News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Celina Mayor Tonya Spears’ time as the town’s leader comes to an end as new a face enters office.
Luke Collins won the mayorship earlier this month by receiving 55 percent of the vote. Spears said the news came as a disappointment, but she is thankful for the two years as mayor.
“I am most proud of the fact that I have walked into this, and I have seen it through to the end,” Spears said. “I am most proud of that. I could have easily went home, but there was no way. I was going to tackle it and hit it head on.”
Spears said she is confident that she leaves Celina better than when she first entered office. Spears said she is most proud of making progress on lifting the sewer moratorium. However, without serving a full term, Spears said she feels like she left a lot on the table.
“There are several things,” Spears said. “Of course, moratorium and just all the parts to the puzzle. It needs to be dealt with and continued. There are several areas that personally I felt would better the city, but now it is something that may be continued or may not. I would have loved to be able to continue with that and focus a little bit more on tourism and jobs.”
Joey Rich unexpectedly resigned as mayor in 2019 leaving the seat vacant. Spears was the Vice-Mayor at the time and filled the position. Spears said she has set up a MTAS meeting with the newly elected officials to help with the transition.
