2 Investigators: Oswego Road Official Silent On Questions Over Work From Florida
(CBS) -- CBS 2 Investigator Pam Zekman first exposed the Oswego Township Road Commissioner who makes nearly a $100,000 while working most of the time from Florida and Tuesday night Pam asked him the tough questions that taxpayers want answered.
Zekman asked Gary Grosskopf several questions about his work from Florida at a Oswego Township Board meeting, but he did not answer them.
Oswego township commissioners say legally they can do nothing to stop the conduct of the highway commissioner because they are all elected officials, but, unofficially, we've learned he's promised to change his ways.
For 26 years Grosskopf has served as the elected Oswego Township Road Commissioner, now earning $95,000 a year, and that's a problem to many taxpayers who attended the township meeting Tuesday night.
"I am furious that he has been in Florida, that my roads have had potholes for nine to ten months. I am sick of paying him a paycheck and this man has been in Florida," said Oswego resident Leah Philpot.
"It's almost like taxation without representation because you're not here on a daily basis representing the citizens of Oswego," said resident Jan Alexander.
As we first disclosed, Grosskopf's cell phone records show that from the end of April 2014 through June of this year there were 321 days of calls from Florida, including the three snowiest months of the winter.
Grosskopf was spending time with his former secretary he married last November in Florida and according to a friend, remodeling a home the couple bought in Port Charlotte.
Community activist Todd Milliron obtained the phone records.
When asked how he thinks Grosskopf gets away with it, Milliron said, "That's a good question that you need to ask the trustees and supervisor of Oswego Township."
Oswego Township Supervisor James Detzler says he has asked Grosskopf to spend more time in Oswego, "and he said he was going to do that….he made a mistake and he admitted he made a mistake."
There were some who said Grosskopf has done a good job as road commissioner, a job he supposedly fulfills by calling into the office from Florida when he was there.