Goodman accused of personal attacks, gets asked to leave McKamey Animal Center board

Thursday, September 12, 2013

photo McKamey Animal Center.

VIDEO

This story is featured in today's TimesFreePress newscast.

Carol Goodman, a McKamey Animal Center board member, was asked to resign Wednesday evening by fellow board members.

Goodman is a tenured board member who has donated $70,000 to the center over the last couple of years, she said Wednesday.

But according to board secretary Nancy Dunlap, several members of the board claim Goodman is unhappy, holds up meetings and personally attacks her peers.

Goodman said she is unhappy because the board is side-stepping by-laws and allowing Executive Director Karen Walsh to receive bonuses and pay raises without board approval. In four years, Goodman said Walsh has received $60,000 in bonuses.

"Sixty-thousand dollars in bonuses over four years seems like a lot for a nonprofit," Goodman said.

Walsh said she did receive a $10,000 bonus last year, but not $60,000 over the last four years.

Walsh said later Wednesday that the bonus appears substantial, but it is the center's effort to make up for the low salary she came in at. She said it has been because the center's finances have turned around on her watch.

"The income I've received has been significant because I was so low-paid in the first place," she said.

Board chairman Bruce Baird ultimately asked Goodman to resign.

He said the executive board feels that if Goodman isn't happy on the board, she should leave. Or, he said, she needs to be willing to work with the others again.

"If you don't want to be part of the team, get off the team. It's that simple," Dunlap said. "You're making it us and them."

"I'm making it right and wrong, legal and illegal," Goodman said, claiming Dunlap falsifies meeting minutes and the executive board approves illegal financial decisions. Baird and Dunlap denied those allegations.

Goodman was invited to stay on the board if she would work with her peers, but said she needed time to consider it.

McKamey is Chattanooga's animal control contractor.

Contact staff writer Alex Green at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.