Tannehill jokes that she was “the only person crazy enough” to seek the top job in what she calls “a booming small town that’s becoming a small city.” In office, she’s had to grapple with a number of major issues, including town-gown relations. (The students at Ole Miss almost outnumber the residents of the town itself.) She implemented monthly meetings between the university, Oxford and the county. She’s working to make sure that, as the school grows, it’s building enough housing and parking.
All the while, she’s leaning into her role as a woman in charge. “I get accused very often of thinking I’m the mom of the town instead of the mayor of the town,” she says. “There’s some truth to that. I take that as a compliment.”
