Drew Stevens
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 Drew Stevens
Tell us a little about yourself, background, and work history:
I was born and raised in Natchez, Mississippi. After 12 years of Catholic School, I moved to Oxford in the late 1990s as a college freshman. I worked throughout my college career at The Gin and quickly found an affinity for Oxford’s culture.
Upon graduating college, I traveled abroad for 11 months before moving back to Oxford in the early 2000s to work with John Currence’s City Grocery Restaurant Group at the newly opened Bouré restaurant’s original location on North Lamar. I met a young Jill Miley who had just graduated with a degree in accounting and a masters in tax. We married here and continued to grow the Currence brand: Jill opened the first Big Bad Breakfast in Midtown in 2008 serving as General Manager; and I opened Snackbar just next door with Currence and Vishwesh Bhatt, where I served as General Manager as well for nearly a decade.
In 2017, Jill and I “retired” from the restaurants. I then focused primarily on my residential real estate career where I devote at least 30% of my business to working with first-time homeowners. Jill expanded her volunteer work in the Oxford Public Schools and also teaches a class at the University orienting freshman to the Oxford and Ole Miss community.
We both hold the strong belief that our Public Schools are a place where our community comes together for good. And that we are all stakeholders in the success of our shared community.
Our daughter Miley (12) and son Jack (11) are proud Oxford Chargers since their Pre-K days at Bramlett Elementary. We live at the end of the Combs Street cul de sac with our dog, Archie, and an unending faith in the Golden Rule.
Why do you want to be the Alderman for Ward 1 in Oxford?
Over the past five years I have sought to better understand how our city government functions—to fully appreciate our successes and challenges and the local history that preceded us. In an effort to be as informed a citizen as possible, I have either attended or streamed every city meeting possible since 2020. I’ve studied our board minutes going back to the 1950s and read every 100-page annual city audit of the past decade. While I expect to learn something new every day, I am informed and ready to work effectively on your behalf on day one.
I am your candidate for one simple reason: to serve the interests of our Ward 1 friends and neighbors. Our home. Jill and I have lived in Ward 1 for the past 25 years—beginning on North 11th Street, then moving across Lamar to the end of North 15th, and ultimately to our forever home here on Combs Street in the mid 2000s. We love this place. From Chaney’s to Mama Jo’s. Where else can you be within 2 miles of every public school in our district?
Where else is home to 20 beautiful acres of Avent Park, North Lamar Halloween, Oxford Floral, Community Green, Handy Andy, Coach Howell Activity Center, the Graduate, Molly Barr Trails, the Movies, Bowling, Chicory, Midtown and the Oxford Community Farmer’s Markets, the Conference Center, Ammadelle, Volta, Good Day, our Public Library, the Swim Club, Southern Star Yoga, Jinsei, Sno-Biz, the Oil Shed, Cedar Oaks, the Skate Park, Pavilion, the OAC, Friday night Football, Autumn on Douglas Drive, our historic Churches, City Cemeteries, and Lisa Howorth’s perennial front yard?
We share a deep love and pride that we are a part of this place and its people. As your Ward 1 Alderman, I will be a strong and independent voice solely dedicated to representing and protecting your interests. Full stop.
What work or service have you done that is beneficial to being Ward 1’s Alderman?
The combined three decades that Jill and I spent at the very top of our industry laid the foundation for a history of active engagement serving our Ward 1 community.
During our tenure we collectively hired over 500 employees, innovated systems, created and maintained budgets, made difficult decisions, met every payroll, worked to establish a thriving national brand, and directly contributed to the revitalization of Midtown’s home-grown business community. More than this, we gained the unique opportunity to witness the challenges and successes of our shared culture firsthand, across all levels and circumstances.
Jill and I share the lived experience and the institutional history of our 25 years rooted in our Ward 1 community. We know the evolving needs of our neighbors and of those outside our social circle, as we’ve all grown together here. This direct involvement is why we created and continue to manage our ‘Avent Acres’ neighborhood Facebook page, have been successful reducing reckless driving on our streets, and were persistent in petitioning for privacy on behalf of our neighboring cemetery families.
