New candidates enter Oxford Alderman races in municipal elections
Published 8:15 am Wednesday, January 27, 2021
With a week and a half remaining for candidates to officially qualify for Oxford’s municipal elections taking place this summer, a few Alderman races are getting crowded.
As of Tuesday morning, The Ward I and V races had three candidates each, while the Ward III and Alderman At-Large races had two candidates.
Mayor Robyn Tannehill continues to be the only official candidate in the mayoral election. Tannehill, elected in 2017 as a Democrat, is seeking her second term and running as an Independent in 2021. Despite announcing his intentions to run earlier this month, Brandon Pettis has yet to officially qualify as a challenger against Tannehill.
Ward I Alderman Rick Addy and Ward III Alderman Janice Antonow announced during the Jan. 19 Board of Aldermen meeting they would not be seeking another term. Their decisions will ensure at least two new faces on the Board in July.
Seeking to replace Addy in Ward I are Democratic candidates Erin Smith, executive director of Lafayette County CASA, and Billy Crews, former publisher and CEO of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Local realtor Harry Alexander is running for the Ward I seat as an Independent.
In Ward III, Democratic candidate Brian Hyneman and Republican candidate L. McQueen Miscamble have officially qualified to fill Antonow’s seat. Hyneman is the current chairman of the Oxford Planning Commission and Miscamble is the owner of Crossroads Animal Hospital.
Ward V Alderman Preston Taylor is seeking re-election, but he will be challenged by at least two others in a Democratic primary. Tracey L. Williams and Justin Boyd have qualified as Democratic candidates as well.
Alderman At-Large John Morgan is seeking another term as an Independent candidate, while Linda Porter Bishop will challenge the incumbent as a Democrat in the general election.
Ward II Alderman Mark Huelse, Ward IV Alderman Kesha Howell-Atkinson and Ward VI Alderman Jason Bailey are seeking re-election unopposed in their respective races.
Deadline to qualify for the municipal elections is Feb. 5. Any primaries needed will take on April 6, and the general election will be held on June 8.