For residents living inside Oxford city limits, municipal election campaigns are now underway.
Potential voters must have already registered to vote to participate in the 2021 election for aldermen and mayor of Oxford. Registered voters who cannot be present to cast votes in the June 8, 2021, election are eligible to cast absentee votes. Any registered voter who wishes to cast an absentee ballot must take valid photo identification to the lobby of Oxford’s City Hall, where a voting area is set up.
Two seats go uncontested this year: incumbents Rick Addy (Ward I) and Kesha Howell-Atkinson (Ward IV) run unopposed in the general election. Wards II, III, V, VI, and the at-large alderman will be decided by Oxonians on June 8. We’ve asked each candidate a few short questions to help voters make up their minds before hitting the booths on that date.
In this issue, we feature the candidates for Wards III, V, and Mayor of Oxford. Q&As for Wards II, VI, and Alderman-at-Large were in The Local Voice #371, which is available on our website.
Not sure of your Ward? Check out the map on page 7, or visit TheLocalVoice.net/aldermen
Brian Hyneman (D)
1. Tell us about yourself and your connection to Oxford.
My connection to Oxford has strong roots. For over 30 years I have lived in this great community. I am married to Oxford native, Amanda Lewis, and we have two sons Henry (16) and Howard (12). For the past 25 years I have practiced law with the firm of Hickman, Goza and Spragins.
Since 2012, I have had the opportunity to serve the citizens of Oxford as commissioner and chair of the Oxford Historic Preservation Commission (2012-2017) and as chair of the Oxford Planning Commission (2017 – present). I attend First Presbyterian Church. As a member of First Presbyterian, I serve as a Deacon and member of the Youth Fellowship Committee.
I also have the privilege of assisting the Oxford School District as a founder and board member of the Oxford Insights Association. The Oxford Insights Association provides funding to the teachers and students of the Insights Program for grades 2-6.
2. Why did you decide to run for office? Have you engaged in public service previously?
Oxford has provided me with the opportunity to live and raise a family in a safe and active community. It has allowed by children to attend a top-tier public school. I wish to give back to the community through service on the Board. As Oxford continues to grow, I want it to continue as a truly special place for people to live, raise a family and retire.
My public service has consisted of serving on the Historic Preservation Commission from 2012 -2017 and then serving on the Oxford Planning Commission from 2017 to present. As chair of the planning commission, I have assisted in managing the growth experienced in Oxford through contributions to the Vision 2037 comprehensive plan. The experience of working with the City’s leaders and community provides the benefit of being ready from day one.
3. What are your top priorities for Oxford?
One of my top priorities is to keep the citizens of Oxford informed of what issues the City is facing and actions taken by the Board to address these. Transparency in local government is key as every citizen should know how the actions taken by the Board affect them. As Oxford continues with its growth, infrastructure improvements are certainly a priority as well as continuing the work taking place to address the affordable housing concerns.
Every candidate should strive to be a good steward of the taxpayer’s funds. This will always be a priority should I be elected.
McQueen Miscamble (R)
1. Tell us about yourself and your connection to Oxford.
I am a veterinarian and owner of Crossroads Animal Hospital. My wife and I first discovered Oxford when I wasworking at Mississippi State Veterinary College as a clinical instructor, and she got a job here at Crossroads (she is also a veterinarian). We were dating at the time and after a year we married and moved to her hometown of New Orleans. However, we loved our short time in Oxford so much that when the opportunity arose to purchase Crossroads together and move back here, we jumped at the chance. That was almost 4 years ago now, and we have no plans on ever leaving again.
We are obviously animal lovers and the proud owners of four dogs and two cats. We both love Ole Miss sports, my wife particularly likes baseball, and we try to get to every game we can. I myself play travel football (Australian Rules) in Texas once a month, even at my age. I used to also play the sport professionally in Australia, though I never considered trying my hand at punting in America (a lot of Australian footballers are recruited as punters for college football teams). If there was an ocean close by I would also probably surf regularly, as this was my favorite activity when I lived in Australia, but I do my best with Sardis Lake.
If I haven’t mentioned it yet and you don’t already know me, I am also Australian. But I have lived in America for 6 years.
2. Why did you decide to run for office? Have you engaged in public service previously?
Since moving to Oxford several years ago my wife and I have come to love this town’s natural and historic beauty, as well as its kind and generous people. The residents of Oxford have welcomed us with open arms and have been extremely good to us. As such, I felt a strong responsibility to give back to this community and the people that have been so generous to my wife and me. I believe that I have the desire and ability to do a lot of good for our town if given the opportunity, and this is the reason I decided to run for Alderman of Ward 3.
I have not engaged in public service before, but I believe in serving the community and leading through example. This is why I am wholeheartedly prepared to commit my precious time and energy towards serving the great City of Oxford.
3. What are your top priorities for Oxford?
• The shelter. The past shelter was such a disaster that it had to be shut down, that is a fact. It is also a fact that the current administration was responsible for the failures of the shelter. Those failures led to countless animals being forced to suffer in despicable conditions, while the city administration ignored the issue and did nothing to help. It was only a result of the actions of concerned citizens that the conditions inside the shelter were finally revealed and the Mayor forced to act. As the ONLY veterinarian running for City Alderman, I am the most qualified person to undo the damage that has been done. There is no reason why a city like Oxford should not have an Animal Shelter to be proud of. If elected I plan to take an active role in the operation of any new shelter, furthermore I have already committed to donating my entire Alderman salary to the care of animals at the shelter. I promise as a City Alderman I will NEVER allow what happened in the past with the Animal Shelter to happen again. I have provided a detailed outline of how I would improve the shelter on my website.
• Enhance the quality of life in Oxford by recruiting top line employers, keeping strict zoning and sign ordinances in place, and keeping pace with infrastructure.
• Maintain safety within our town at all times, such that citizens and especially seniors can visit any area of the community without concern.
• Hold City property taxes at their present level, with hopes of reducing these taxes. Over the last decade, city taxes have continued to increase, making housing less affordable and the community less appealing and competitive from a retiree attraction standpoint. This will likely adversely impact the economic development of Oxford in the future if allowed to continue.
• Streamline interactions with the City allowing for homeowner and property requests to be expedited in a timely and professional manner at all times. Furthermore, the citizen should be prioritized in the resolution of disputes, when it is in the best interest of the overall community.
