Norfolk allowed the manager of its animal shelter to move to Florida and work remotely. Then she got a second job.
The manager of Norfolk’s city-run animal shelter got permission earlier this year to work remotely and move to Florida.
But, since early July, Jennifer Held has been working another job at a Florida animal shelter while drawing her $85,500 annual salary from Norfolk. And a Norfolk spokesman said Held hadn’t informed the city of her other job and that she no longer worked for the city.
Norfolk spokesman Chris Jones said in an email that city policy states that employees have to get the approval of their department head “prior engaging in outside employment.”
“Ms. Held did not inform nor obtain City approval in advance of accepting outside employment,” Jones said. “She no longer works for the city of Norfolk.”
When reached by phone earlier in the day, Held would only say that she’s “assisting” the Friends of Strays Animal Shelter in St. Petersburg, though a shelter executive confirmed she’s employed there. Held declined to say whether her employers knew about the dual work arrangement. She also wouldn’t say how much she’s getting paid by the Florida shelter.
Held, however, did say that the newspaper’s reporting on the issue was significantly affecting her life in a negative way and became emotional about the situation in a brief phone interview. She also called questions about her employment “an attack.”
Held became the Norfolk Animal Care Center’s bureau manager, the top position at the facility, in April after four years as its operations manager. But just over a month later, city officials announced internally that she planned to relocate and would “continue to serve as Bureau Manager remotely until a replacement is identified,” according to emails obtained by The Virginian-Pilot.
The email did not specify where Held would be moving.
Friends of Strays Animal Shelter announced Held’s hiring on its website on July 13, writing that she “moved to Florida from Norfolk” after spending more than a decade working in municipal and nonprofit shelters.
The announcement does not state that Held would only be assisting the shelter or working in a volunteer capacity.
Dara Eckart, CEO of Friends of Strays, confirmed by email that Held began working at the shelter in early July but did not respond to additional questions. Held “has been an incredible addition to our team,” Eckart said.
“We are looking forward to seeing how she’ll continue to make a positive impact here in Pinellas County and throughout the state as we focus on saving the lives of animals in the state of Florida,” Eckart said.
Held’s relocation comes as the Norfolk Animal Care Center, like many across the region and nation, is experiencing a rising number of pets that need homes. The shelter announced last week it would offer half-price adoptions in August to help make more room in the shelter.
The Norfolk animal shelter was also recently deemed in violation of two state veterinary care and infectious disease rules after a state inspection found the shelter was not providing “adequate and appropriate veterinary care” for animals. Those issues have since been fixed, according to animal shelter staff.
Daniel Berti, daniel.berti@virginiamedia.com
