LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's been more than a month since the Animal Foundation--the city's only municipal animal shelter--closed its doors to dogs.
The unprecedented step was taken to stem the tide of a viral outbreak critics say was caused by overcrowding and poor infectious disease management.
The latest update posted Nov. 3 on the Animal Foundation's Facebook page shows 105 dogs at the shelter have been treated and cleared of canine pneumovirus, with eight dogs remaining under veterinary care.
The month-long closure of the taxpayer funded shelter strained local rescues and had animal control scrambling to place lost or abandoned dogs.
On Thursday, November 10, the Animal Foundation plans to start taking lost dogs once again in a limited capacity and by appointment only.
Appointments will be scheduled online.
13 Investigates first reported on the disease outbreak last month and what critics have called a lack of transparency about the ongoing crisis conditions for both staff and animals.
Now, new information gives a revealing look at how Animal Foundation CEO Hilarie Grey has been lobbying public officials, pushing back against accountability as she continues to be accused of putting politics and public relations above people and pets.
We asked Dr. Abigail Aguilar, Ph.D. to examine the text stream 13 Investigates obtained through a public records request between City Councilman Brian Knudsen and Animal Foundation CEO Hilarie Grey during the October 19 city council meeting.
Dr. Aguilar has taught ethics and political theory at UNLV since 2002.
"In this sort of a case, it's not just that this particular public official can lose our trust—not just on this decision, but all decisions—it's that we might question everybody else up on the dais."
Although the city said no other councilmembers were texting with Grey during the meeting, another text stream shows Grey and Councilwoman Olivia Diaz arranging a phone conversation the night before the contentious council meeting.
"Who answers to who? Because it's starting to look like the council answers to the board of the Animal Foundation. I'd like to think that that's not true, but we have to look at what's happening. You are the leaders. They answer to you. They work for us," said Amy Helt, a concerned citizen who spoke during public comment.
The October 19 meeting drew a packed house of animal welfare advocates, former shelter employees and rescue groups who were there to implore elected officials to make meaningful change at the Animal Foundation.
Another speaker said, "I think that we are past the point of demanding answers, and we're demanding truth at this point, and change, because the answers tend to be excuses or we're just not hearing anything at all."
13 Investigates has reported for more than a year on poor working conditions and wages for shelter staff, and failure to provide humane and appropriate care to the animals.
The issue finally made it onto a City Council agenda, giving the public a chance to be heard.
But while the public was speaking, Councilman Knudsen was texting with Grey, writing, "Stay strong. Sorry this is happening."
"If you're going to take a job in the public, whether it's him on the council or her running a foundation that gets taxpayer money, you have to be prepared for the scrutiny. And to apologize when there is scrutiny... I can't even imagine why he would think that's appropriate," Aguilar said.
Many former employees and others who showed up to speak gave their time during public comment to former Animal Foundation COO James Pumphrey, an outspoken critic of the shelter who was fired in July.
Those who deferred their time to Pumphrey left him with the option of speaking for up to 20 minutes.
"I come to speak to you today to advocate for mercy and for compassion," Pumphrey began, but as he spoke, his former boss began to lobby her contact on the council.
Grey texted Knudsen, "He (James Pumphrey) shouldn't be able to speak for 20 minutes, effectively giving a presentation."
"I think that raises the question of why doesn't she want the accountability? What's going on there?" Aguilar wondered. "Is it just that the money is being spent poorly? Is the money being misappropriated? Are the complaints about the governance true? All those sorts of games she's playing seem to confirm the worst--that there is a problem here."
She says Knudsen's response is even more problematic. He wrote, "It's all a pr (public relations) thing. I'm so sorry. Nothing is real."
"If that's true," said Aguilar, "Why do we even have these meetings? Why invite the public to give statements if it doesn't mean anything? Is it just a game?"
She says Knudsen's disregard and dismissal of the comments sends a clear message.
"That the public doesn't matter. The public doesn't matter in terms of the public statements they make or in terms of their taxpayer money."
Grey goes on to discredit Pumphrey, but she does it one way speaking publicly and another via text.
While speaking in the meeting, Grey said, "I can't really discuss in a public forum—it's not appropriate to talk about personnel matters—but I can assure you that the situation with Mr. Pumphrey is not as portrayed."
Via text, she told Knudsen, "This guy was fired for cause, he did terrible things."
"That's a problem as well in terms of a conflict of interest," said Aguilar, "because if you can't say anything, you can't say anything. There is influence on the decision-making that's inappropriate."
After public comment, the council heard the agenda item regarding oversight of the shelter.
"We have a contract with them. So it's incumbent on us to make sure that these contracts are being followed and our tax dollars being spent correctly," said Mayor Pro Tem Stavros Anthony, who made several recommendations, including government entities having representation on the Animal Foundation's board.
"I sit on Fiscal Affairs for Metro because we have tax dollars," Anthony said. "The mayor and I sit on Regional Transportation because there's city tax dollars. There's other ones. So, I'm not sure why we don't have a City of Las Vegas councilperson to sit on that board, and maybe the county."
Grey pushes back in another text to Knudsen, "Why are we different from any vendor? You wouldn't ask for a seat on Las Vegas Paving's board?"
Aguilar points out that this vendor—the shelter—deals with animals, not concrete.
"You're dealing with living things. And that raises serious concerns about her (Grey's) qualifications."
Speaking publicly about the city's representation on the shelter board, Knudsen said, "To provide any requirements on them is unreasonable, in my opinion."
Via text, he tells Grey, "Just say no. Unless you think it's helpful for fundraising."
"Does it suggest a bias or lack of impartiality?" Darcy Spears asked.
"Certainly," Aguilar responded. "If he's giving advice to her about how to get around accountability—because that's what this was all about—should there be more accountability, should there be somebody on the board who can watch how these things happen, how the governance is done—for him to give advice to her about how to get around that—why would he do that?"
We tried to ask Councilman Knudsen, but he isn't talking. He's ignored multiple requests for comment via phone, email and text.
"By not disclosing whatever was going on in that meeting, by not disclosing it now when asked, it really seems to confirm guilt for us," Aguilar said. "If he's not doing anything wrong, why not say that?"
Dr. Aguilar calls the councilman's actions an ethics violation and questions why he and Grey seem to be colluding against the oversight other councilmembers are advocating.
"She (Grey) wants to make the case that we don't need the oversight, and yet her behavior and his (Knudsen) behavior make a stronger case for the oversight they're fighting against. So in that case, everything they're doing is backfiring. It confirms for us the worst."
The only action the city took at the Oct. 19 meeting was to authorize an independent audit of the Animal Foundation's finances, saying it's not allowed under the contract to audit shelter operations.
Neither Mayor Goodman nor Mayor Pro Tem Anthony responded to our multiple requests for comment.
Through a spokesperson, Hilarie Grey declined our interview request and also declined to release a statement.
