Township Auditors, Supervisors Mull Over Liaison Position

Manor Township Supervisors (L-R) Jim McGinnis, Paul Rearick and Pat Fabian recommended Rearick be the 2012 representative to the fire and police departments after discussing the issue at the reorganization meeting Tuesday. The position has not been filled since the death of Ludwig Miller in 2010.

 by Jonathan Weaver

Manor Township auditors and a new group of supervisors are considering hiring a financial representative to oversee police and fire activities.

At last night’s auditor reorganization meeting, the motion was made by Supervisor Paul Rearick after it was questioned at the supervisor’s monthly meeting.

“We’re giving one mill of tax to the fire department. I think we need to have a contact person with the police and the fire department,” Rearick said.

A mill of tax generates $55-56,000 per year.

“We wouldn’t have any say over them, but I’ve already met with them and given the some direction – they’ve come to the supervisors in December asking for another $20,000 to secure the loan for their truck. I met with them prior to taking office and made some suggestions as to alternate sources of funding – contact businesses – don’t just come to the taxpayers and ask for more money because the budget was to give them one mill of tax and they’re getting that already,” Rearick said.

The position was created in 2006 with the late-Ludwig Miller as the ‘Police Commissioner.’ He did not have any arresting powers, but was compensated with a wage matching that of the township road master. He was compensated for a maximum 0f 10 hours per week and 40 per month.

Miller held the position for two years, until he was reappointed for the position in 2009 and held the position in 2010 until his death, according to auditor yearly minutes.  

Rearick said he would like to reappoint someone to the position and increase the potential working allotment.

“Nobody has been supervising the police since Lud’s death as far as scheduling, and I think that’s evident in some areas to everyone. With the fire department and police, I would like to see 15 hours a week maximum if that’s possible – anything over that would be uncompensated,” Rearick said.

The recommendation would increase the wage to $12,528 per year, which was not budgeted for.

Manor Township Auditors (L-R) Kelly Shoop, Cheryl Peters and Grant Kanish discussed a request by supervisors to reappoint a public safety liasion to monitor financial activity within the police and fire departments. The position was not a line item in the budget.

Auditor Chairman Grant Kanish – who was reappointed as such earlier in the meeting – agreed that the position needs to be filled, but questioned where to find the money after a balanced budget was approved in December. Savings amassed from the retirement of Secretary Howard Jack was used to purchase a new pick-up truck for road workers.

“I see what you’re saying in that you need to see what’s going on, but those recommendations have already been made,” Kanish said. “There are other ways to make money, but that $55,000 a year you are giving them should more than adequately make the payment on this new fire truck.

“I see a need, Paul, but I don’t see how you can manage them when you don’t have any employees. You’re concept is correct, but the auditor recommendations need to be followed through with,” Kanish said. “I agree that that office needs supervision as far as scheduling and you guys need to know whose out on the road at any given time and dictate whose out on that road at any given time – I wholeheartedly agree with that.

Auditor Secretary Cheryl Peters also sympathized with the request.

“We’re not trying to be nasty, but we’ve worked with this budget very closely over the year and we know of the discrepancies that have been brought to us in the past – we don’t want to create a new blip,” Peters said. “I’m sure there will be many and we need to do an audit on (Howdy) Jack very quickly.”

The issue will be reviewed again in six months at a special meeting of the auditors if the supervisors feel the budget accounts for it.

No representatives from the fire department were available at the fire station for comment last night.

Auditors approved raises to all road workers and police officers last night.

Police Chief Mike Karabin will receive $14.70 per hour, Sgt. Terry Bish will receive $13.95 per hour and the other three part-time officers will receive $13.55 per hour.

Township Supervisor Retires Seat after 36 Years

Howard Jack has served as Manor Township Supervisor and Secretary/Treasurer for 36 years, but will retire his seat tomorrow during reorganization after not running for re-election in the November General Election. His six-year term will be held by Armstrong County Chief Detective Paul Rearick who won the election bid last November.

by Jonathan Weaver

The political tenure of a long-time municipal official ends tomorrow in Manor Township.

Howard Jack, who has served as a Manor Township supervisor for 36 years, did not run for re-election in November and will be replaced by Paul Rearick, who currently serves as Armstrong County Chief Detective during tomorrow’s reorganization.

A resident of the township since 1947, Jack moved to the township after marrying Jean Hileman. They lived with her parents until building a house on Raceway Street in 1953 – a street he consequently named later as supervisor in honor of a fair ground in that area.

Jack remembers how his career as supervisor began – and almost didn’t begin.

“I was in the fire department and Mr. (Sam) Schreckengost was the supervisor and he was in the fire department, and he was the one who talked me into running because Ed Houston was the secretary/treasurer and was not going to run again,” Jack said.

Jack and Schreckengost served as supervisors together for 30 years

Jack remembered how bypass surgery almost kept him from office that January 1976.

“I was in there for 22 days, and I told my wife ‘Go up to the courthouse and tell them to take my name off the ballot.’ After I got home, I asked and she said she didn’t,” Jack said.

