Rush's Township's newest supervisor, Robert Leibensperger Jr., officially joined the board when it was reorganized on Monday.

Leibensperger ran unopposed for the six-year seat in the November general election. He replaces William Sanchez Jr.The board will meet at 6 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month.Although no longer on the board, Sanchez, sitting in the audience, was very much a presence at the meeting, and the business meeting that followed, questioning most of the actions supervisors took.The board approved each of the 45 motions during the reorganization meeting - almost all on a split vote, with Supervisor Shawn Gilbert, who is vice chairman, opposing supervisors chairman Steve Simchak and Leibensperger.The decisions, often accompanied by heated debate, included:*Hiring secretary/treasurer Terri Conville full-time at a salary of $33,280. The previous board, with Sanchez and Gilbert in the majority, had moved to reduce Conville and road foreman Gene Rutch to part time, with no benefits. The board also set her bond at $2 million.*Retained Robert T. Yurchak as solicitor at $625 per-quarter plus $100 an hour.*Hired Peter Fagan as Planning Commission solicitor at $120 an hour.*Hired Joseph Matika as Zoning Hearing Board solicitor at $80 an hour.*Hired Paul Datte as solicitor for the auditors at $125 an hour.*Hired Arro Consulting as zoning and code enforcement officer at $69 an hour.*Hired Alfred Benesch and Company as the township's engineering firm on an as-needed basis. Supervisors also hired Benesch to work with the Planning Commission.*Hired William Brior as sewage code enforcement officer at $40 an hour, with Bruce Dobosh as alternate.*Hired Rutch as a full-time road foreman at $18 an hour.*Hired Dennis Reppert as a full-time equipment operator/CDL truck driver/laborer at $16.25 an hour.*Granted benefits to full-time employees: paid vacation; medical, vision, dental and life insurance; nine paid holidays; seven personal days; two bereavement days; employer/ employee pension plan; work clothes and a $75 allowance for work shoes for the road crew.*Reappointed police officers: Duane Frederick as full-time corporal at $19.72 an hour; Brian Thompson as full-time officer at $18.72 an hour; and six part-time officers, each at 12.73 per hour.*Hired a new part-time officer at $12 per hour ($12.48 per hour after one year's probation).*Authorized supervisors and Conville to attend the state convention in Hershey April 18-21, with room, mileage and a $50 a day each food allowance. The board also named Simchak as voting delegate and Leibensperger as alternate.*Set the mileage reimbursement rate at 50 cents a mile.*Hired Cross Roads Computers Company of Hazleton for computer consulting.