Three Toss Hats Into Mayoral Race; Qualification Period Ends

Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill will face two other opponents vying for the office of mayor in June.

The deadline to qualify for the municipal election was at 5 p.m. today.

Up until Thursday, Tannehill, who is running as an Independent, had been unopposed; however, 18-year-old Brandon Pettis qualified to run as an Independent for mayor on Thursday and Kyle Davis qualified Friday as a Republican.

For the Board of Aldermen races, each ward has at least two candidates running other than Ward 4 Alderman Kesha Howell-Atkinson (D), who has no opponents. She will remain the Ward 4 alderman for another four-year term that begins July 1.

There was another surprise in the Ward 1 race this week. Last month, Alderman Rick Addy announced he would not be seeking re-election. However, on Friday, Addy announced on his Facebook page that he changed his mind, and decided to run again.

Harry Alexander had previously qualified to run for the Ward 1 seat; however, due to a recent opinion by Attorney General Lynn Fitch that stated, “candidates for municipal ward office, in a municipality with a population of 1,000 or more, according to the latest federal decennial census, must have been a resident of the ward they seek to serve for a minimum of two years prior to the date of election,” Alexander would not have qualified and withdrew from the race.

Addy (D) will run against Billy Crews (D) and Erin W. Smith (D) in the April 6th primary election.

In Ward 2, Afton Thomas (D) qualified to run against incumbent Alderman Mark Huelse (R).

Ward 3 Alderman Janice Antonow announced last month that she would not be seeking re-election.

In Ward 3, Brian Hyneman (D) and L.McQueen Miscamble (R), D. Ryan Grover (D) and Alexandria White (D) will be running for Antonow’s seat on the Board. Hyneman, Grover and White will be on the April 6th primary ballot. The winner will go against Miscamble in June.

In Ward 5, incumbent Preston Taylor (D), will face off against Justin Boyd (D), Barney Chadwick (R) and Tracey L. Williams (D). Taylor, Boyd and Williams will face off in the primary election. The winner will run against Chadwick in June.

In Ward 6, incumbent Jason Bailey (R) gained an opponent this week when Migueel Centellas (D) joined the race.

In the At-Large ward, incumbent Alderman John Morgan, (I), will face Linda Porter Bishop, (D) in the election.