Dr. Bill Mayo
On Tuesday, June 3, 2025, the City of Oxford will hold elections for city government. However, all offices are running unopposed except for Ward 1 Alderman, which has three candidates running for the position: Erin Smith (Independent), Drew Stevens (Independent), and Dr. Bill Mayo (Republican). The Local Voice is proud to publish Q&As with all the candidates to help local voters make an informed decision. Please vote wisely for our community on Tuesday, June 3.
Interview with Dr. Bill Mayo
Age: 71
Occupation: recently retired ophthalmologist
Education: college Ole Miss, medical school Kansas City University; internship and ophthalmology residency University of Mississippi Medical Center
Family: 2 sons- Brad (Kathleen) and Rush (Hannah); 4 grandchildren- Cait, William, Elliott and Mary
Tell us a little bit about yourself, your background, and your work history.
I grew up in Drew, Mississippi. My mother died when I was 3 and my father died when I was 16. I was fortunate to have an aunt and uncle in New Albany, Mississippi who took me into their family. I graduated from Ole Miss then attended medical school at Kansas City University on a U.S. Navy scholarship. Then I spent 4 years at the University of Mississippi Medical Center completing my internship and ophthalmology residency. Following residency, I served as an ophthalmologist in the Navy in Newport, Rhode Island and Pensacola, Florida. Then I practiced in Greenville, Mississippi for 2 years before moving to Oxford. I practiced here until my retirement one year ago.
What work or service have you done that is beneficial to being Ward 1’s Alderman?
I have an extensive background in service and leadership locally, statewide, nationally and internationally. In Oxford I have served on the Oxford-Lafayette County Economic Development Foundation for 2 decades. In addition, I serve as chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Disabilities.
In the past I served as a board member and president of the Oxford Endowment for Public Education (now Oxford School District Foundation). I have also served on the Executive Committee of the medical staff of Baptist Memorial Hospital as well as on the board of the Oxford Surgery Center, in addition to serving as medical director. I served 12 years on the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure with 2 years as president.
I have served on the boards of and been president of the Mississippi Osteopathic Medical Association and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). As president of the AOA I was frequently in Washington, DC advocating for patients. In addition, I collaborated with the Federation of State Medical Boards, the African Medical Congress and the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities. Each of these roles requires the ability to advocate, collaborate and listen to others.
Why do you want to be an alderman and why do you feel you’re the best candidate for the job?
My family first moved here in 1900 for education and opportunity and they found it. For the last 35 years Cherri and I have been blessed to call Oxford our home. We raised our family and built a business here. Our sons Brad and Rush graduated from Oxford High and Ole Miss. Our grandchildren are 6th generation Oxonians. Oxford must continue to offer excellent education and opportunities for generations to come. That’s why I have been so involved in our Economic Development Foundation and led what’s now known as the Oxford School District Foundation. My background in leadership in these and other state, national, and international organizations has prepared me to best serve Oxford as Alderman for Ward 1.
How do you plan to balance new development with preserving the character of existing neighborhoods in Ward 1?
Oxford produces high end and second home housing at an amazing pace, and that’s positive growth, but if we want to remain the town everyone has come to love, we have to house our own as well. It’s a common debate of how much local government should be involved in the housing market, but one thing we can all agree on is that our government doesn’t need to add obstacles and challenges to the already difficult proposition of providing affordable housing in a very unaffordable market such as ours.
What do you think are the city’s top infrastructure priorities and do you have any ideas on how to fix them?
Oxford is growing and vibrant but also almost 200 years old. There have been many capital improvements in the last few years including road additions and modifications, upgrades to water treatment plants, new water tanks, sewer improvements and extensions, and new lift stations, but there is still much to address. As the mayor has said “we are a small town with big city problems”. We regularly have 90,000 people a day here and on big football weekends we can approach 250,000. We need to continue the work that our city leadership has been doing so well.
Housing prices in Oxford have risen sharply. What policies would you support to increase affordable housing options for families and seniors?
Tax credit housing has been the most successful and universally supported housing effort in American history, and it has provided homes for hundreds of Oxonians who work here – and can now live here. There are concrete ways we can promote more affordable housing: cut regulations for this type of housing; build more roads to access unused land; and look for unused city-owned land to consider for this purpose.
Interviews with the other candidates for the 2025 Ward 1 Alderman election are here. These interviews were originally published in The Local Voice #466 newspaper. Access the digital edition here.
