frustration that we can't get all the facts we'd like to get from the Health Department or the Shelter.  

This week, our frustration at the lack of accurate information from this Board has led some residents to start yet another Facebook page. This one is not primarily about Memphis -- it's about YOU. It's called "The Truth About Bloomfield's Health Department." Rather than sharing rumors, anyone can share verifiable facts and documents about what's been going on with the Board and the Health Department. This may be your first chance for one or more of you to make a difference on your Board -- OR your last chance. 

Not sure if it was in response to many of our complaints about their unresponsiveness, but one of the members, Mcloughlin, actually chose to engage in a brief discussion with several of the commenters. Elkins also made a couple of comments. The 3 women on the Board, however, still seem to have lost their voices.

Saving Memphis

Jeff Coltenback and his wife Diana are long time residents of Bloomfield. They own and operate a local pet business, Paradise Pet, on West Passaic at Lindburgh, which I've patronized many times. They are also the founders of Pitty Rescue, Inc a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue organization. Jeff is a highly respected animal behaviorist and this family truly has a passion and a love for this often mislabeled and misunderstood breed. Memphis belongs with the Coltenbacks. If you agree, please sign and share his friends' petition, The life of an amazing pitty boy may depend on it. Memphis' Story, in Jeff's words:

Help us get Memphis back! Memphis'abbreviated story (it's a really long one though): Memphis was picked up as stray in Feb 2012 and further restricted by shelter management after his initial 7-day hold was up. He was then deemed UN-adoptable by an evaluator in March (not by any judicial system). He has no bite history and, to my knowledge, has never injured anyone -- human or animal. His only crime; his breed. After learning about Memphis, I contacted the Township of Bloomfield Health Dept and offered my services to evaluate/train him. In order to gain permission to do so (which permitted me to train him only; I was prohibited from evaluating him), I signed a 5-page legal contract which also included holding me liable for Memphis and any expenses incurred on his behalf.

Part of my training with Memphis, like any dog I work with, included socialization. During this socialization training, he interacted with both adults and children -- all by permission. Due to this, the Township said I put the public in danger and ordered me to bring Memphis back to the shelter, which I did. My wife, Diana, and I then offered to adopt him permanently and sign a waiver relieving the Township of all liability. I submitted my adoption application to the Health Department, Mayor and Town Council, along with 12 Letters of Recommendation from professionals and rescue groups, here in the tri-state area. During his entire 8 days with us, Memphis never exhibited any behaviors that provided an opportunity for me to correct or modify his behavior. He has been around people, dogs, cats, rats and even parrots without incident. My wife and I had Memphis for one week, and fell madly in love with him -- he's just that kind of dog. Since he has been sent from our sofa back to the shelter, we cry for him every day. We eagerly await the Township's decision on whether or not they will allow us to adopt him. Memphis is truly a great dog who has a responsible, stable, experienced and loving forever home to go to -- ours. 

You can email letters of support for me to adopt Memphis to: 

health@bloomfieldtwpnj.com, mfitzpatrick@bloomfieldtwpnj.com klore@bloomfieldtwpnj.com rbrown@bloomfieldtwpnj.com njoanow@bloomfieldtwpnj.com, pdunigan@bloomfieldtwpnj.com, law@bloomfieldtwpnj.com brian@aloialawfirm.com, courts@bloomfieldtwpnj.com

We're more than a bit confused to hear that the BOH's Evaluator finished his/her work on Saturday, but will not discuss their findings until Thursday's BOH meeting. Meanwhile, Memphis sits alone in a cage. Why the delay? You can attend this month's Board of Health meeting where Jeff's case is on the agenda. It's being held on Thursday at 6:30 in the Squad Room of the Police Building Civic Center at 84 Broad St.

Board of Health Agrees to Give Memphis to Jeff

Mondays Town Council Conference meeting opened and closed in closed session. In between was a revealing period of public comments concerning mushrooming revelations of improprieties within the Health Department, the Bloomfield Animal Shelter, and Neighbor to Neighbor Network(NtNN).

