{"id":6988,"date":"2013-06-03T00:58:18","date_gmt":"2013-06-03T05:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=6988"},"modified":"2013-07-06T18:02:49","modified_gmt":"2013-07-06T23:02:49","slug":"city-of-oxford-mississippi-mayor-election-is-tomorrow-tuesday-june-4-2013-its-todd-wade-vs-pat-patterson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/city-of-oxford-mississippi-mayor-election-is-tomorrow-tuesday-june-4-2013-its-todd-wade-vs-pat-patterson\/","title":{"rendered":"City of Oxford, Mississippi Mayor Election is tomorrow, Tuesday, June 4, 2013: It’s Todd Wade vs. Pat Patterson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your vote on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 will decide the next Mayor of Oxford. Parking on the Square, alcohol sales, managing future growth, and tourism were cited at the recent community forum as the major issues of the campaign. by Newt Rayburn<\/span><\/p>\n

From The Local Voice #181:\u00a0http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=6933<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"TLV-Cover-181-650\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n


\nOxford Mayor Election: <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Todd Wade vs. George \u201cPat\u201d Patterson<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Todd<\/a>
Todd Wade, Oxford, Mississippi Mayor Candidate on Tuesday, June 4, 2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oxford, Miss (TLV) \u2013 All citizens of Oxford, Mississippi, who are registered to vote in the city limits will have chance to decide the next Mayor on Tuesday, June 4, 2013<\/strong>. \u00a0This year\u2019s Mayoral election is quite different from four years ago, and you really couldn\u2019t ask for two more different candidates.
\n<\/span>
\nLocal athlete Todd Wade<\/strong> is originally from Greenwood, Mississippi<\/strong>. Wade was an all-SEC and second team All American football star at Ole Miss<\/strong> and went on to play nine years in the National Football League<\/strong>, starting with the Miami Dolphins<\/strong>, who drafted him in the second round in 2000. Wade also played for the Houston Texans, Washington Redskins<\/strong>, and Jacksonville Jaguars<\/strong>.
\n<\/span>
\nAfter his professional football career, Wade returned to Oxford and began a series of successful businesses and real estate investments here.
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cAfter being away for nine years, I expected to see a city whose infrastructure had grown with its population,\u201d Todd Wade said at the recent community forum. \u201cBut instead I found leadership who focused on petty issues rather than focusing on the bigger picture. Oxford needs and deserves a vision for its growth, with opportunities for all, not just on the Square, but all of the city limits. Often the qualities that make men good entrepreneurs, who call all the shots in their businesses, do not make good political leaders. And after all, that is what this is all about\u2014leadership. They are not trained to listen or build consensus, and that\u2019s why we haven\u2019t we haven\u2019t solved Oxford\u2019s basic problems like traffic, sprawl, apartments, really with no end in sight.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nWade went on to say, \u201cThe Mayor\u2019s job is to represent Oxford in a positive manner, [with an]<\/em> encouraging, positive attitude towards residents, locals, everyone. We have in place a strong Alderman system that has been handcuffed by, \u2018That\u2019s just the way Oxford is.\u2019 That\u2019s something I want to change, that attitude. My responsibility isn\u2019t to dictate, but to lead and promote Oxford for its community development, economic development, and well being. I want to be a marketer for Oxford and advance Oxford forward.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nOutside of local political office, George \u201cPat\u201d Patterson<\/strong> is most notably known as owner of University Sporting Goods<\/strong>. Patterson was Alderman of Ward 1 in Oxford for many years before being elected Mayor in 2009.
\n<\/span>
\nRecently Pat Patterson proclaimed, \u201cI am a sixth generation Oxonian, a product of Oxford High School and Ole Miss. Four years ago when I first sought the office of Mayor, I promised common sense, local government with a focus on service, and I believe that promise has been fulfilled.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cA fair question to ask is, \u2018what has been accomplished?\u201d said Patterson at the forum. \u201cIn the toughest economic times in almost 100 years, taxes were not raised, not one single dime.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\n[Publisher\u2019s Note: Oxford property taxes were raised on October 26, 2010, by a special referendum on a school bond.]
