The April 20th Lancaster Bee reported that Andrew Streit filled a Lancaster Industrial Agency (LIDA) seat formerly held by Sharon McNichol. The Bee reported McNichol faced ‘scrutiny’ from Councilmember Robert Leary over her not taking the oath of office. and for missing a series of IDA meetings. The Streit appointment was tabled at the April 4th meeting at the request of Councilmembers Dickman, Burkard and Mazur to have more time to investigate.

The Bee did not report that what was to be investigated were the testimonies given at that meeting by McNichol, LIDA member Village of Lancaster Mayor Lynn Ruda in supporting McNichol’s stay, and LIDA Chair Kevin Lemaster’s comments requesting the change at the suggestion of the LIDA attorney to add or reduce the number of members to arrive at an uneven number of members.

At the April 4th town board meeting Ms. McNichol addressed the board and declared her personal issues were resolved and that she wished to continue her LIDA service. She would even put in writing that she would attend the remaining 2023 LIDA meetings. She and LIDA member Ruda declared McNichol was being treated unfairly as another LIDA member missed 4 meetings in 2022 – failing to mention that individual was absent after having open heart surgery and time spent rehabbing.

Supervisor Ronald Ruffino and Councilmember Mazur expressed their desire to see McNichol continue serving on the LIDA, declaring that the oath of office was only a formality and that they would prefer having a woman seated on the LIDA board (giving no reason why gender mattered).

Despite McNichol missing 6 of 13 meetings after appointment in March of 22 (signing an oath card then), missing the last meeting of 2022 and the first three meetings of 2023, signing no oath card in 2023 as in 2022, giving no information for absence, and then using as precedence another LIDA member missing 4 meetings in 2022 because of heart surgery, Supervisor Ruffino sponsored a resolution which read: WHEREAS, Shannon McNichol, of the Town of Lancaster has submitted her request to be appointed a Member of the Lancaster Industrial Development Agency.

The Ruffino resolution was pulled as the resolution to appoint Streit was approved earlier with the majority 3 votes required. Mazur voting ‘no’ and Ruffino absent.

It appears that constitutional oath of office thing is more than 'just a formality' and that showing up does count.