Bradley County SPCA board loses second county-appointed representative

CLEVELAND, Tenn. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Bradley County has lost its second county-appointed representative in four months.

In a recent meeting, Commissioner Mark Hall announced his resignation from the nonprofit organization, which provides animal sheltering service for Bradley County in accordance with an $80,000 annual agreement.

"In the interest of transparency, I think those who serve on the SPCA board should believe that SPCA is the answer," said Hall. "I would not be one of those."

His resignation follows that of Commissioner Charlotte Peak, who resigned in the middle of the SPCA's Aug. 18 meeting after shelter director Bobbi Anderson was fired by a divided board, who cited allegations of insubordination.

The SPCA board of directors is supposed to have two county-appointed representatives. It now has none.

Hall has advocated renewing the county's longstanding agreement with Cleveland Animal Control, which came to an end in July 2013 when county and city leaders could not reach agreement over the county's portion of the shelter's budget.

The SPCA has been a recurring point of contention among the Bradley County Commission, with supporters stating the nonprofit shelter is meeting its contractual obligations and has been sabotaged by detractors within the animal welfare community and opponents citing a failed business model that relied heavily on donations and volunteers.

The county's relationship with SPCA has been "a fiasco" from the time it started in January, Hall said, equating it to a "circus."

"It's not the SPCA that's the circus," said Bradley County Commission Chairman Louie Alford. "The circus is [within the Bradley County Commission] and all we do is give the media more stories to talk about."

Hall has been absent from most, if not all, SPCA board meetings since it was overhauled with new members in the wake of a meltdown in August. He has called for the county to end its agreement with the nonprofit animal shelter on two occasions since then.

Commissioner Dan Rawls, former County Commissioner Ed Elkins, and county school board member Chris Turner joined the board and immediately attempted to overhaul operations.

The new members were brought in to provide "backbone" to the board, said Rawls.

The trio comprises a majority on a board that has now been reduced to five members.

Betti Gravelle, director of Dixie Day Spay, is the only remaining founding member of a board that has turned over at least eight members since forming in the fall of 2013. She served as board president until Elkins was elected to the post in September.

On Monday, the SPCA board will consider position and salary requirements for a full-time manager of operations for its shelter.

The shelter went through three managers between March and September. Office manager Kristin Harvey has been serving as interim manager of operations for four months.

Paul Leach is based in Cleveland. Contact him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.

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