\n<\/em><\/span>
\nPatterson continued, \u201cThe city\u2019s operating on the same 26.5 mils that it did in 2009, and not one single employee was laid off in the meantime. Baptist Health Care Corporation bought the old hospital for $60 million, and agreed to build a new $300 million regional referral hospital that will serve the health care needs for generations, as well as being an economic boon. Oxford\u2019s portion of $30 million has been in trust for our community and hopefully close to $1 million in income can be generated for the Board of Alderman to use as they see fit.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"George<\/a>
George “Pat” Patterson, Oxford, Mississippi Mayor Candidate on Tuesday, June 4, 2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Patterson went on to mention recent utility upgrades, FNC park upgrades, expansion of the OUT bussing system, and future expansion of tennis courts in Oxford as evidence of his accomplishments.
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cThe finances of the City of Oxford couldn\u2019t be in better shape,\u201d commented Patterson. \u201cWe\u2019ve done an excellent job of managing money. It\u2019s one of my strengths. I admit to not being the most graceful person in the world, but I have gifts of budgeting and expenditures, and I feel like I put them to good use along with the Board of Aldermen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

PARKING
\n<\/strong><\/span>
\nTodd Wade has been very vocal in pointing out that the current administration\u2019s\u00a0plan for dealing with parking issues is losing money at a very high rate. According\u00a0to documents provided by Wade, the current parking system that was recently\u00a0implemented by the Mayor and Board of Alderman has already lost $102,552.24\u00a0this year.
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cOver $100,000 of your taxpayer money has been wasted on Oxford\u2019s Robo-Ticket Jeep in just the first four months of 2013,\u201d said Wade. \u201cCan you imagine if\u00a0someone oversaw such a damaging program in the business world? Would your\u00a0boss tolerate this? Of course not.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cThis is inexcusable,\u201d exclaimed Wade, \u201cAnd I commit to giving everything to\u00a0repairing the damage that\u2019s been done from day one. I have called on the Mayor\u00a0for weeks to stop this terrible waste, but he simply refuses to respond.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nTodd Wade says there are three different ways Oxford could fund a parking\u00a0garage. The first is a \u201cPublic-Private Partnership,\u201d in which the city leases land to a\u00a0company in a long-term contract to build and operate a parking garage.
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cOxford would lease the land to the company and create an abundance of revenue\u00a0for the city which could be used to downsize government by lowering property\u00a0taxes,\u201d continued Wade. \u201cAll liability would be handed to the enterprise as they\u00a0would incur all costs to build and operate and an agreement between parties marking\u00a0any increase in fees only acceptable in line with the current consumer price\u00a0index percentage at that time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Second, Wade proposed a \u201cRevenue Bond\u201d to help fund the garage.\u00a0\u201cRevenue bonds are municipal bonds distinguished by its guarantee of repayment\u00a0solely by the revenues collecting in parking fees,\u201d explained Wade after the\u00a0forum. \u201cFirms in Jackson or Memphis will gladly underwrite this bond as they\u00a0know first-hand of Oxford\u2019s parking woes.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nTodd Wade\u2019s third proposal was a purchase using only the interest from Oxford\u2019s\u00a0trust fund.
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cThe City of Oxford is the benefactor of a trust fund established by its investment\u00a0of the proceeds from the sale of Baptist Memorial Hospital-North\u00a0Mississippi,\u201d explained Wade. \u201cWhile the interest\u00a0after taxes is below inflation, it is a sizeable\u00a0<\/span>sum that could be used annually to pay for\u00a0the garage and its service. This could be\u00a0serviced through a loan, long or short,\u00a0<\/span>depending how Oxford wanted to pay\u00a0the service. While the interest rates are at\u00a0record lows, this remains the last sensible\u00a0<\/span>option.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nWade went on to say, \u201cAlthough the\u00a0Mayor has tried scare tactics to claim that\u00a0he is the only one who would not \u2018disassemble\u00a0<\/span>the trust fund,\u2019 this is, in his words,\u00a0\u2018malarkey.\u2019 Common sense investment utilizes\u00a0interest while never touching\u00a0<\/span>principal. Thanks to the\u00a0windfall from the hospital sale, for which the Mayor\u00a0seems to claim personal\u00a0credit, Oxford has this option at its\u00a0disposal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Patterson, on the other hand, said that the parking commission he helped start\u00a0has been tasked with tackling capacity and enforcement.
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cDo we have all the answers?\u201d quipped Patterson. \u201cHeck fire no, we don\u2019t. But\u00a0we\u2019ve got smart people working on it. Really smart people. And I\u2019m proud they are\u00a0working on it because I don\u2019t want to make all the decisions…Especially about this.\u00a0Ultimately, you have to build a garage\u2026without raising taxes. And some of the\u00a0ideas I heard down here [referring to Todd Wade]<\/em>, I\u2019m sorry, are just not viable.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cI think the Mayor and I disagree on this one,\u201d Wade countered. \u201cIt is completely\u00a0viable, but the longer we wait, the more expensive it will become. The\u00a0notion that this can\u2019t happen or people will reject the idea, is nonsense.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cThe idea of a Revenue Bond\u2026where does the revenue come from?\u201d shot back\u00a0Patterson. \u201cWho are you going to charge? You going to have free parking on the\u00a0Square and charge for your garage? Who\u2019s going to park in the garage? The idea of\u00a0having a Revenue Bond to pay for a garage just shows the lack of understanding of\u00a0finance and how it\u2019s done.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cPeople would gladly pay $5 to park in a garage when they can\u2019t find anywhere\u00a0else to park,\u201d Wade countered again. \u201cAnd yes, let me reiterate the $100,000 loss\u00a0that we are all paying for this jeep to drive around. I would like to see that service\u00a0cancelled immediately.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nFUTURE GROWTH
\n<\/strong><\/span>
\nConcerning growth, at the community forum Patterson said, \u201cThis has been an\u00a0issue of the last three or four election cycles. Every one of us has sat up here and\u00a0said, \u2018Oxford is going to continue to grow.\u2019 I\u2019ve already heard that there is no plan\u00a0in place, but let me tell you that\u2019s just lack of knowledge of the facts.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nPatterson then held up a document, \u201cThis is the 2020 plan. It was instituted in\u00a02000. After dozens of meetings, the people from Georgia Tech<\/strong> came in to help us.
\n<\/span>
\nThis is our guide right now.\u201d Patterson continued, \u201cWe plan every week. That\u2019s\u00a0what you pay us to do and that\u2019s what we do.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nTodd Wade countered Patterson statements by producing pages from the 2020\u00a0plan. \u201cThis is from the 2020 plan and these black roads are supposed to be new\u00a0roads. A majority of them have not been built<\/em>. It\u2019s 2013 and this was from 2000?\u00a0No, these issues have not been addressed. We continue to kick the can around, but\u00a0nobody is doing anything about it and that is alarming.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cI know a lot of you have noticed that traffic has gotten a lot more congested in\u00a0the last two years,\u201d said Wade. \u201cWait two to three years from now, and we\u2019re not\u00a0going to be able to do enough.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nALCOHOL ISSUES
\n<\/strong><\/span>
\nConcerning Oxford\u2019s alcohol issues, Todd Wade said of extending bar hours, \u201cI\u00a0would like some consistency. And I know ABC in Jackson would. Whether it\u2019s\u00a012:30 or 1:00, just keep it at that and don\u2019t change it. Thursday, Friday, or Saturday\u00a0are no different than Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nWade continued, \u201cI don\u2019t see how the way our country was built, or founded on,\u00a0how you differentiate which days of the week you decide to have the government\u00a0tell you what to do. It\u2019s a property rights issue.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nOn the other hand, Patterson said, \u201cLet me be absolutely clear to you and\u00a0make no doubt about it. I am opposed to extended bar hours. Ask yourself,\u00a0What does it serve the character of this community to leave a bar open past 1\u00a0am? Now you ask yourself in silence.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cWith that said,\u201d Patterson continued, \u201cit may be possible to quit\u00a0serving at midnight and allow people to consume what they have and<\/span>
\nleave in stages. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s a bad idea and I\u2019m not sure I would\u00a0oppose it.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nConcerning Sunday Sales, Patterson said, \u201cI would love to preserve\u00a0some sliver of the character of our Square that I grew up with. We are\u00a0close enough to a Beale Street or a Bourbon Street reputation now. It\u2019s\u00a0just not what I grew up with and I\u2019m Presbyterian.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nTHE \u201cPLEDGE CONTROVERSY\u201d
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nOn May 7, as reported first by TheLocalVoice.\u00a0net<\/span><\/a>, Todd Wade pledged that if elected Mayor he\u00a0will not participate in any real estate development\u00a0transactions in the City of Oxford. He went on\u00a0to challenge Pat Patterson to make the same\u00a0pledge.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cIt is well known that Oxford\u2019s current Mayor has a\u00a0vast portfolio of student housing and business property,\u201d Wade said. \u201cIt is important to Oxford to remove\u00a0any question of whether our Mayor is using his public\u00a0office for personal gain.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nPatterson gave no response to this local press, but a\u00a0few days later the Mississippi Business Journal<\/em> quoted\u00a0Patterson as saying: \u201cWhat pieces of property is he\u00a0referring to? I only have one. It\u2019s complete B.S.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nTodd Wade responded by producing a lengthy list\u00a0from the Mississippi Secretary of State<\/strong> of properties\u00a0and businesses that Mayor Patterson either owned, was\u00a0a partner of, or claimed as income while running the\u00a0office of Mayor over the last four years. Patterson\u2019s\u00a0holdings include University Sporting Goods<\/strong> Inc., HJC\u00a0LLC, Oxford University Bank<\/strong>, 3 Men and a Truck<\/strong>\u00a0LLC, Broke Properties<\/strong> Inc., James Food Center<\/strong> LLC,\u00a0and Garfield Properties<\/strong> LLC, as well as ownership of at\u00a0least 17 different pieces of real estate<\/strong> in Oxford.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A few days later, Mayor Patterson was quoted in a\u00a0story by Errol Casten<\/strong> published in Tupelo\u2019s Daily\u00a0Journal<\/em>: \u201cI founded Oxford-University Bank. About a\u00a0year into the mayor\u2019s job, it just got too uncomfortable:\u00a0On Tuesday I\u2019m looking at (someone\u2019s) bank\u00a0statement, and on Wednesday he\u2019s in City Hall about\u00a0an issue.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nThe Local Voice<\/em> wanted to have a conversation with\u00a0Mayor Patterson on many issues, including the controversy\u00a0surrounding Patterson\u2019s business and real estate\u00a0holdings. Unfortunately, it must be noted here that Pat\u00a0Patterson did not respond to any of the questions or\u00a0emails that TLV<\/em> sent him. Patterson\u2019s Campaign Manager David McDowell<\/strong> did respond on May 21 to\u00a0our request for a response to the pledge controversy:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The following is from Pat: \u201cI released this statement\u00a0on May 9th; though my opponent continues\u00a0to spread false rumors, I stand by the previous\u00a0statement: Since being elected Mayor, I have\u00a0owned or had interest in one piece of commercial\u00a0property in Oxford (James Food Center), 10\u00a0rental homes, and previous holdings in mini storage\u00a0units. All of these are public record, and I have\u00a0owned them for years with no conflict of interest.\u00a0This kind of accusation shows a lack of focus and\u00a0understanding of the real issues surrounding this\u00a0election.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It must be noted that no statement was provided to\u00a0The Local Voice<\/em> on May 9 as stated. This message from\u00a0Patterson\u2019s campaign was from May 21. When I asked\u00a0for a clarification of the \u201cfalse rumors\u201d claim, neither\u00a0the Mayor nor his campaign manager responded.
\n<\/span>
\n\u201cI think Oxford has gotten its answer from our current mayor, and it\u2019s disappointing,\u201d commented Todd\u00a0Wade. \u201cI heard the concerns at front door after front\u00a0door, and I don\u2019t think they are \u2018malarkey\u2019 or \u2018B.S.\u2019 The\u00a0concerns are valid.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nWade then reiterated his pledge, \u201cIf elected, I will\u00a0eliminate all conflicts of interest, real or perceived, and\u00a0I will work diligently to make City Hall much more\u00a0transparent, open, and be a dedicated servant of you,\u00a0the people. With regard to business interests, I will\u00a0eliminate any of your concerns in that regard. I restate\u00a0my commitment that, if elected, I will not purchase any\u00a0real estate or enter into any new business interests in\u00a0Oxford while in office.\u201d
\n<\/span>
\nLocal elections for the City of Oxford will take place\u00a0on Tuesday, June 4, 2013<\/strong> from 7 am to 7 pm at the\u00a0Oxford Conference Center<\/strong> on Sisk Avenue. All citizens\u00a0who are registered to vote in the city limits of\u00a0Oxford may cast a ballot for Mayor.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your vote on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 will decide the next Mayor of Oxford. Parking on the Square,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6937,"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":[18],"tags":[1405,7083,1399,5,4,1407],"class_list":["post-6988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-government","tag-george-pat-patterson","tag-local-elections","tag-mayor","tag-mississippi","tag-oxford","tag-todd-wade"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/TLV-Cover-181-650.jpg?fit=650%2C390&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6988","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}