The initial closed session focused on NtNN Director Karen Lore's proposed negotiation with her BOH counterpart to take over full control of the Shelter.
When the public session resumed,  Mayor McCarthy that a decision had been made to make no decision and keep the status quo until at least January regarding the  shelter. Nothing was announced about what was discussed in the 2nd closed session, but 24 hours later Jeff Coltenback went on Facebook to break the stunning news that the BOH had agreed to a framework for ultimately letting him adopt Memphis when his South Dakota trainer certified that he was ready to be released.

No word yet as to when or how the BOH took control back from NtNN. While all this is going on,
I clicked on a Bloomfield link on Facebook and was greeted by profile photos of my top 5 friends(click on graphic to enlarge). Coincidence?

Bloomfield BOH Delays Final Decision on Memphis

I've been to meetings at the Civic Center on dozens of occasions but this one drew the biggest crowd yet.

Nearly 150 animal lovers came from all over NJ and beyond to plead the case for Memphis to be adopted by Jeff Coltenback.

Some drove for 2 hours and stood in the humid room for over 2 hours to make their feelings known. Jeff led the comments with a passionate plea to adopt Memphis. There were no microphones, so you could hear a pin drop as everyone strained to hear each speaker. Four cops were seen in both doorways presumably to defend the board members from the public. Among the speakers were

(photo), and Shelby Dwyer's best friend,  Joe Dwyer. Other than the 2 weekly papers and Baristanet, no other media were seen taking notes. I was one of the lucky few to get a seat so I waited until nearly all the standees had their turn:

I currently volunteer with Neighbor to Neighbor and consider it a wonderful program that many more towns should emulate. But an awful lot of the good that you've accomplished on the human side has been negated by your unforced errors on the animal side --- ironically because your people skills with your volunteers have been pathetic. 

My background has been in the media, but I don't think any media consultant would recommend your recent actions concerning volunteers an Memphis as a way to generate public support. In my humble opinion, you need mindful and DEDICATED volunteers more than you need mindlessly controllable volunteers. 

The Official Bukowski Shelter site follows your lead by censoring critical comments. It's not hard to see why the official Bukowski Shelter site has 641 followers while the uncensored "Save the Shelter" site -- which has become a refuge for exiled volunteers -- is now at 6,060. 

Here we are -- all pleading for the life a dog who is clearly obedient, loving, loved and well cared for by Jeff. This whole week long drama is totally unnecessary. Number 9 on your agenda? All these folks behind me have been standing for hours waiting your verdict. It's Loony Tunes! You're supposed to be a health panel, not a death panel. Vote for Life!

New Years Hopes on Christmas Eve for Memphis Supporters

Jeff Coltenback posted this update on his Facebook page. It has received 389 likes in 24 hours:

Memphis Update: It's been a while since I last posted anything. But, i did want everyone to know that Diana and I have retained L.I.D.A. Attorney, Isabelle Strauss to proceed with litigation to get Memphis back home. Unlike last time, we now are extremely confident with our position and legal standing. Additionally, we will be retaining other legal representation for issues stemming from the Township's treatment of Diana and me including, but not limited to, civil rights infractions. 

We are not going away and we want OUR dog back home. Oh and the for the record.... any money we are awarded from the courts will be donated to various non-profit animal rescue organizations. Diana and I will NOT be profiting from this at all.... All we want is MEMPHIS back home!!

Either by coincidence or master plan, the South Dakota "trainer," who received Memphis from Bloomfield's Neighbor to Neighbor Network, chose Christmas day to post on Facebook the first photo of Memphis anyone has seen since last winter.
When one of Bloomfield's leading advocates for Memphis politely shared a bit of her history with the dog, the trainer immediately shouted back her intention to keep him:

Karen Banda -- Is that supposed to be Memphis, the dog the Bloomfield Health Dept. had railroaded out of town for no good reason? That dog was a doll from day one, I know. As a volunteer at that shelter I saw him right after he came in. He belongs with Jeff and Diana at home in Bloomfield NJ. PLEASE release him.
2 hours ago · Unlike · 1

