This Letter to the Editor was submitted by Lewis J. Beilman III of Palm Coast, regarding the Flagler Humane Society, and the joint meeting held on April 30th between the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners and the Palm Coast City Council.
“Flagler County, Palm Coast—Stay Off the FHS Board!
Regarding your April 30 article about the Flagler Humane Society (FHS), Flagler County and Palm Coast government officials seem misinformed about the shelter and are unaware of issues of conflicts of interest they would create if government officials served on the FHS Board of Directors.
Flagler County and Palm Coast officials allege that they are concerned about the funding they provide to FHS. If that is the case, they should focus on better contractual oversight of the funding they provide—as opposed to trying to insert themselves into the FHS Board of Directors. And, if they are truly worried about shelter operations, they should arrange a visit to the shelter to see for themselves the hard work FHS employees and volunteers do there daily.
In addition, governmental representation on the FHS Board of Directors would create unnecessary conflicts of interest. First, governmental representatives on the board would be unable to vote on direct contractual matters with the County and City without raising concerns of bias. Moreover, if they voted on issues regarding contractors, vendors, or other organizations that do business with both FHS and the county or city, they would invite allegations of favoritism for those contractors, vendors, and organizations.
For the last few months, I have volunteered about once a week as a dog walker at FHS. During that time, I have found the staff and other volunteers to be helpful and to want the best for the animals there. These people choose stressful jobs with animals, which, in many cases, have experienced trauma and abandonment, because they want to make a difference in their community.
I urge Flagler County and Palm Coast officials to visit the shelter themselves—and, if they truly care about the animals that reside there, they should volunteer there.” – Lewis J. Beilman III of Palm Coast
