Photo: Courtesy Lynne Ruda
In the small village of Lancaster, New York, Mayor Lynne Ruda is the woman who has seemingly done it all.
Ruda, a 35-year-old volunteer firefighter and Grammy-nominated music teacher, is heading into her first full year as the village’s new mayor after becoming the youngest person — and the first woman — to be elected to the role in 2021.
“I think in our community, seeing a young female run for office was a challenge for many,” Ruda tells PEOPLE about how Lancaster, a suburb roughly 12 miles east of Buffalo, is embracing the change.
The town hadn’t had a contested mayoral election in nearly 25 years, Ruda points out, adding to the plethora ofpandemic-era campaign challenges she faced: “To even be telling people there was something to vote for was a challenge,” she says now with a laugh, recalling the busy campaign, which ended in a nerve-wrackingly narrow 22-vote victory.
But, as it happens, the political newcomer was already a well-known face around town. Ruda earned a national spotlight with back-to-back Grammy Award nominations for music educator of the year in 2020 and 2021. “It was unreal — and terrifying!” Ruda jokes now about the experience. “You get these news stations calling and you’re getting interviewed. I’m much more used to that now as mayor, but I was not prepared for that at first.”
Ruda still teaches full-time at the high school she graduated from in 2004, and where she met her husband, Aaron Ruda, who teaches social studies there. That means she’s pulling triple-duty while still serving as the village’s mayor and waiting on-call as a volunteer at the Lancaster Fire Department.
“My days are really long,” she admits. But it’s work she is grateful to do.
“Whether it’s teaching or being a firefighter or being a mayor, I want to show that a female can do it — even if there’s never been a path forward,” Ruda says. “I want to show my students that I can be the mayor and so can you. I’m hoping to embolden younger people.”
Courtesy Lynne Ruda
Her orchestral students now perform at some local village events where they witness Ruda in her role as mayor — and where they have opportunities to meet members of Congress and other state officials.
Ruda’s passion radiates in conversation as the Lancaster native juggles topics about teaching orchestra, what it’s like to be a first responder and the nitty-gritty details of local government.
With her first term in office, Ruda says it’s her goal to continue developing her town’s once-blighted economy and improve the village infrastructure with a new road project running through its humble downtown business district — tasks she never imagined would be on her to-do list, but duties she has embraced.
“I never imagined that I would have a political career,” she says. “I was actually a really, really quiet kid growing up. I never really spoke much until my junior year of high school. But I always tell my students: You never know where life’s going to take you.”
source: people.com
