By Alyssa Schnugg
News editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com
Photo provided.
Growing up in Oxford but spending summers on the family farm in Taylor, Christi Hardy fell in love with the quaint town and now calls it home.
Hardy, the newly-elected mayor of Taylor, will be the first “new mayor” the town has had for about 20 years. Long-time mayor James Hamilton unexpectedly resigned in November. A special election was held in December and Taylor residents chose Hardy to sit at the helm.
Hardy, 53, is a certified registered nurse anesthetist and currently works part-time at North Mississippi Medical Centre Women’s Hospital and Surgery Center in Tupelo. She graduated with a master’s of Nurse Anesthesia in 1998 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Hardy moved into her grandparents’ house in 2008.
“Five generations have lived in that house,” Hardy said. “My grandmother, my mother, me, my daughter and my granddaughter.”
The old house remains on the property; however, Hardy and her husband Wayne built another house on the same property in 2016 that they now live in. They have three children and three grandchildren. They share their home with their dog, Brodey and a local stray cat named White Kitty.
When Hardy moved to Taylor permanently, she considered running for mayor or an aldermen position. However, when Hamilton resigned, she felt it was time for her to finally achieve that goal.
“I love Taylor and I want to make sure it stays the wonderful, charming, safe place that it is,” she said. “I was worried about someone coming in, who hadn’t lived here long, trying to commercialize it and change it.”
During her short campaign time, Hardy said she received good feedback and great ideas from many Taylor citizens and looks forward to jumping into her new role.
“There are some great local businesses in Taylor and I want to see them thrive,” she said. “Taylor has a wonderful mix of locals, artists and ‘newcomers’ as I call them. They are all great people and my biggest goal is for us all to work together to bring out the best of Taylor.”
Taylor citizens can reach Hardy by calling Taylor Town Hall at 662-236-7551 or sending an email to christihardy66@gmail.com.
