'Fraud' and 'cronyism' alleged

Simmering anger reached a boiling point on Tuesday in Rush Township, where increases in taxes and sewer rates have many residents up in arms.

More than 50 residents packed the municipal building in a standing-room-only session, with many demanding answers about a wide variety of recent decisions affecting taxpayers.

There was an air of hostility in the room and tempers flared. At one point, Chairman Stephen Simchak rapped the gavel and admonished an attendee for being out of order. In response, the man shouted back, "Shut up, you're out of order!" Simchak then requested Officer Brian Thompson to escort the man from the room, to groans of disapproval from the crowd. The man spent the remainder of the meeting in the hall.

Another resident, ejected from last month's meeting, showed up at the building but didn't enter the meeting room. He showed the TIMES NEWS letters he said had come from the board chairman. One had been mailed to his home and the other, he said, had been delivered to him by police. Both warned about his behavior and advised that he wasn't welcome at future meetings.

Inside the room, citizens questioned and argued with board members for close to 75 minutes, after which board members argued among themselves. Supervisor Shawn Gilbert questioned members Simchak and Robert Leibensperger about the budget and other items.

"You guys changed the budget at the reorganization meeting," charged Gilbert. "Who made the recommendations for these pay raises?"

Gilbert expressed dissatisfaction that the secretary/treasurer and the road foreman had received a $2 per hour increase, while a worker with 25 years of service received only 25 cents and another, a part-timer, received 30 cents.

In defense, Simchak said "they're worth it," referring to those who received $2. As for the others, he said there was less responsibility associated with those particular positions.

Many citizens said they are irate over the board's decision to raise taxes another 1.5 mills, while also putting up sewer rates an additional $54 per quarter.

Two residents alleged cronyism and questioned the hiring of a new clerk and assistant treasurer. Others questioned the motive behind the sewer rate hike, suggesting that raising the rates was a fraudulent move because it was done to qualify for loans.

Simchak said PENNVEST advised the township that "your rates are too low. Raise your rates first."

Leibensperger said the increase was necessary in order to make future improvements.

One resident who expressed disapproval about the current state of affairs was John Schickram, a former board chairman. Schickram went to the meeting to offer the perspective of someone who's sat on both sides of the table.

"You don't need to hire an engineer for everything," said Schickram. "Some things can be done in-house ... this is not a big city. With the way the economy is, there are people out there hurting. Taxes went up three mills in two years and people are upset with this."

After a combative discussion, Schickram said the finger points to the board.

"You're creating a lot of the problems yourselves. You're not educated enough," he charged.

There were plenty of issues to go around.

Some residents, including Pat Tracy, came armed with a list of questions and asked about accountability, such as a recent board decision to dispose of police department assault rifles.

"What liability does this action bring to the township if an officer gets shot because he or she does not have the appropriate equipment to protect themselves," Tracy asked.

Resident Faith Rummel sounded the alarm regarding the former Morgan Mills building.

"Have you checked it out," she asked. "I worked there for many years. The company in there now is storing batteries from a facility they had to get out of. That should tell you something."

In response to a question from Marion Lazur regarding regional police, Simchak and Leibensperger said Ryan, Schuylkill and Walker townships along with two other townships and possibly a borough, would meet to hear a presentation from Pocono police regarding regionalization.

The supervisors also talked about their plans to obtain AT&T cell phones for department heads, police and themselves. There would be a 15 percent monthly service discount for any township employee having an AT&T phone, plus AT&T would waive the activation fees and offer a 20 percent discount on accessories for township personnel.

Supervisor Gilbert distanced himself from the decision and announced emphatically to the crowd that he will not be part of it.