By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
The CNY SPCA is facing yet another shake-up in its leadership after the termination of Executive Director Kerrin Conklin. The organization’s board of directors fired Conklin late last month after she authorized the euthanization of 17 cats that had been exposed to ringworm.
Conklin, who had led the CNY SPCA since January, told CNY Central’s Michael Benny that the board terminated her employment at its May 25 meeting, but she said she was not officially informed until May 31. Conklin said her spouse, who is on the board of directors, tipped her off about her termination.
“I was totally blindsided. This happened with no due process and without the board following the bylaws,” Conklin told CNY Central.
The board named Linda DeMuro, formerly of Wanderers’ Rest, as the CNY SPCA’s new executive director. While Conklin intends to take legal action against the CNY SPCA to get her job back, Nick Pirro — former board member, treasurer and one-time interim executive director of the organization — defended the board’s decision.
“Without consulting with a veterinarian, she euthanized 17 cats and used employees that were not certified to [euthanize animals] in New York state narcotics law,” Pirro told Eagle Newspapers. “It’s inexcusable.”
Pirro, who announced his resignation from the board May 31, said he had been planning to resign before the board considered Conklin’s termination. He said Board President Carole Marsh asked him to stay on at least until the May 25 meeting.
“All of a sudden, Carole moved it into executive session,” Pirro said of that meeting, which turned into a four-hour discussion about Conklin’s response to an outbreak of ringworm among a few the shelter’s cats.
Conklin said the treatment for ringworm, a common fungal skin infection, is “horrible” for cats and expensive. Pirro said the treatment is only $15 per cat. (See sidebar for more information on the prevention and treatment of ringworm.)
Pirro said Conklin turned part of the shelter’s isolation room into an office, so there was not enough room to quarantine the cats who had been exposed to ringworm.
“The vet had told her days before to lock down Mitzi’s Room,” Pirro said, referring to a community room where visitors can play with cats. However, Conklin said a veterinarian let an infected cat mingle in a room with other cats.
Since he was the only board member familiar with the day-to-day operations of the shelter, having served as interim director in 2016, Pirro said Marsh asked him to help interview the employees involved in the euthanization of 17 cats.
“They all felt terrible when we were interviewing them. They were crying. They all love the animals,” he said. “How somebody could come in and say, ‘I want to head this place,’ and then make a decision to put down healthy animals is beyond me.”
“I was heartbroken,” Conklin told CNY Central. “I was devastated.”
Conklin claimed the CNY SPCA has no euthanization policy, but Pirro said that’s not true. It requires three people, including a veterinarian, to sign off on euthanizations.
Employees told Pirro that the kennel manager called the vet and only reached her voicemail, but Conklin told employees to go through with euthanizing the cats. Pirro said two employees had attended euthanization training at Lollypop Farm in Rochester, but they never filed the appropriate paperwork for state certification.
Conklin’s dismissal is another blow to the CNY SPCA’s public image. Former director Paul Morgan pleaded guilty in January to stealing $591,852.31 from the organization between May 2010 and August 2016. Two other former employees also pleaded guilty to taking money from the shelter, which lost more than $900,000 in total. Morgan has been sentenced to four to 12 years in prison.
“I thought we had really turned the corner there before this happened,” Pirro said.
Pirro said Conklin had been making strides in building relationships in the community, especially with other area shelters and rescues. Conklin also headed a renovation of the shelter; the grand re-opening took place May 21, just a few days before the board opted to end Conklin’s employment.
“Everybody was very happy that the shelter was moving in that direction,” Pirro said.
While Pirro called Conklin’s actions “totally against the mission of the SPCA,” he stressed the need for continuing community support of the organization. Pirro said the CNY SPCA has the area’s only cruelty investigation program and is the only shelter with the capacity to take in large numbers of animals from hoarding cases.
“It’s a vital organization to the community and these might be setbacks, but [the CNY SPCA is] totally worthy of community support,” Pirro said. “Despite the fact that back-to-back terrible things have happened, the animals are still there.”
Animal lovers divided
Opinions about Kerrin Conklin’s termination from the CNY SPCA have been mixed. Here’s what Central New Yorkers are saying:
“Kerrin is extremely well-versed in modern shelter management. She had so many ideas for bringing the SPCA into the 21st century. She had so many brilliant plans for that place that would help the animals. To me, it’s heartbreaking. I can’t say enough in favor of Kerrin and against the board — the smartest thing they ever did was hire her.”
– Linda Young, KittyCorner
“We assert that it is short-sighted to weigh one error in judgment against Kerrin Conklin’s considerable accomplishments, against her vision for the SPCA, and against her willingness to roll up her sleeves to make the shelter the best it can be.”
– Excerpted from a letter sent to the CNY SPCA board from the Animal Alliance of Greater Syracuse and several supporters
“I was happy to see her go. … Kerrin’s not terribly into cats. I got the impression — and so did a lot of other people — that the cats were second-class citizens.”
– Jean O’Leary, former CNY SPCA employee
“Kerrin Conklin should be reinstated. In just a few short months her massive and progressive accomplishments far surpassed what the previous administration did in a decade of service (and we all know how that ended). Any error in judgment, which honestly is still out for debate as all of the facts have not been presented to the public, should have been addressed with a reasonable reprimand and job coaching.”
– Danielle Basciano, CNY Animal Cruelty Task Force
“She doesn’t understand how to manage a shelter and goes to the media as if the majority of people would agree with such a stupid decision. The board made a good decision!”
– Bethann Kistner, commenting on CNY Central’s Facebook page
“Overall, I have been very disappointed with the ‘results’ that have shown from this administration. … It is sad that in less than a year there now seems to be two major scandals happening at this facility. What people are forgetting is that this facility and others like it are there for one reason, to help the animals.”