The town of Sidney has a new clerk-treasurer in Lydia D. Neal, who previously served on the town board a number of years ago.
Kosciusko County Republican Central Committee Chairman Mike Ragan appointed Neal to the position Tuesday to fill the vacancy created by the Feb. 10 resignation of Etta Hurd, due to health concerns of a family member. Neal’s term ends Dec. 31, 2023. Hurd had been appointed by Ragan on Jan. 23, following the Jan. 14 resignation of Republican Clerk-Treasurer Lana Wolfe.
Lana Wolfe resigned along with town board member Republican Ricky Bradley, as there was some question of how they got into their positions, and Democrat Kenneth Koontz, who resigned in part to his failing health. Koontz died last week. The only Sidney official who did not resign was Democrat Jack Wolfe. Bradley was replaced by Republican Sharon Rancourt, appointed by Ragan on Jan. 23, and Koontz was replaced by Democrat Gavin Parrett, appointed by Kosciusko County Democrat Party Chair Brian Smith.
In announcing Neal as Sidney’s clerk-treasurer, Ragan read a statement, saying, “We congratulate Lydia Neal on this appointment and wish her well in her new position and are confident that she will serve the citizens of Sidney with a servant’s heart, courtesy and professionalism.”
After her appointment, Neal said she’s been a resident of Sidney “this time, over 20 years. I was raised over here on the farm outside of Sidney. I left here when I was 18, then came back when I was 50.”
She gave her age as somewhere in her 70s.
Asked what kind of background she had that would be useful for her as clerk-treasurer, Neal said, “I’ve taken some college courses in it, and I’ve done a lot of reading. And I love numbers.”
She said she was on the town board previously, but couldn’t remember which years, and it had been “quite some time.”
“I enjoyed it then. I enjoyed getting acquainted with the people, and I did a little newsletter on my own expense and kept everybody up with what was going on in town, and then I got into some history of the town,” Neal said. “That was fun. And I enjoyed it. It’s interesting to get to know people who are in your community.”
She called herself a “jack of all trades.”
Neal wanted to be the town’s clerk-treasurer “because my town needs me. That’s it in a nutshell. This town needs some help, and I want to step up and do what I can,” she said.
As the clerk-treasurer, she said, “I would like to see more people get interested in the town, that live here as well as outsiders. I’d love to see it grow. And younger people. And start having interest in things that’s going on right here in our community, but first we have to have something going on in our community to get our citizens interested. And trust. Trust is a big thing.”
The return of a town festival could be one of those things, she said.
“But that’s what I want in this town. I want something that people can put their teeth into and say, ‘that’s a good place to go to,’” Neal said.
She’s been married to Ron for 49 years. They have a son and a daughter and eight grandchildren, including stepgrandchildren.
“If you need me, just call me. That’s it. Always has been, always will be. I’m an old Southern girl, and if you need to borrow a bag of potatoes, come on over. I’ll let you have what I have,” Neal said. “That’s the same way with this town. If they need me, just call me.”
Precinct Committeeman and County Coroner Tony Ciriello thanked Neal for stepping up and serving.
“As an elected official in this county, I know how important it is to get people in these offices and get involved. The position of clerk-treasurer is one of the most important positions in any town in this county,” he said. “You’re an elected official. The town board are elected officials. You’ll work hand in hand together, but you’ll have separate businesses.”
Ciriello said Sidney is a great community.
After the appointment was officially over, and with the town board and clerk-treasurer positions filled again, Rancourt was asked how things have been going and what does the town need to tackle.
“So one of the things that we’ve discovered is that though the town was running, that it’s not been necessarily following all the guidelines and rules,” Rancourt said. “So one of the very first things that we did was get with Aim (formerly Indiana Association of Cities and Towns) of Indiana and got the Municipal 2020 book and we’ve gone through it. We’ve tabbed the areas we need to look at. We’re being very cognizant in being sure that the public access laws – which pertain to the public files for the town – we’re currently getting all that stuff together so we’re correcting that. We’re really just going through and taking a look again at everything that comes up. Looking at it, making sure how we’re doing it in terms of legalities, and then adjusting how we need to.”
She said it will be a slower process, but it will get there.
Sidney has two elected Republicans and two Democrats, but Rancourt said that’s not been a problem. “There’s no issue there at all,” she said.
Rancourt said Silver Lake Clerk-Treasurer Tonya Conley has been a “tremendous” resource to her, and she spoke with County Auditor Michelle Puckett Tuesday who helped her get some things straightened out in her head and Puckett was “phenomenal.”
“I feel like we’re starting to reach out and get the support system that we need so it’s been good,” Rancourt said.
