2 min read
University of Mississippi associate professor of sociology and international studies Miguel Centellas has officially entered the race for Board of Aldermen, running to represent Ward VI. Centellas, a Democrat and Oxford resident since 2015, will face incumbent Republican Jason Bailey for the seat.
Centellas joins Afton Thomas as the second university employee to enter the race for a seat on the Board of Aldermen. Thomas is running as a Democrat against incumbent Republican Mark Huelse to represent Ward II.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Centellas said he decided to run for the position when the Lafayette County Democratic Party approached him about doing so. He said that although he made the decision to run for office suddenly, he takes it very seriously and felt it was his duty to serve his community.
OXFORD
⢠A recent opinion by the stateâs top legal agency over new residency requirements has now cut short a third candidacy for the Oxford Board of Aldermen.
D. Ryan Grover, a Democratic candidate for the boardâs 3rd Ward, has officially withdrawn from the Democratic primary, according to Oxford Municipal Clerk Ashley Atkinson.
Atkinson did not state a reason for Groverâs withdrawal, but his eligibility was in question because he could not outright prove he had lived in Ward 3 for at least two years, according to records Atkinson presented at a Monday election commission meeting.
The political confusion stems from a recent opinion from Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitchâs Office stating that candidates for ward positions must be residents of the ward they hope to represent for at least two years immediately preceding the date of the election.
4 min read
Afton Thomas, associate director for programs at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, entered the race for a seat on the Oxford Board of Aldermen last week. Running as a Democrat, Thomas will face Republican incumbent Mark Huelse to represent Ward II.
Thomas said she decided to run after being encouraged by members of the community to run based on her involvement with various nonprofit organizations in Lafayette County.
“I was asked, ‘Have you ever considered it?’ and I hadn’t considered it. I said, ‘You know, now you have me thinking about it,’” Thomas said.
OXFORD
⢠Around 12 people have qualified to run for a seat on the Oxford Board of Aldermen, but with only one mayoral candidate right now. Two of cityâs incumbent aldermen, Janice Antonow and Rick Addy, have said they do not intend to run for reelection this year.
In Oxfordâs Ward 1 seat, three people have qualified for the race so far. Harry Alexander, a realtor, qualified to run as an independent candidate. Erin Smith, the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates, and Billy Crews, a development officer for the school of education at the University of Mississippi, both qualified to run Democrats.