About an hour before the Muncy Township Board of Supervisors meeting was set to begin this month, Amy Ruth-Swart stood in the parking lot of the Township Building with copies of a petition aimed at bringing about a change in who gets to govern the ever-growing group of citizens frustrated with the current board.

In a township with 836 of its citizens registered to vote, the first step in removing members of the board is getting 5 percent of those voters to sign the petition, which would only be around 40 people. During public comment Ruth-Swart told the board that she had gotten that many signatures in the first half hour.

“I have a lot of signatures. (It) took me about half an hour tonight to get the minimum 5 percent of the signatures. In the next week or so I’m sure we will have way more than you got when you were elected,” Ruth-Swart said, directing her comments primarily to board Chair Terri Lauchle who had abruptly ended last month’s meeting when Ruth-Swart had announced her intention of launching the petition.

Lauchle was elected to the board last year, garnering 258 votes. Other members of the board, Vice-chair Denise Artley and supervisor Heath Ohnmeiss are hold-overs from the previous board. Ohnmeiss is not included in the board members cited in the petition for removal from office.

Among those who were signing the petition were people whose votes had helped elect Lauchle. Now they say they suffer from “buyers’ remorse” and are seeking her removal.

“She ran on transparency and honesty and I don’t feel like that she’s been very forthcoming with anything,” said David Shearer.

“The hold up with the Bass Pro Shop is probably my number one issue, because this is costing the township money and legal fees,” he said.

Referring to the former Lycoming Mall property, now called the District, Shearer said, “I would like to see that whole property actually being used,” he said.

“We have the opportunity to bring in a big retailer…tourism too would be coming into area shops. They’re not going to all spend there. They’re going to spend at the local restaurants and things like that. It’s just an influx of money that’s just on hold up for somebody that – I don’t know how to say it – but just an ego trip…feels like it’s an ego trip,” he said.

Shearer also takes issue with the way meetings are being conducted.

“There are rules to follow for a specific reason. She doesn’t follow any of those rules. Constantly changing our solicitor – can’t keep a solicitor,” he said.

“That should tell everybody something about how she’s running her meetings. Obviously she’s not following the rules or they would stick around. I mean, we haven’t had a solicitor for more than three days,” he added.

Others who were arriving to sign the petition also spoke of their dissatisfaction with the Lauchle and her vice-chair Denise Artley, who always seems to vote together.

“I would like to see Terri and Denise removed,” said Margaret Keefer, who has lived in the township for over 50 years.

“I would like to see somebody put in there that will vote for businesses to come into this township, so that we have more revenue coming into our school district, to the people, to help with the taxes,” Keefer said.

During the comment portion of the meeting other residents voiced their concerns and frustrations with their elected officials who just seem to not be listening, particularly when it comes to FAMvest’s plans for the former mall property.

Mike Buck offered some levity when he began speaking about how the land where the mall stands had once been a farm with cattle grazing in the fields.

“When the Lycoming Mall was developed, there were no more pretty cattle to look at, just a sculpture and a very large building. But when the mall was thriving, we had increased jobs for our area, more tax revenue, and financial growth,” Buck said.

“Our area has changed over time with the loss of the mall complex…Revenue has gone down, growth has stagnated, and our youth have left the area as there is (nothing) left to convince them to stay. But we have a chance. Our area has an opportunity to grow in good ways due to this development, as it will increase tax revenue and provide stable jobs, jobs, jobs that can help everyone if they want them. Jobs,” Buck continued.

“Now, FAMvest has invested in our area by trying to rebuild something that has unnaturally died. They are attracting business to our area to help us. Will they profit from this? I hope so. That is part of the American dream, as this township government is … but we will profit from this development as well in jobs, tax revenue opportunities that did not exist until FAMvest decided to invest, not divest, in our community,” he said.

Bock pointed to the fact that everything is “waiting on a piece of paper with a supervisor’s signature to be added to allow two parcels to be unified, but the chairperson is denying this due to improper paperwork, or whatever is the flavor of the month.”

“It has been at least five months for which we would like an explanation and proof of this alleged improper paperwork for the reason for this delay. I’m a member of this community. The community has been coming out in droves in support of this. Everybody I’ve talked to, and I’ve talked to hundreds, hundreds, because I know a lot of people, they have told me they are for this. If the community is for it, and you represent the community, which is us, this room, the people outside. What is stopping us from signing something that’s going to be good for youth, jobs, faculty, communities, not destroyed,” he said.

Adding that he knows there will always be opposition to change Buck said that it “shouldn’t be a reason for us to say no.”

“We want you to think about not just you, but the people who are in favor of it, for jobs, for growth, and a good way, not a bad way, right? I don’t fish, but I believe that Bass Pro should be here, as I think most people do, especially when I don’t own the property. You own the property? They own the property, we just govern and help. So why don’t we help? Not destroy, bring down, not like obstruction. Let’s help the situation, not with made-up platitudes…Let’s do it. And I’m sorry that I brought humor, but it needs to be done, because this is waiting on so many people’s lives…I’ve been in this community for over 20 years, and I’m stepping up now, because I need to say something, because I have seen this or before, and I’m wondering what’s going on,” he said.