'Stupid.' 'You're Nobody.' Monmouth SPCA Director Berates Worker

EATONTOWN, NJ — The director of the Monmouth County SPCA was secretly recorded berating an hourly employee at the animal shelter, who questioned why a dog was put down.

The director is Ross Licitra; he is paid an annual salary of $132,692 to run the county dog pound. He is also a Monmouth County Commissioner, an elected position that oversees the day-to-day running of the county.

Licitra is a member of the Monmouth County Republican Party, and often involved in campaigning and fundraising for them. He lives in Marlboro Township.

The name of the employee, a man, is never given in the video. Patch asked Licitra for the employee's name, and Licitra ignored the question. The employee is paid $16.50 an hour to walk and exercise the dogs at the shelter, which is located in Eatontown.

You can listen to the YouTube recording here, or below. In the recording, Licitra tells the employee he is "stupid," "a disrespectful a—" and tells the employee "You have zero right to question anything. Anything. You're nobody."

The recording was published to YouTube Friday from an anonymous account identified as "K."

On Sunday morning, Patch asked Licitra if he can explain or defend why he spoke that way to an employee. Within a few minutes, he texted us back the following:

"This male employee was being severely disciplined because of his bullying and complete lack of respect for two female managers. His actions were so disrespectful and at times physically threatening that both female managers came to senior management because they were so taken aback. I will never stand by and allow anyone to treat our female managers with such low regard as this person did. After that meeting, he profusely apologized and stated that he would never repeat his actions. With the OK of both female managers, he was given a second chance. Unfortunately, a few days ago he failed to follow protocols (again) and allowed two dogs to fight, severely injuring one dog and the other dog having to be euthanized. I hope this gives you a little better understanding."

Listen:

From the audio tape:

The employee appears to be called in for a meeting with Licitra and a woman, the SPCA's associate executive director and the shelter's top fundraiser, Barbara Lovell. A day earlier, the employee had questioned a decision by shelter managers to euthanize a female dog named "Shy Baby."

"Sit down," Licitra starts off the meeting. "I understand yesterday with animal care there was a discussion in regards to an animal that was being euthanized. I understand you had some tough words to say. OK, tough guy let's hear 'em now."

The employee starts to speak: "I do believe that —"

Licitra then interrupts, and says "Let me just straighten you out right here. I don't give a s— what you believe. This organization is run by a set of directors that are hired by a board of trustees and appointed by me. Do you think for one second you have any right whatsoever to question any director of this place, or any decisions that are made out of this office?"

"Do you think you have that right?" Licitra shouts. "Yes or no?"

"Yes. To some extent — ," the employee responds, but is again cut off by Licitra.

"Get out of here, you're done," Licitra snaps. "You have no right."

"Can I speak? Please," the employee says. "Let me make a case for myself."

"No!" Licitra replies. "You have no right to make any case. I don't give a f— how long you worked here. You're lucky you got a job here. You're lucky. You're a subpar employee that I fought to keep you here. And how dare you — how dare you — challenge one of my directors or any decision that's made in this organization. You're fired. Go pack your bags, you're out of here. You got it? Go!"

"At least someone gives a shit about these dogs!," the employee shouts back.

"If you think for one second I am going to allow anyone to ever question what this office does ..." said Licitra.

The employee then again says "Let me speak. Please."

"You do not have any letters after your name"

Licitra then leaves the meeting, and Lovell, the woman, speaks to him. She asks him how he has "elevated" in the job since he's been at the shelter, such as getting promotions or pay raises. The employee replies there has not "really been anywhere to elevate to."

She then tells him he does not have the experience or knowledge to question veterinarians or other higher-ups.

"Your 'great' experience is not cutting it here," Lovell said sarcastically. "You do not have any letters after your name. Not medical. Not behavioral. Yes, you walk our dogs. You pet them, you feed them. And that's great. That's important work. But you don't know anything about behavior. You need to get more experience and respect the people who know what they're doing."

She also says that by questioning a decision to euthanize Shy Baby, the employee caused more shelter employees "to start disobeying instructions."

"If I may, I believe I was doing the right thing," replied the employee. "I believe the dogs need advocates. They need more direct advocates."

Licitra then returns.

"From my world, you have zero right to question anything," Licitra berates him. "You've earned nothing. Nothing. You're nobody. You got it? Nobody compared to everyone who's earned the right to be here, and worked for years and years in animal welfare. Who do you think you are to question someone?"

"You're disposable," Licitra tells him, telling him again he should never "question the directors. Start learning stuff before you open your stupid mouth."

Licitra also called him "a disrespectful a— that challenges a director in a meeting."

At that point, the woman appears to ask Licitra to allow either her or the employee to talk. The employee then is given a chance to speak:

He first apologizes to the woman for "being out of line."

"I'm sorry about that. It just didn't sit right with us," he said, apparently referring to other animal shelter employees who also did not agree with Shy Baby being put down. "We wanted to give her a chance. That's all ... We wanted a chance to help her. It's just frustrating. When a dog you spend time with and you try your best ... "

He said Shy Baby was very scared around men, but "She loves everyone else. We wanted to try, that's all."

He said he and the other workers, who feed, walk and play with the dogs daily, wanted to bring up their concerns about killing Shy Baby. He said he and he only made the decision to confront the vet and higher-ups.

"We wanted to have a discussion. That's all. I will admit I did come off way too aggressive, and it did get out of hand. But all we wanted to do was have a discussion."

The woman defended putting Shy Baby down, saying the dog was "uncomfortable in her own skin" and "banging her head against her cage, drawing blood."

Licitra then returns to the meeting for a third time, again interrupts the worker while he was talking, and says "You can't be that stupid, can you? Spewing that bull— that you're just spewing right now. You're talking gibberish ... It just amazes me how people like you all of a sudden think you have the right. Where do you get that inherent right from?"

"It felt like the right thing to do," replied the worker.

(audio ends)

After the leaked audio, Licitra disputed that his $132K-a-year salary to run the shelter is taxpayer-funded, saying the shelter is a private non-profit that runs off donations. But that's not entirely true: The shelter also contracts with towns in Monmouth County to handle their dogs.

Monmouth County Commissioner Director Tom Arnone and Commissioner Sue Kiley (the former mayor of Hazlet) did not reply when Patch asked Sunday morning if they can defend the way Licitra spoke to his employee.

Neither did Monmouth County Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, nor Middletown Mayor Tony Perry, all Republican. Middletown is one of the towns that hires the SPCA to handle its dogs.

Licitra just hosted this swanky fundraiser for the shelter in June, where he was seen in '70s-disco attire and raising money from some of the wealthiest residents in Monmouth County.