Ohio County commissioners have directed the county solicitor to begin the process of ending the employment of County Animal Shelter Director Lori Russell.

The move came during a special meeting of the commission on March 12.

“We have asked our county solicitor Mr. (Don) Tennant to work on a plan to disengage with our current animal shelter manager,” Commission President Zach Abraham said. “There are a variety of things there, and we thought it would be best.

“There’s a relationship there and we do not want the county administrator being involved. He has not been involved with it, and that’s why we asked the county solicitor to do that.”

Lori Russell is the sister of County Administrator Randy Russell.

“I don’t believe she has been there very long,” Abraham continued. “We determined after some review that she was not a good fit. So we asked the solicitor to put something together to work with the manager there to disengage employment.”

Tennant confirmed Lori Russell is presently not working at the animal shelter. Melissa Marco, project coordinator for Ohio County, will oversee operations there on an interim basis, he said.

Because it is a personnel matter, he said he could not comment any further.

Russell was hired as the new manager of the Ohio County Animal Shelter on Nov. 12, a week following the Nov. 5 general election.

She succeeded former shelter director Nelson Croft, who is now serving as Ohio County sheriff.

A group of employees from the animal shelter attended the commission’s last regular meeting on March 4, and asked if they could address the commission.

After determining the matter was regarding personnel, commissioners met privately with them in executive session with Randy Russell soon dismissed from the session. He went to his office during the private session.