SUMMIT TWP— Township supervisor Harold Schnur has resigned and a former supervisor has been appointed to replace him.

Larry Osche was sworn in on Tuesday before District Judge Kevin O'Donnell, township secretary Tilini Turner said.

Supervisors Regis Karch and Rod Scott appointed Osche on June 7, Turner said. Osche will serve the rest of Schnur's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2007.

Osche said when Schnur resigned, the other supervisors asked if he was interested in accepting the position and he agreed.

Osche said he is interested in some issues, such as zoning and sewage, and is "looking forward to getting involved in that."

"I'll try to serve the people and help them out," he said.

Osche said he served a six-year term on the board about 18 years ago.

Schnur said he resigned because it seemed to him he was no longer effective on the board.

"I was of no value anymore," he said. "My opinion didn't matter."

Schnur was indeed on the short end of several 2-1 votes since being elected in November 2001.

"You'd think 21 years experience would have amounted to something," he said.

Schnur was appointed supervisor in Jefferson Township in 1978. He was elected to his own term in 1979 and served until he moved to Herman in 1994.

He said the Summit Township's legal battles with Summit Academy and the Butler-Freeport Community Trail "sparked my interest" to run for supervisor in Summit.

"I just wanted them to stop spending money fighting (them)," he said.

Stopping those two battles became central to his 2001 campaign. He eventually prevailed on both issues.

In 2002, Schnur and John Oesterling voted to accept a settlement with the academy, ending a six-year, $160,000 legal battle. Karch abstained.

In 2003, he and Oesterling again teamed up in a 2-1 vote to dismiss Summit's lawsuit against Buffalo, Jefferson and Winfield townships over the trail.

Oesterling didn't seek re-election last year. Scott, also a former supervisor who served on the board with Osche, was elected in November without opposition.

Schnur said his most recent disagreement with the board was over what to do with the township's property across Bonniebrook Road from the municipal building.

The township bought 5 acres from Steve Barry in 2003 for $52,500, and another 5 adjacent acres for $53,000 the next year.

Schnur wanted to build a new municipal building there. The other supervisors wanted to use the property to store road material and perhaps a garage.

Then, earlier this year, Karch and Scott voted to sell 5 acres, which Schnur opposed.

"No way would I sell that property," he said.

At the May 3 meeting, supervisors rescinded their earlier vote and decided to keep the land, Turner said, checking the meeting minutes.

After his initial victories over the academy and the trail, Schnur and the other supervisors often disagreed on issues.

In 2004, for example, he voted against a revised sign ordinance, which was approved. Later that year, he voted against increasing real estate taxes from 4 to 5.5 mills, which also was approved.

He said the disagreement over the municipal property was the "last straw."

Karch and Scott were unavailable for comment Friday.