More on Board Duties....

Now for more on the duties of the Board of Directors, as previously defined.

Ensure adequate financial resources. One of the board's foremost responsibilities is to secure adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission.

Well, they do have this down to a science!  Maybe that's why they are kept around...  They know how to squeeze money out of people!

Grey2K through the years has taken in more than $2,000,000 in donations...  donations which are not tax deductible... Donations which would have been better spent by adoption groups rather than by these lobbyists.

Protect assets and provide proper financial oversight. The board must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.

Hard to say how they are at performing this function since, as far as this poor author knows, Grey2K has never published a budget.  If Grey2K does have a budget, it appears to be neither published for nor access provided to the public for review.

Build a competent board. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own performance.

In the profile for the (up until very recently) Grey2K Director & Treasurer, Michael Trombley, Grey2K USA states, "Mike Trombley is a former Deputy Director of the New Hampshire Pari-Mutuel Commission. As an insider of the greyhound industry he witnessed the cruelty of dog racing and the lax oversight that helps sustain this dying industry. Since resigning from the commission, Mike has been involved in greyhound advocacy primarily on the legislative and regulatory fronts."

Mr. Trombley was a "racing insider" in the broadest description of the phrase.  He was actually an employee of the state...  a state that had the dubious distinction of being the home of  the worst run track in the northeast.

A blurb about Mr. Trombley appeared in the Concord Monitor in 2007.

"Mike Trombley, former Deputy Director of the Pari-Mutuel Commission, is an accountant by trade who spent most of his time in the commission office.  He said he was stunned to see conditions at the Belmont track - then under different ownership and known as Lakes Region Greyhound - when he filled in for two weeks in 1998 as a paddock inspector.  One night, he watched a 2-year-old female named Fiery suffer a broken leg in just her sixth race.Trombley had to help a 19-year-old trainer euthanize the dog after the owner decided treatment would make her too expensive to save."

As a member of the pari-mutuel commission, it was part of Mr. Trombley's job to "protect the wagering public and ensure the integrity of Racing..."1

As the Deputy Director, the following employees reported directly to him: Veterinarians, Chief Inspectors and Judges.  Reporting to the Chief Inspectors were the Paddock Inspectors, Calculators, and the Counter Clerks.  The Racing Inspectors reported to the Paddock Inspectors.  As the Deputy Director, he was the top of the food chain.

Knowing he was at the top of the chain of command for the dog tracks, I have to wonder why, if Mr. Trombley was so disturbed by the conditions there, why did he not do something about it?  He was there for two weeks....  14 days....  During that time, did someone force him to wear blinders on the job?  Force him to not see?  He was the person, as the Deputy Director to effect needed changes.

Why didn't he make them do it correctly?

That was in 1998.  In April 2005, New Hampshire Gaming, Inc d/b/a Lakes Greyhound Track surrendered its operating license to the NH Pari-Mutuel Commission as a result of a hearing conducted by the Commission to revoke the license due to Federal charges surrounding management of the track.

Thank God it's gone!  

You see, racing people considered the track a black eye....  a blight on greyhound racing and were very  happy to see the place shut down. No decent, reputable greyhound trainer would work there.

So if the racing people were so happy to see the demise of the track, why didn't Mike Trombley take appropriate action to fix the situation rather than stand by bemoaning the conditions?  Again, I ask....

Why didn't he make them do it correctly????

It makes one wonder about his suitability to serve on the Grey2K  Board of Directors.


Yours in greyhounds...

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1. Mission Statement, NH Pari-Mutuel Commission, 2005. http://www.racing.nh.gov/documents/PMC-MasterAnnualReport2005.pdf