MAYOR ON A MISSION Photography and Article by Steven Gagliano
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he was the woman behind the original Double Decker Arts Festival, she has served as an Alderman for four years, and now, Robyn Tannehill has been inaugurated as the Mayor of Oxford. In her inaugural address on June 29, Tannehill called upon the community to join her in entering a new era in Oxford. Come Together “A mayor and seven board members can’t do it by themselves. It takes buy-in from every member of this community. I believe in Oxford. I believe that we have proven ourselves, that in tough times we all come together and when we face a challenge together; we defeat it. So, I invite you to join in this mission of making Oxford better than we’ve ever seen before.” It’s no secret that Oxford’s growth has been a topic of conversation around town
over the past few years, and while it must be dealt with, Tannehill knows that things could be worse. While managing growth, she wants to ensure Oxford retains the sense of community it’s come to be known for. Growth Is Good “When growth is your biggest challenge, you shouldn’t complain. We have good problems in Oxford,” Tannehill said. We’re doing a great job of putting ordinances, zoning, and land development codes in place to protect the architecture and look of Oxford. I’m just as passionate about protecting the sense of community, and that’s harder to do. You can’t write an ordinance to protect the sense of community, so that’s something that I’m going to spend a lot of time focusing on.” Tannehill takes over for outgoing Mayor Pat Patterson, who decided not to seek re-election after spending 16 years in Visit hottytoddy.com for news, arts, sports, and fun! | 11