Tax Assessor-Collector: The Ghost of Nelda
Nelda Wells Spears may have retired, but she still has her hand in politics
By Amy Smith, Fri., May 11, 2012
The two-man race to win the Democratic nomination for Travis County tax assessor-collector (and voter registrar) – an open seat for the first time in 20 years – is tame compared to four years ago, when former state Rep. Glen Maxey waged an aggressive, long-shot campaign to wrest the job from Nelda Wells Spears. Spears won handily, and later left office on her own terms, retiring a year early last December. Since then, the longtime public servant had all but disappeared from the political landscape until a ghostly image of her appeared on large campaign signs around town, standing behind candidate Stanley J. Wilson, one of Spears' top-tier employees in the tax office and a very long-shot candidate to succeed his former boss. Wilson has worked in the tax office for 19 years and currently holds the position of associate deputy of revenue management.
To the surprise of many, Spears is serving as Wilson's campaign treasurer. Some Travis County Democrats believe it would have been more traditional and polite of her to first tell frontrunner Bruce Elfant that she was throwing her support behind Wilson.
Last year, Elfant says, he told Spears he wanted to make a bid for her seat, but would do so only if she confirmed that she wasn't going to seek re-election. Spears told him she wouldn't run again and the seat would be open for him to run. In deference to Spears, Elfant, serving his fifth term as constable for Central Austin (Precinct 5), waited until she announced her retirement before he began speaking publicly about running for the seat. He formally kicked off his campaign on Dec. 6.
One week later, Wilson filed paperwork designating Spears as his campaign treasurer.
Spears' support of Wilson, a loyal associate, is understandable, but some of Elfant's supporters say Spears slighted the constable, and perhaps the local Democratic Party, by staying mum about her role in Wilson's campaign and letting the photos of her in Wilson's campaign material speak for themselves. Elfant declined to comment on Spears' role in the campaign. He says he's not bitter and that "Nelda did a great job as tax assessor," particularly regarding efficiency and customer service.
Wilson acknowledges his rookie status as a campaigner but says his years of experience in the tax office make him the best candidate for the job. "I am not a career politician," he wrote in an email. "I'm also not looking for a career change. What I am is an experienced registered Texas Assessor Collector who has served the people of Travis County for 19 years. I am running ... because I care about the Travis County tax payers and the advancements we have made in the tax office and I plan to take it to the next level."
For her part, Spears doesn't know what all the fuss is about. "At the time that I talked to Bruce [last summer], Stan had not made up his mind whether he was going to run," she said. Once he decided and Spears agreed to sign on as treasurer, she said, she didn't think she needed to talk to anyone about her decision. "All I can tell you is that Stan's been working there for a long time. He's on top of the job, he knows what's required of the job, and I see no reason not to support him."
Four years ago, Spears told the Chronicle she believed that challenger Maxey could have had the professional decency to let her know he would run for the seat before he filed to run against her. Since Elfant had spoken frankly with Spears about his interest in the seat, did Spears believe she owed him the same courtesy when she decided to back Wilson?
"Perhaps so," she said. "But this is an open race. There's no incumbent. I didn't tell Bruce that I would support him. I gave him the information that he asked for. We visited, and I answered his questions to the best of my ability. I told him what I knew at the time. I did not know whether Stan was going to run at the time. That's all there is."
Perhaps more surprising is that Spears didn't tell her longtime ally and former tax assessor-collector Bill Aleshire that she was backing Wilson, particularly since Aleshire likes to make it his business to keep tabs on the tax office. Both Aleshire, who went on to serve as county judge until 1998, and another former tax collector, Cecilia Burke, are supporting Elfant's campaign for the seat.
"I didn't think I had to tell [Aleshire]," Spears said. Aleshire says he isn't holding that against her but does admit he was surprised to learn she's supporting Wilson. "I don't know what the dynamics are with that. Neither Wilson nor Nelda has ever talked to me about his candidacy," he said, adding, "I think Bruce has the managerial competence, integrity, and political savvy to be a very good tax collector."
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