51黑料

Amanda Zatorski, the shelter鈥檚 animal population manager from December 2019 to December 2020, accuses the county of violating state whistleblower protections by firing her after she raised concerns to supervisors and to the County Council.

According to the 25-page lawsuit, filed Dec. 9, then-Deputy Health Director Spring Schmidt and shelter Executive Director Vanessa Duris threatened Zatorski鈥檚 job for opposing the privatization and reporting complaints by one rescue group that a competitor got an unfair advantage by helping write the bid. Zatorski was told to 鈥渟top rocking the boat鈥� and 鈥渟tay in her lane鈥� repeatedly before she was fired, the suit claims.

Zatorski also alleges her firing was linked to her reporting misconduct at the facility.

Chris Ave, a spokesman for the public health department, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Doug Moore, a spokesman for County Executive Sam Page, also declined to comment.

The lawsuit comes as the county is finalizing a contract for a nonprofit to take over operations of the shelter, a plan floated in late 2019 after an audit ripped the facility for poor conditions and a high kill rate concealed by paperwork.

Some employees and volunteers have since said they feared they would lose their jobs under the move. But the lawsuit filed by Zatorski 鈥� who also goes by Mandy Ryan 鈥� shows some county officials sought to silence the concerns by retaliating against a high-level employee in violation of state whistleblower protections, said Zatorski鈥檚 attorney, Mark Pedroli.

鈥淢andy Ryan, as all government employees, has an absolute right to free speech to discuss the operations of government, violations of law by the government, and abuse of power within the government and mismanagement,鈥� Pedroli said. 鈥淚 find it troubling that some people in 51黑料 County Government are threatening employees and gagging people and attempting to prevent information from getting out into the public domain.鈥�

Zatorski left behind a nonprofit rescue operation she owned to join the county animal shelter in December 2019 as animal control supervisor, the third-ranking position at the facility, hoping to help implement reforms, the suit says. Duris was also hired that month.

Not long after, on Jan. 17, 2020, an unnamed representative of an animal rescue group told Zatorski the county was 鈥渋mproperly allowing certain preferred potential bidders鈥� to have 鈥渦ndue influence鈥� in drafting a request for proposals (RFP) to get 鈥渁 competitive advantage.鈥� The caller alleged to Zatorski that the county had 鈥渞etaliated鈥� against them for raising concerns about the bidding process, banning them from working with the county.

Four days later, on Jan. 21, Schmidt told supervisors at a group meeting that 鈥渢hey needed to be publicly supportive鈥� of the privatization plan 鈥渂ecause political commitments had been made.鈥�

Schmidt told Zatorski the health department would be willing to consider changing her job title and description so she could stay on at the shelter, an offer Zatorski鈥檚 lawsuit called a 鈥渜uid pro quo.鈥�

On Jan. 29, the organization that had called Zatorski to complain about the bidding process emailed Schmidt with their concerns and copied Zatorski as a recipient. Later that day, Schmidt 鈥渙rdered鈥� animal control care staff not to talk to the group about the shelter鈥檚 operations, the suit says.

In early February, Zatorski asked her supervisor, operations manager Leanderas Jackson, if she was 鈥渢echnically allowed鈥� to raise concerns publicly. Jackson said Schmidt had 鈥減reviously made threats against such employees and their continued employment if they did so,鈥� but conceded 鈥渢here was nothing to legally prohibit鈥� Zatorski from speaking out, the suit says.

At a County Council meeting on Feb. 8, Zatorski said animal shelter employees were concerned they would lose their jobs under the plan, which was making it more difficult to work to improve conditions at the facility.

鈥淚鈥檓 asking you as a taxpayer and a voter, not to put the RFP out to begin with, because this pretty much looks like you鈥檙e setting us up to fail,鈥� Zatorksi said.

The suit claims that Duris later privately met with Zatorski and told her to 鈥渟top rocking the boat,鈥� warning her that she was still a probationary employee 鈥渁nd could be terminated at any time.鈥�

The lawsuit details similar warnings from Duris and Jackson over the course of the year, including an explicit direction not to email Page about any concerns at the shelter or its operations. Jackson told Zatorksi, for example, to 鈥渨atch her back鈥� and 鈥渟top rocking the boat because they are looking for a reason to fire you.鈥�

By May 11, Jackson told Zatorski that her employment probationary period was being extended by six months, despite praising her for 鈥渁n excellent job.鈥� Jackson said the decision wasn鈥檛 his, but a decision made by his supervisors. He asked Zatorksi to 鈥減lay nice鈥� with other shelter staff.

The lawsuit also details allegations of violations at the shelter by Duris and two named employees, including that lost animals weren鈥檛 being scanned for microchips that could help reunite them with owners. Zatorksi also raised concerns that vaccine registrations weren鈥檛 being provided to area veterinarians, and incomplete paperwork was being backlogged to fake compliance with regulations.

Later that month, a shelter employee told Zatorski she had been ordered to do a background check on Zatorski鈥檚 former nonprofit, Missouri K9 Friends, a move she considered to be a threat. On June 3, Jackson sent Zatorski an email alleging she violated her terms of employment because state records said she was still president of the group, despite Zatorski relinquishing her presidency and seat as a voting board member in late 2019 to work for the county, the suit says.

Zatorski filed a formal grievance with the county, but officials in the human resources department on Sept. 17 canceled a scheduled meeting to discuss the complaint.

On Dec. 10, Schmidt declared Zatorski鈥檚 formal grievance 鈥渦nfounded.鈥� The same day, an official with the human resources department called Zatorski and told her she was fired.