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Circle of Friends: Details released about director's firing [Grand Forks Herald](Grand Forks Herald (ND) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 25--Board member John Chappell said it was his professional obligation to raise the alarm. At a Sept. 23 meeting of the Circle of Friends Humane Society's board of directors, Chappell informed the board during closed session an employee had brought him a signed blank check he received in the mail. "I said, 'That's about the worst thing you can have,'" said Chappell, who is a certified public accountant. "A single mistake is OK but it leads to very serious questions, which are: How many other blank checks are out there? Who has them? Is there a stack of blank checks in a drawer somewhere in this office right now? There's no guarantee of anything." From the perspective of an auditor and accountant, Chappell added the situation was "extremely concerning." About an hour later, the group voted to dismiss the Grand Forks animal shelter's executive director Arlette Moen by a margin of 6-4. A news release issued the following day said Moen was "released" but no cause was given. A recording of the executive session obtained by the Herald reveals the blank check and other issues raised during that closed session led board members to terminate Moen. Board concerns Before the motion to fire Moen came to the floor, board members aired a number of concerns they had about the shelter when discussing a potential vote of no confidence. In addition to the blank check, another financial concern mentioned on the recording is the absence of several audits. The organization has not received an annual audit since 2009, though one is being prepared for 2013. The shelter's lawyer, Al Boucher, said at a Wednesday board meeting it is the board's legal responsibility to stay on top of the organization's finances and set up yearly audits. The board's bylaws contain similar language. Some members expressed concern over whether pets were being euthanized -- outside of medical necessity -- for unjustified reasons. An informal agreement with an area thrift store collecting donations for the shelter was also a source of worry for the board. Other members pointed to tension between shelter staff members, and the staff and board members as causing problems. "There are some deep underlying issues that need to be addressed," Board President Kelly Hilzendager said in the meeting. "And it's not just the board. I mean it's the board, too, but (there are things) all the way around that need to be addressed." Then-board member Sharon Carson noted all the dysfunction the board was discussing couldn't be placed solely on Moen's shoulders. "To me, a vote of no confidence for Arlette singles her out as the problem when there clearly are some (other) issues," she said. Carson was one of four board members that voted against the motion and announced their resignation following the vote in closed session. Performance As part of an open records request, the Herald learned no performance reviews were available for Moen from at least 2010 to 2013 because they were not conducted. At the Sept. 23 meeting, board members did briefly discuss conducting a performance review before voting on the motion to fire Moen. "I'm just afraid that if it goes to executive committee, there's a performance review, etc., etc., we're going to be having the same conversation six to 12 months from now," Chappell said. Moen has been advised by legal counsel not to speak publicly about her termination, her husband Charlie Moen told the Herald in an email. She was hired as the shelter's executive director in 1993. In the days that followed, emails sent between board members requested by the Herald show members working to fill duties in Moen's absence including coordinating payroll, planning events and solving maintenance problems. Worries about staff leaving following Moen's termination were expressed at the Sept. 23 meeting. One email from Hilzendager sent Sept. 24 notes the shelter closed to the public on that day as "employees were too emotional to work with the public." In the time since, at least one employee meeting between staff and a few board members has occurred and an interim director, seven-year shelter employee Rachael Bergman, was appointed earlier this month. At its Oct. 8 meeting, the board opted not to fill its four empty spots until January, when the organization's members can elect them instead. More than 10 people applied to fill the positions. ___ (c)2014 the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.) Visit the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.) at www.grandforksherald.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |