{"id":39958,"date":"2017-06-01T13:55:15","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T19:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=39958"},"modified":"2017-06-01T13:55:15","modified_gmt":"2017-06-01T19:55:15","slug":"oxford-general-election-on-june-6-ward-2-and-6-aldermen-to-be-decided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/oxford-general-election-on-june-6-ward-2-and-6-aldermen-to-be-decided\/","title":{"rendered":"Oxford General Election on June 6: Ward 2 and 6 Aldermen to be Decided"},"content":{"rendered":"

Considering the explosive nature of politics in the headlines, it\u2019s refreshing to see what many are calling a boring election cycle for Oxford<\/strong>, Mississippi<\/strong>. There is no mudslinging, no photos being dug up from college years, and no debate over what the core issues are.<\/span><\/p>\n

On June 6, the general election will be held to decide who fills the seats of Wards 2 and 6. Contesting the Ward 2 seat are Paula Shanks<\/strong> (D) and Mark Huelse<\/strong> (R). Mayor Pat Patterson<\/strong> is not running for reelection, though with former Ward 2 alderman Robyn Tannehill<\/strong> running unopposed, the seat was awarded by default to Tannehill.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ward 2
\n<\/strong>Paula Shanks, a native of Oxford, has local family ties that date back six generations.<\/span>
\n\u201cI am simply concerned about the explosive growth in Oxford and that [is what] prompted me to run for office,\u201d said Shanks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mark Huelse moved to Oxford in 1991 for an engineering job in Batesville; at the time housing in Oxford was more affordable than Batesville. When offered a promotion in 2001 that would have him traveling the world, Huelse discussed the opportunity with his wife. They came to the decision that Oxford was where they wanted to be and he began working with his wife at her company, Something Southern. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSome people want to move all over the world, but we love Oxford,\u201d said Huelse.<\/span><\/p>\n

Huelse has worked closely on Vision 2037<\/strong>, Oxford\u2019s current growth plan. He has served as the City of Oxford<\/strong> planning commissioner, vice-chair of the City Ordinance Review Committee, and chairman of the Oxford Square Alliance.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Paula Shanks-Democrat (Left) Mark Huelse-Republican (Right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2017, the voter base is not concerned over metered parking or beer sales. Oxford wants their elected officials to address the rapid growth and lack of affordable housing the town is experiencing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty years ago I was involved in the grassroots movement known as Vision 2020,\u201d said Shanks. \u201cAt the time Oxford had a population of about ten thousand. Now here we are in 2017 and the population has already doubled. The new Vision 2037 projects that in twenty years the population will double again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While that bodes well for every construction company in the region, it places a strain on those who already call the Velvet Ditch home. In the Old Oxford district around The Square cut-through traffic, as well as student living, has raised concerns among many of the residents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA concern in my ward is that college students are moving into homes, but the trash is not being maintained and there\u2019s too much noise,\u201d said Shanks.<\/span><\/p>\n

This likely sounds familiar to anyone who has seen Neighbors, and the problems are not exaggerated. As prices go up, students and service industry workers will live wherever they can afford. These homes offer the opportunity of lower rent by having more rooms to split and are in close proximity to entertainment and work.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ward 6<\/strong><\/span>
\nContesting the Ward 6 seat are the incumbent Alderman Jason Bailey (R) and Wayne Andrews (D).<\/span>
\nAndrews is the current director of the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council<\/strong>. His duties there require he manage staff, funding through grants, donations, and memberships, as well as overseeing the planning of the year-round festivals and events that the arts council puts on.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe moved to Oxford because we wanted to be a part of a community\u201d said Andrews. \u201cWe wanted to know our neighbors and be involved.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bailey, who has served as Alderman for Ward 6 the last five years, is a native of Oxford. Having seen Oxford grow from infancy to the booming tourist and culture hub of the state is a definite advantage. He was here when Ole Miss stopped playing games in Jackson, Mississippi, and condo development took off in the early 2000s.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s a testament to the previous leaders,\u201d said Bailey. \u201cThey had the foresight to see what Oxford could be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Wayne Andrews-Democrat (Left) Jason Bailey-Republican (Right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Community action is at the core of Andrews\u2019 platform. He wants to inspire his constituents to not just have faith that their alderman will bring change, but to help them bring about their own change.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to look at the process. By the time something hits the alderman\u2019s desk it\u2019s probably done,\u201d said Andrews. \u201cNot because of collusion but because of how policies are made. That\u2019s why we need people on the ground serving in committees and voicing their opinions. So I think part of my campaign is about alerting people to where it all happens, how you can be involved, and that you don\u2019t have to wait for the alderman meetings on Tuesdays.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Congestion<\/strong><\/span>
\nWith the growing population, traffic congestion on main roadways is a concern. Though road construction is currently in development, the officials and candidates are already working on strategies to reduce the time you have to spend on the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

The flagship project for this is what are referred to as neighborhood stores. These are small shopping areas similar to the development across from Skymart<\/strong> or the commercial area in front of Faulkner Flats<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t move the roads, but we can move where the cars are going,\u201d said Huelse. \u201cThese stores won\u2019t replace going to the box stores, but rather than driving through traffic you can just stop in and grab your toilet paper or soap.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Affordable Housing<\/strong><\/span>
\nAs Oxford becomes more and more desirable as a place to live, housing costs rise.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no one silver bullet to this issue,\u201d said Bailey. \u201cIt\u2019s going to take a lot of work from a lot of different people. To me a good leader is someone who gets the smartest people in a room together and they work on a solution. It\u2019s not about me saying okay this is how it\u2019s going to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The spike in prices over the years has been forcing more and more Oxford residents to nearby towns such as Water Valley where they can stretch a dollar much further.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need what is referred to as workforce housing,\u201d said Andrews. \u201cService is the fastest growing industry in Oxford, and those people need places to live.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Huelse believes the market, if development is properly managed, will balance itself out and bring lower rent prices.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are always more students, but I think we\u2019re going to hit a saturation point, [some student living developments] are having trouble filling up already,\u201d said Huelse.<\/span><\/p>\n

For residents of Ward 2 and 6, this election does not come down to cut and dry beliefs. Voters need to research and educate themselves on each candidate as fully as they can, because this general election comes down to who you think can safely grow your community. The neighborhood where you read on your porch, grill out, and raise your children will be directly impacted by your alderman.\u00a0\"The<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Considering the explosive nature of politics in the headlines, it\u2019s refreshing to see what many are calling a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":253,"featured_media":39962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[146,10517,5,642,4,10516,3,753,10515],"class_list":["post-39958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-elections","tag-jason-bailey","tag-mark-huelse","tag-mississippi","tag-ms","tag-oxford","tag-paula-shanks","tag-the-local-voice","tag-tlv","tag-wayne-andres"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/2017-5-29-General-Election.jpg?fit=600%2C382&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}