With the new year already here, the Albany City Council already has one meeting under its belt with its newest electees sitting behind nameplates designating them as members of the Albany City Council.

During the upcoming term, two women were elected to serve on the city council.

One of female council members, Tonya Claborn Thrasher, is very excited to take her seat and hopes she will be able to make good decisions that lead to the growth of the city and county.

“The women in Clinton County have evolved over the past few years,” Thrasher said. “We have more women holding public office now than we ever have before. I’ve really got some good positive feedback from the people in Clinton County.”

Thrasher said she thinks there needs to be more women getting involved in city and county government.

Being a part of city and county government is really nothing new to Thrasher. She said her father was always in close contact with politics.

“I’ve always been around politics and always took an interest in it,” Thrasher said. “I’ve worked in the public for years and I felt like I would give it a shot and try very hard to represent everybody.”

Although it was Thrasher’s first stab at being a candidate in a political race, she received an overwhelming “nod” from the voters, finishing the six-candidate race with the second greatest number of votes, just behind front-runner Steve Lawson.

Clinton County’s future belongs to the children of Albany and Clinton County. Thrasher said when she campaigned, she considered her own children as a way to better the county.

Thrasher has three children, Preslee, 16, Adrianna, 14, and Barry Douglas, 8.

“I would like to see more job opportunities and more things to encourage them to stay here instead of moving away when they get older,” Thrasher said. “I think there needs to be more activities for the children to be a part of … I would like to see some things for our children, because they are the future.”

Thrasher also said she is fully on board with the new YMCA/Wellness Center. She believes it will be a positive influence on the city and county as well.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for children who wouldn’t have the access to exercise equipment and things in their own home,” Thrasher said. “Hopefully it will teach a lot of children to swim who don’t know how … with the two lakes around us, it might keep them safer.”

Thrasher believes giving the children more activities will open doors for Albany and Clinton County in the future.

On Thursday, December 30, public officials gathered at the Learning Center for the swearing in ceremonies. Thrasher was on hand, as well as other public officials to officially take her seat in office.

“It was a little surreal,” Thrasher said. “I was a little nervous and I was standing up there thinking wow I am really responsible for doing the right thing now. I hope to do a good job and I’m always willing to listen to everyone’s concerns and questions … My door will always be open for any improvement ideas or concerns. I’m just here to serve the people.”

Other than being an advocate for children, Thrasher was to continue with the downtown revitalization.

“With the bypass coming through it’s going to take a little of our traffic and we need to get those tourist to come through here,” Thrasher said. “I would also like to look at grants in order to get more money for certain things. I work in a government job so I’m constantly working with Frankfort. Hopefully that will be an aspect where I can help the city.”

Thrasher said she is very excited about taking office and she hopes good things will come from this two-year term.

“I’m excited,” Thrasher said. “We had our first meeting Tuesday night (January 4, 2011) and I listened to see how everything worked. I plan on going to training January 19-21. I will get to learn a little bit more about the legal aspect. I’m just glad to get the opportunity to get to do this.”

With one meeting under her belt, Thrasher expressed her wish to see more people at the monthly meetings.

“I would love to see the public come out to the meetings more and voice their opinions more,” Thrasher said. “Our meetings are the same every month, the first Tuesday and they are open to the public.”

Now that Thrasher has her first week as a city council member behind her, it is still too early in the term to decide if she will run again or not.

“I’m not ruling out anything right now,” Thrasher said. “I hopefully will get some things accomplished and I think I would like to run again, but we will see.”

Thrasher finished the interview saying how she wanted to express her thanks to the citizens for giving her an opportunity to serve and she wants the citizens to know she will help Albany in anyway she can.