What happened?
Council member Eddie Cawlfield suggested the change during a July 9 council meeting. He said he wanted to reset the board in some way. After some discussion, council decided to ask the EDC’s seven-member board to reapply, regardless of if their term is expiring or not.
Only one board member’s term was set to expire in 2024—the remaining six were scheduled to expire between 2025-26, according to meeting documents.
“All seven are going to have to reapply,” Mayor Ryan Tubbs said.
The reapplication process does not mean the members cannot be reappointed but does mean they will have to take part in new interviews and compete against any new applicants. Members will also have the option not to reapply.
One of the board members never had an interview but is a valuable member, Cawlfield said.
City officials will also look into changing the EDC’s bylaws to stagger their terms by every three years instead of two years, Tubbs said.
The EDC is a dedicated nonprofit organization working to help Celina amplify the local tax base and create a stable economy, according to its website.
It is the only city board or commission whose members will be asked to reapply.
“That’s the only one that’s an absolute mess,” Cawlfield said.
Diving deeper
Celina’s EDC has seen other disruptions in the past year, including the removal of former Director Alexis Jackson in December.
Anthony Satarino was appointed as the new director in May and has since officially moved into the role.
Council members have the power to have as much or as little influence on the EDC as they want, Tubbs said. The choice to make its members reapply is not to add gasoline to the fire but to reassess their qualifications, he said.