During his tenure, Jack, 83, has also served as secretary/treasurer.

An active Manor Township volunteer firefighter at the time, Jack worked at Schenley Industries in Gilpin Township, Armstrong County. Balancing the three jobs with a family of four children was not always an easy task, but he said his boss as Schenley helped him in a big way.

“Actually, my boss would tell me if I needed any time off for township business, it was alright to just take it because the company wanted you to be involved in community affairs,” Jack said. “I had no problem getting off work.”

A typical day resulted in Jack going from work at the plant to work at the township office (then held at the water authority office on Pleasantview Drive), and finally at the fire department for bingo before getting a few hours of sleep and doing it all again.

“I’d stop on my way home from work and do treasurer work at the fire hall – I don’t know where I got that energy back then,” Jack said.

Jack worked at Schenley for 37 years before retiring in 1984 as Production Control Manager shortly before the plant closed.

Jack served as assistant chief, president, president of the Armstrong County Firemen’s Association and trustee within the fire department. He also is part of the township Lions Club and is the fire representative for effected families in need.

He is a lifetime member, but hasn’t answered alarms for seven years.

Jack said he and his fellow supervisors through the years have been criticized for many decisions, from construction of the current municipal building to not setting a zoning ordinance or organizing a full-time police force.

Before the municipal building was constructed in 2006, meetings were held at the joint water authority office on Pleasantview Drive.

“We were criticized a lot for building it – people thought we didn’t need a building – but, we have our police there, our garage and that is supposed to be. We tried to make it big enough for any needs that we had,” Jack said. “We do have a lot of people using it.”

Jack said the zoning debate has been discussed even before he joined as a supervisor, and that he would’ve approved the ordinance.

“We have no zoning in Manor Township – myself, I would’ve liked to see us have it,” Jack said. “I know they tried to put it on at one time, and one of the supervisors was not elected the next year. Some people wanted us to put it on, so we had a meeting at the fire hall – it was packed.”

That poll question was subsequently voted down, but if supervisors had received the 51-percent support, Jack said they might have implemented it 30 years ago.

“There were two of us that were for zoning, but we went by the vote,” Jack said.

Jack said he is against the full-time police protection because of cost.

“I felt we couldn’t afford it,” Jack said.

During his tenure, approximately 60 percent of residents have access to sewage and 85 percent are connected to water treatment. He hopes Manor Township remembers him “as a really honest, hardworking person.”

“I have enjoyed being a supervisor: working for the people,” Jack said. “You can’t please all the people all the time, but I tried to do what I felt was the best overall for the township. The only regret I have is that I couldn’t do more.”

His colleagues felt he did is fair-share.

Township Chairman Jim McGinnis has worked with Jack for over 20 years – both as a road/maintenance worker for the township and as a supervisor.

“Howdy’s always been a good supervisor,” McGinnis said. “He’s always been a fair person to work for and I’ve enjoyed working with him as supervisor. He’s always made good decisions.

“He’s going to be missed,” McGinnis said.

Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Jill Davis was trained at Jack’s home in October 2007 after a newspaper advertisement. She also thought highly of Jack.

“He’s always been professional with me: a good guy to work for before I was a supervisor,” Davis said.

Davis has worked full-time at the township building since April Fools Day 2008.

36 years later, Jack admitted why he didn’t run for re-election.

“For years now, I have worried what would happen if I would drop dead – nobody knew my job – I know (the late-supervisor Ludwig) Miller used to say ‘I could never do your job,’ Jack said. ‘I was always afraid if something would happen to me, no one could do it. I told Jill ‘I want to get you in my head. I want you to know everything that I know.’ For the past four years now, I’ve been trying to teach her everything I’ve learned in 36 years.

“She’s done quite well – I’m feeling better that she could do it,” Jack said.

Jack felt this way in due part to three open heart surgeries, an artery bypass and a pacemaker.

“I feel that I’m living on borrowed time, and that’s why I didn’t run again,” Jack said. “I didn’t feel that I could do the job the way it should be done.”

Jack hopes new supervisors have good intentions for the township, and keep Davis on as secretary/treasurer during reorganization at 7PM.

But, he said he will be seen in the community.

“I’m not going anyplace – I love this township and I’m going to stay here,” Jack said. “If there’s anything I can do, I’ll certainly do it.”

Jack is the father of two sons (Howard and Mark) and two daughters (Barbara and Faith), has eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Jack was born in Clinton Townhip, Freeport Borough in 1928. He is the middle child of two brothers and two sisters. He graduated from Freeport High School in 1947 and went on to attend school at New Kensington Commercial College for accounting and business law.

Supervisor Howard Jack makes his final exit from the Manor Township Municipal Building and his 36-year tenure in local politics. “I have enjoyed being a supervisor: working for the people,” Jack said. “You can’t please all the people all the time, but I tried to do what I felt was the best overall for the township. The only regret I have is that I couldn’t do more.” Jack said he will still be in the neighborhood and be available to the new supervisors for assistance.