by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
After overseeing his department’s two-year turnaround from one of the state’s worst programs, Animal Care and Control Chief John Merritt’s combative relationship with local advocates has cost him his job.
Mayor John Peyton’s Neighborhoods subcommittee was told Tuesday that Peyton would not consider Merritt for the job in his administration. The subcommittee is charged with recommending personnel to fill leadership positions within the department.
Mayor’s office spokesperson Heather Murphy said Peyton had simply decided on a different direction.
“There’s no doubt that John Merritt has made good progress in a number of areas; particularly in his efforts to reduce euthanasia,” said Murphy. “The mayor thought it was just time for a fresh start.”
Murphy said the City would hire a headhunter to search nationwide for Merritt’s replacement. Peyton transition team staffer Kerri Stewart said Merritt would continue to serve in the interim.
“He will be the interim person unless he contracts with another big city, and there are several looking,” said Stewart.
Merritt is on vacation until Thursday and was not available for comment.
Throughout the mayoral transition, animal advocates have called for Merritt’s job. He brought down a publicity storm in May when his department put to death at least 40 dogs taken from a Mandarin man. Explaining his department on television, Merritt said, “We put down healthy adoptable animals here every day.”
The Jacksonville Humane Society and First Coast No More Homeless Pets have lobbied the City to shift to an animal control policy that emphasizes adoptions and kills as a last resort. Several advocates — some sitting on the subcommittee — questioned whether Merritt could oversee the change.
However, Dalton Agency vice president Michael Munz, who served on a 2001 animal care and control task force and who helped find and hire Merritt, told the subcommittee that Merritt had been instrumental in turning around the division.
When Merritt took over in 2001 he said he couldn’t remember seeing a worse program. The pound killed nine out of 10 animals in its custody, division employees were generally incompetent and no animals were spayed or neutered at the facility. Two years later, 90 percent of the employees have been replaced, the euthanasia rate has dropped to 63 percent and all animals leaving the pound have been spayed/neutered.
Munz said Merritt had done “a noble job” putting the task force recommendations to work, but he stopped short of endorsing Merritt.
“Building relationships with the non-profit community is a big part of this job; that’s where he [Merritt] has failed,” said Munz. “The problem he’s had is a lot of people just don’t like him. Is he the man to lead this improving program? I’m just not sure.”
Merritt will not lead the program, but the administration does not have a replacement in mind. The transition process has uncovered only unqualified applicants, leading the City to seek outside help.
Consulting in the hiring process will be Roslyn Phillips, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission’s director of business development who will replace John Curtin as the Neighborhoods director.
Phillips dismissed subcommittee member Leona Sheddan’s proposal that a four-person board oversee the department on an interim basis. Sheddan, also a member of the humane society, recommended that the board comprise animal advocates.
Phillips said she wanted to hold one person accountable for the division.