Editor’s note: This article was originally published Thursday, March 25, 2021 in The Local Voice newspaper. It has been updated to reflect changes in the race for Aldermen in Ward V.
To see a map of all the Wards in Oxford, please click here.
Primary Elections for three different wards in Oxford, Mississippi will take place on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Wards I, III, and V all have Democratic Party challengers running for office. Whoever wins in Ward I will be the alderman for the next four years, while the winners of the primary election in Wards III and V will go on to face a Republican in the general election June 8, 2021.
The candidates for Alderman in Ward I are incumbent Rick Addy and challenger Billy Crews. Both are Democrats.
Rick Addy has represented Ward I as alderman for the last five years. He was first elected after Jay Hughes was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. Rick owns Addy Photography in Oxford and has also served in the Oxford Police Reserves. During his time as Ward I Alderman, Rick has overseen the building of the Coach Howell Activity Center and several roundabouts in Ward 1. Rick has also been heavily involved in managing the COVID-19 pandemic as well.
For the last five years, Rick has donated his entire Aldermen salary back into community non-profits and if re-elected, says he will continue to so for the next four years.
“I make the hard decisions, and will continue to do so, for the betterment of Oxford and Ward 1,” said Rick Addy. “I am committed to do what it takes to get the job done, from working with various committees and researching every issue, to cleaning up after storms or picking up trash.”
Challenging Rick Addy in Ward I is Billy Crews. Crews is a bit of a mystery. He does not have a campaign website or a public Facebook page. We were unable to find contact information for Crews, and he has not reached out to this publication, a long-time Ward 1 business. He does have a Twitter and Instagram, but neither are recently active. We were unable to find much campaign information.
Crews’ positions on local issues are virtually unknown, but his friends have put out a few endorsements for him.
“Billy Crews has been an effective leader his entire life,” said Vaughn Grisham on Crews’ Twitter. “He was CEO of a major corporation, a member of a very efficient school board, a life-long civic leader in multiple organizations, a good father, and devoted husband.”
Running for the Democrat nomination in Ward III are Brian Hyneman and Alexandria White. Both candidates entered the race after Alderwoman Janice Antonow declined to seek re-election.
Brian Hyneman was born and raised in Grenada and moved to Oxford to attend Ole Miss. He married Oxford native Amanda Lewis Hyneman and they have two children. Brain has been a full-time resident of Oxford for over thirty years, and he has served on the Historic Preservation Commission, Planning Commission, Oxford School District Insights Board of Directors, as a volunteer coach for various sports at the Oxford Park Commission, and is a Deacon and Sunday School Teacher at First Presbyterian Church.
“My promise to you is to be transparent, available, open-minded, and honest as a leader for our community,” said Brian Hyneman. “I am dedicated to protecting the quality of life we enjoy in Oxford, while responsibly managing our City’s growth.”
Alexandria White is from Chicago, Illinois, but lives in Oxford now. We could not findmuch information about her or her campaignonline, and her Facebookcampaign page is not highly active, but she appears to be an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education at the University with 15 years of experience delivering training around diversity, leadership, and motivational speaking.
Dr. White has a consulting company, Alexandria White Consulting LLC, and makes speeches concerning social justice at colleges and companies. Alexandria White’s campaign slogan is “Amplify All Voices.”
The winner of the Democrat primary in Ward III will face Republican McQueen Miscamble on June 8.
There are several Democrat candidates vying for the nomination in Ward V, including incumbent Preston Taylor, plus challengers Justin Boyd and Tracey Williams.
Preston Taylor has been Alderman in Ward V for twenty years, and he has been involved in every decision the Board of Aldermen have made since 2001. He is a life-long resident of Ward V and has been an Oxford voter since 1969. He is a retired educator in the Oxford School District, a board member of the Oxford Lafayette Heritage Foundation, a member of the Oxford Lafayette County Exchange Club, a member of Mississippi Association of Educators, the National Education Association, and a life-long member of Salem United Methodist Church.
Challenging Taylor is Justin Boyd, a local entrepreneur and owner of Elite Lawn Club on South Lamar. Boyd moved to Oxford nine years go to attend Ole Miss. He is married to Sade Boyd. Justin and Sade have one child.
Boyd’s positions include improving Price Park, affordable housing, and supporting the hospitality industry.
“As alderman, I will vote to keep our restaurants and bars open at the maximum allowed capacity as set forth by the State of Mississippi,” said Boyd. “Our hospitality industry is a major economic driver in our little town, not only for the tax revenues that they provide, but most importantly the jobs that they create for our Ward 5 residents.”
“Our servers, cooks, bartenders, delivery drivers, taxi drivers, hostesses, custodial staff, and restaurant owners have been repeatedly punished for the past 12 months for simply trying to make a living.”
According to City Clerk Ashley Atkinson, Justin Boyd submitted his official paperwork on March 26 to drop out of the race for Ward V Alderman. However, Boyd will be on the ballot this Tuesday, based on Mississippi Secretary of State rules. There will be a notice posted at the polls informing all Ward V voters. Emails to Justin Boyd were not returned by this publication of this article.
Also running in Ward V is Tracey Williams. There is not much personal or work information about Tracey online, but it appears she has been heavily involved in Black Lives Matter and other protests in Oxford, including those against the Lafayette County Confederate Memorial.
Tracey’s platform is, “Let’s make the city work for the people again.” Some of her bullet points are affordable housing, increasing city workers wages, providing grants and funding for our local businesses, improving streets and sidewalks, and expanding public transit.
“It is time for strong and trusted leadership to step up and lead our communities where our future is dependent upon it,” said Williams. “I’ve listened to your questions and concerns and am ready to help get the job done.”
The winner of the Democratic primary in Ward V will face Republican Barney Chadwick on June 8. In the event there is no clear winner April 6, a run-off primary election will take place April 27, 2021.