2 hours ago · Unlike · 1

Teresa Richardson Karen Banda FIRST OFF HE DOES NOT BELONG TO THE COLTENBECKS. HE WAS SENT TO THEM FOR TRAINING TO CORRECT ISSUES HE HAD AN SOME HE STILL HAS. HE HAD HIM 9 DAYS THAT'S ALL. HE HAS BEEN WITH ME OVER A YR NOW. I POSTED THIS PIC TO PROVE TO ALL THAT SAY HE IS DEAD. HE IS ALIVE AN WELL TAKIN CARE OF. I AM NOT INTO THE DRAMA BETWEEN THE TOWN, BOARD OF HEALTH OR THE SHELTER. PER A LETTER I RECEIVED FROM THE TOWN OF BLOOM FIELD AN THE LAWYER RICCI I OWN MEMPHIS. IF YOU WANT TO SEE COPIES OF THE DOCUMENTS I WILL BE MORE THEN HAPPY TO SHARE THEM.

May Day for Volunteerism in Bloomfield

Several prominent Bloomfielders attended the April meeting of Bloomfield's Board of Health in the Mayor's Conference Room. Three of the six who spoke are pictured. (l to r) Carol Meyer Humphreys, Doreen Sarcone, and Karen Banda. They each spoke about the issues that have been plaguing the shelter in recent months, culminating in the recent dismissal of nearly all the shelter's longtime volunteers.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, several questions were asked of the Board members. There were no answers other than an initial statement that the board was "not allowed to reply" to statements or questions from the public. Doreen Sarcone (center) later noted:

I am very concerned about the manner, in which the meeting was conducted. There was no accountability, no response, no statement of how it will be addressed. I also addressed the quote in the media regarding the Acting Director stating this is a business. The Township is not a private business - rather it is a service organization first and foremost. If the services are lacking or are not effective, they must be re-evaluated, but not removed during this process.

 Having been to other Bloomfield board meeting when interaction with the public occurred,  I later emailed the board asking for the rationale for this rule. So far, there's been no comment on the "no comment" comment.

BOH Rebuffs Council Efforts to Resolve Memphis Issue

Much has transpired in the week since the Council voted unanimously to urge all the attorneys involved in the Memphis lawsuit to reach a positive outcome that would return Memphis to Jeff Coltenback:

 1. The BOH has reiterated their version of events -- with too many misstatements to go into here -- and told the council it has no authority over them.
2. The BOH attorney has taken to the internet to further misrepresent the situation. Basically claiming that the Lexis Attorney is now on Ricci's side, and blaming Jeff for scaring alternative trainers away, but suggesting that their undisclosed new trainer is successfully re-educating Memphis at their undisclosed location for adoption by an undisclosed family to be named later.
3. Ricci has closed down his e-mail and Facebook site and refused to participate in any serious discussions with other attorneys.
4. The intake report on Memphis's arrival at our shelter was finally released, through Opra, showing that he was originally characterized as NON- Aggressive.
5 The ACO officer who originally caught and gave Memphis his name, has come forth with a chronology of events that belies many of Karen Lore's statements on the case. Moira may have been fired for staying within Health Department channels and spelling out truths that did not corroborate Lore's agenda.
6. Our Board of Health is still advertising online for another Animal control officer to replace Moira.
7. The shelter has announced that it is returning to it's old hours of 1 to 4 every day.
8. The largest of several petitions to free Memphis has hit 40,000 signatures.
9. The first legal hearing on the Lexis lawsuit against Bloomfield has been rescheduled to November 9. 10. Hundreds of Memphis supporters turned out to support the return of the dog to Jeff and Diana Coltenback.

Signed, Soiled, and Delivered

Bloomfield's Neighbor to Neighbor Network has enlisted many of their volunteers in a telephone and internet campaign to pressure our Town Council to consent to transferring control of it's animal shelter to the non-profit group. Comments from many of those asked to sign their petitions suggest that they were misled to believe that the shelter would be shut down if the transfer did not place.
Not true.

When the petitions were turned into the Township Clerk, a friend was able to get copies under the Open Public Records Act.(OPRA).

We've signed our share of petitions in recent years, but never one quite like this.