Former Mat-Su animal shelter head leaves Florida job under a cloud

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough’s former head of Animal Care and Regulation also has resigned from a similar job in Florida.

News outlets in Pinellas County cite a county Office of Human Rights investigation into the behavior of Philip Morgan alleging inappropriate behavior on the job there.

Morgan headed up the Mat-Su Borough’s animal shelter for less than five months, from late December 2011, to mid-May 2012. He left the Mat-Su without a whole lot of explanation as to why. He resigned from his Florida job in December 2012.

At the time he left the Mat-Su, local animal rescue groups claimed it was because he worked too closely with them. The borough denied that.

“It is strictly a personnel matter, but it is not because somebody is trying to implement changes and there is pushback against changes,” borough manager John Moosey said then. “We are always looking for improvement. Some of those suggestions are good ideas and we’re looking to implement them.”

Morgan, in an interview with Florida television station WTSP, credited pushback against needed changes as prompting his departure from that job. He said one of the allegations was close to true, but taken out of context.

“Having a high position in the public, you walk a very tight wire, and it doesn’t take much for two people to collude,” Morgan told the television station.

As for the investigation, multiple news sources, including WTSP and the Tampa Bay Times, quoted from the investigation’s findings to say that Morgan allegedly commented on a volunteer’s breasts and talked about “donkey shows” in Tijuana. Donkey shows are generally a reference to staged performances in which women perform lewd acts with donkeys.

News reports say he resigned after seeing the report and quoted his resignation letter as saying: “Due to personal issues, it is with much regret and a heavy heart I must resign my position … effective immediately. … I truly enjoyed my time with your organization and will miss working with you and the citizens of Pinellas County.”

Morgan left the Mat-Su Borough in May 2012 and was on the job in Florida by September.

Since 2008, the Mat-Su Borough has had different animal care and regulation chiefs, all of whom have left abruptly.

After Dave Allison left in 2008, Bob Haskell held down the job until he left in September 2010. His replacement, Richard Stockdale, lasted for less than a year starting in December 2010.

Stockdale is the only one in that list whose departure the borough explained. They said that he had been unable to sell his house after leaving Montana and was forced to return.

Morgan’s replacement at the shelter was recently named — Carol Vardeman, who had filled in during most of the gaps between chiefs.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.