Purcell to net 28K despite resigning

FORT WAYNE, Ind., (WANE) - He's out-of-state but still on the City of Fort Wayne's payroll.

Greg Purcell has stepped down from his position as Deputy Mayor, but he isn't walking away from his salary. Purcell will earn $28,750 over a three month transition period, despite suddenly resigning last week to take care of family in Michigan.

"The way it looks now, it's a pretty big precedent to set. You think you're important so if you have to leave, we're going go pay you three months severance?" queries Fort Wayne City Council member Liz Brown.

The resignation's raising eyebrows due to the terms of Purcell's exit. He will still receive benefits and pay at his current rate of $115,000 a year, for the next three months. Purcell will also assume a new title: Deputy Director of Finance and Administration. City officials have not clearly defined what his duties will be in the new role.

City Council member Tom Smith says,"That's just kind of smoke and mirrors. It's just like he's doing whatever the mayor wants him to do, regardless of what his title is, but at the same time, he's getting paid as if he's the Deputy Mayor. Just to pay him a flat salary with his benefits and all, that doesn't go over well with the [city employees] and the general public, and I disagree with it."

"This really is a contract for consulting services at more than a hundred thousand dollar a year contract and that's really how it ought to be presented," added councilman Mitch Harper.

Mayor Henry defends the decision to keep Purcell on the payroll, since Purcell is still working on various projects.

"He's still on the city payroll because he is still working for the city," Henry told NewsChannel 15. "Rather than try to figure out what his pay should be, we decided to keep him at his current pay status."

When NewsChannel 15 asked Henry what projects Purcell had to complete, he said: "Sister Cities International, he's been working with that, the Youth Commission, he's been working with that, the Senior Citizens Council, working with that and a number of other things. He was in charge of those programs, I want him to finish the ones that he started."

Henry says the city plans to fill Purcell's position after the three months are over.

In the meantime, Councilman Mitch Harper's asked the city council's attorney to look into the "legal issues" surrounding the whole situation.