Spears' Retirement Creates Rare Vacancy

Tax Assessor-Collector Nelda Wells Spears (l), with predecessors Cecilia Burke and Bill Aleshire, at her July 29 press conference (Photo by Jana Birchum)

At a Friday afternoon occasion that was more family-and-friends celebration than press conference, veteran Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Nelda Wells Spears announced her retirement, effective Dec. 31, after five terms and 20 years in office. Spears told the audience of roughly 100 people, many of them family members or county officials and staff, "I hope I have served you well," and said she was stepping down in order to spend more time with her family and as "an advocate for seniors."

With Spears leaving office a full year before her term ends, the Travis County Commis­sion­ers Court will need to appoint someone to fill the vacancy through the end of 2012. County Judge Sam Biscoe said Monday he's inclined to name a "placeholder" to serve out the term, noting there are three or four upper-level managers at the office who are capable of serving in the position. However, Spears' top lieutenant, Dusty Knight, is also retiring at the end of the year, Biscoe said, adding that an interim appointee with no interest in running for the office would create a level playing field for candidates vying for the seat. Thus far, Precinct 5 Constable Bruce Elfant is the only Democrat who's expressed an interest in running for the position.

At last week's announcement, Spears was introduced by her son Trent ("a surprise," she said), who briefly recounted her education (Anderson High, Fisk University, and Memphis State College) and her career, from her service in D.C. under Sen. Ralph Yarborough through her stints at the state Comptroller's Office, the Department of Community Affairs, the General Land Office, and finally the Travis County Tax Office, where she began as a chief deputy in 1987. Spears was first appointed as interim assessor-collector in 1991, then elected to four-year terms in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008, when she defeated former state Rep. Glen Maxey after a sometimes bitter campaign.

Trent Spears described his mother's philosophy in office as emphasizing customer service. "No one likes paying taxes and fees," she would say, "so the least we can do is make sure our service is courteous and efficient." He also called attention to the high rate of registered voters in Travis County (96.5% of the 619,336 eligible), as well as recent awards to the office for best practices, customer service, and technology and innovation.

"Customer service was the impetus that drove this office," Nelda Wells Spears continued, noting that any county resident who "drives, votes, or owns property" interacts with the tax office at least once a year. She thanked the voters for their consistent support, but added, "They were really voting for the ideas, ideals, and service that underlies what we do here."

Spears described her most important accomplishment as "serving the public, being available to the people of Travis County," and said her immediate plans after December include playing with her grandchildren and tending to her mother and aunt. She said she would be available to help in the transition with whomever is appointed by the commissioners court to fill out the rest of her term; when asked if she had any advice for her eventual successor, she said only, "Good luck."

Among the many well-wishers were Biscoe and Sheriff Greg Hamilton, as well as two of Spears' predecessors, Cecilia Burke and Bill Aleshire, whom Spears called up front for a photo. Also in the crowd was Elfant, who said he's "considering" running for the vacated office – "I think it's a good fit for my skills" – but would spend the next few weeks exploring the possibility and asking for advice. Shortly after Spears' announcement event concluded, a Facebook page appeared: "Friends of Bruce Elfant (for Tax Assessor & Voter Registrar)." One political certainty for Elfant is that he won't seek another term for the constable job he's held since 1993. "I don't believe in term limits, but I do know when it's time to leave," he said. Elfant's office has the highest profile of the five constable precincts, not only because of its Downtown location within the courthouse complex but also because Elfant himself is one of the most visible public officials in the county, both as a community advocate and Democratic Party activist. He said he's especially proud of his office's work on domestic violence issues and its record of success on child support collections. As a political activist, one of his passions is voter registration – one of the many duties of the tax assessor-collector. Elfant's longtime chief deputy constable, Carlos Lopez, is expected to run for the Precinct 5 seat.

Travis County commissioners will likely name an interim tax assessor-collector by the end of summer.