I believe that we all stand on the shoulders of proud Oxonians: that it is both our privilege and our responsibility as this generation’s citizens. And now is our time to stand up.
What are the major issues facing Oxford in the next four years?
Balancing our interests in progress and growth with a commitment to prioritizing our everyday citizens in this process. The byproducts created by the rapid growth we’ve experienced recently, and in general over the past 30 years, will further challenge our existing resources as the University continues to grow and Oxford’s popularity expands nationally.
There are the obvious issues of the increasing population strain on our infrastructure. Working to maintain the essential framework to handle all the demand we’re adding for housing, basic utilities, energy, essential and emergency services, and transportation. And the unintended consequences of basic affordability across all segments of our population I live and breathe the market everyday. We must meet these challenges with opportunities available for all our citizens. If we fail to address these issues head on, we risk what’s made our culture so attractive in the first place. We have to prioritize our overall long-term value vs our short-term gains.
What issues are Oxford facing that need more attention by the city government?
In addition to what I referenced above, I continue to be inspired by the frank conversations I’ve had with our Ward 1 residents during this campaign. Both with folks I’ve known well over the years and with folks I’m just meeting for the first time. We are fortunate to live in a civic-minded community that values their neighbors and treats them as the extended family they are. It is equally reassuring to identify so many residents taking the lead to address specific ongoing issues on their street.
One concern I hear repeatedly is that we have not adequately addressed reckless driving along our neighborhood residential streets. Park Drive has a serious need for traffic calming and pedestrian sidewalks along its north end, as do the areas of Jefferson and North 16th, and all along Chickasaw. We need access to all the tools in the kit to bring relief to specific problem areas. And need to ensure we’re prioritizing solutions to existing resident issues before adding on.
If you could change anything about Oxford, what would you change?
I’d increase our citizen engagement in our city government. Decisions are made by those who show up. When we disengage with our local officials, there’s a tendency to move on without the value of our input. Even with the best of intentions from our leaders, this can stifle the necessary debate these decisions require. Before we know it, we can unwittingly forfeit the openness and transparency in the issues that directly affect our daily lives. It’s not a difficult problem to avoid. We just have to have efficient systems in place that allow us to communicate effectively through the proper channels. When we are informed, engaged, and organized than the issues that we voice will become a priority.
Are there any functions of city government that you would change, improve, or eliminate?
In the same vein as above, I would advocate that the city stream all public meetings and lobby for a monthly ‘public input’ agenda item where citizens can openly voice their concerns or ideas at appropriate board meetings. And I would establish an informal network of Neighborhood Alliance Representatives that can report directly to their local Alderman. I would strive to eliminate any perception, real or imagined, that hearing different ideas can be anything but productive. I would not dismiss any idea that might solve a problem because it could very well be the idea we haven’t yet heard.
Are there any other statements or information you would like the voters of Ward 1 to know?
It’s important that we remember to focus on what this election is all about. While the city’s seven Alderman are responsible for making decisions that affect all Oxford residents, the voters in this singular election must decide who is the best candidate to serve Ward 1. This is the essential question we must answer on June 3. I believe it’s imperative to examine each candidate’s qualifications, as well as our individual experiences, motivations, and supporters unique to Ward 1. And I hope that you will carefully consider your vote and cast it with confidence. I believe this is a consequential election that will determine the future culture of our children’s hometown. If I am fortunate to earn the privilege of your vote, know I will always value and respect your perspective, even if I disagree. I will treat every decision with fairness, integrity, and transparency.
Please make a plan to vote at the Oxford Conference Center between 7 am–7 pm on Tuesday, June 3. Or vote absentee anytime between now and May 31 at the County Courthouse on the Oxford Square.
And allow me to express my thanks to The Local Voice for their committed coverage of our city’s public meetings and local elections each cycle. A Ward 1 institution since 2006! Make sure to follow TLV online for up to the minute results on Election Night.
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.
