By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com
When 2019 rolls in on Jan. 1, Ben Requet will take off his assistant city planner hat and replace it with that of the city’s Planning Director.
Prior to joining the Oxford Planning Department, he served as the regional sustainability coordinator for the Gulf Regional Planning Commission in Biloxi.
Requet is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and has a Master’s of City and Regional Planning from the University of Memphis. Additionally, Ben serves as the Northern District Representative of the American Planning Association Mississippi Chapter.
The current Planning Director Judy Daniel will be decreasing her role as she begins to prepare for retirement.
Requet said he looks forward to helping guide the path of the town he calls home.
“I love Oxford. It’s the best community in America. I attended the University of Mississippi, it is where I met my wife and my daughter was born here, and so it is home to us as a family,” he said Monday. “As a professional, there is no better feeling than working for the community you love so much.”
Requet praised his fellow colleagues, the mayor and the Board of Aldermen for their support.
“I look forward to the opportunity to make a positive impact on Oxford,” he said.
Also, on Jan. 1, Chris Carter, with the city’s Building Department will be promoted to Senior Building Inspector.
Carter, a native of Oxford, has been with the city for more than 16 years. He holds numerous building certifications including; Residential and Commercial Building, Combination, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Inspector, as well as Building Code Specialist. He is a member of Northeast Mississippi Code Enforcement Association and The Building Officials Association of Mississippi.
“Both Ben and Chris have been valued members of our Planning and Building Departments,” said Mayor Robyn Tannehill in a press release Monday. “They are both critically important to the city’s future success. We are pleased they have agreed to accept more responsibility in our newly created Development Services Department and are certain that their expertise and experience are exactly what is needed to streamline the development services process.”
