Oak Ridge Today

Letter: Eby a valuable resource to schools, community

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

Bob Eby has served as both a member and chairman of the Oak Ridge Board of Education. During most of his time on the Board, I was employed as superintendent of the Oak Ridge Schools, which gave me the opportunity to work closely with Bob on many school-related issues.

Bob was a tremendous help in responding to problems and decisions facing the Oak Ridge Schools at the time. His leadership and guidance were invaluable to the Board and certainly to me as superintendent of schools.

Bob has strong private-sector experience including excellent organizational skills which were, and continue to be, very helpful in analyzing and deciding issues facing the schools. [Read more…]

Letter: Smith informed, intelligent, civil, sensible

Posted at
By 1 Comment

To the Editor:

Oak Ridgers are fortunate in having a candidate of the caliber of Ellen Smith willing to once again serve on City Council, where, between 2007 and 2012, we benefited greatly from her wise, intelligent, and highly informed voice.

In addition to her service on Council, Ellen has long been involved in community affairs, and has participated in local government. This, plus her professional background, has made her a strong and consistent advocate for protecting the environmental values of lands and waters of the city and of the Oak Ridge Reservation.

Her activities have also given her a broad understanding of governmental matters additional to the diverse environmental issues and concerns that face Oak Ridge. She is committed to be part of a community leadership that recognizes the challenges we face and makes choices that maximize our assets and opportunities. [Read more…]

Letter: Congressional debate, candidate answers available online

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

Oak Ridge voters in the Third Congressional District might like to know that they can view the Monday night, October 27, debate between Rep. Chuck Fleischmann and Dr. Mary Headrick at https://www.facebook.com/EastTennesseePBS.

Voters might also like to see answers from City Council and School Board candidates to questions asked of them by DFET (Democracy for East Tennessee) following the Candidates’ Reception sponsored by the group on October 9 in Oak Ridge at www.dfet.org.

DFET Executive Committee:

Tom Burns, Leslie Agron, Joan Cassens, Virginia Jones

Oak Ridge

Letter: Fleischmann a good fit for Third District

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

I have known Chuck Fleischmann for over five years and know him to be a good family man and a person of integrity. Chuck Fleischmann has served nearly three terms in the United States House of Representatives and has never strayed from his conservative values. He has voted in a fashion that fits the values of the majority of the Third District of Tennessee. Chuck, quite simply, is a good fit for the district.

Chuck opposes amnesty, votes to protect the Second Amendment, and supports the free market. He has repeatedly championed our free enterprise system. Chuck is a committed conservative, which can be seen in his voting record.

His commitment to veterans can be seen in the three new Veteran’s Affairs clincs in our district. [Read more…]

Letter: Proud of Progress PAC endorsement, positive campaign

Posted at
By 8 Comments

To the Editor:

I read the article in Wednesday’s The Oak Ridger where the reporter contacted the five candidates who were not endorsed by the Progress PAC for comments. I wonder why The Oak Ridger did not contact all the candidates.

Either way, I found most comments professional, and in particular Mike Mahathy’s and Jean Hiser’s and in general Andrew Howe’s. Both Andrew Howe’s and Laurie Paine’s, however, referenced me so I feel necessary to respond. [Read more…]

Letter: Questions candidate’s criticism of Library

Posted at
By 1 Comment

To the editor:

Sadly, as a voter I have come to accept a certain amount of hyperbole, half-truths, and skewed statistics from candidates for federal and state offices. I’m sorry to see it reach our municipal election.

I’m talking specifically about the candidate for City Council, Doc Savara, whose platform and door-to-door campaign includes sharp criticism of the Oak Ridge Public Library, the library director, and staff. He alleges inefficient use of taxpayer dollars, bloated fees, and over-staffing, and he bases his findings on a check of national statistics and a story he has heard from a library patron who obviously had an unhappy experience. [Read more…]

Letter: Callison appreciates Progress PAC endorsement

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Kelly Callison

Kelly Callison

To the Editor:

I appreciate the endorsement from the Progress PAC and the support from a broad range of residents.

As I have campaigned across the city from Glenwood to West Hills to Woodland, the concerns are the same as those of the PAC: the desire for exceptional schools, quality housing, and retail and industrial growth. These are the things Oak Ridgers are concerned about, and I intend to focus on these issues and bring the city together to move in a positive direction.

Kelly Callison

Oak Ridge City Council candidate

Letter: Baughn endorses Garcia Garland

Posted at
By 14 Comments

Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

To the Editor:

This election cycle, some candidates have characterized City Council deliberations as combative or regressive. The truth is, however, that of the hundreds of decisions made every year by City Council, the majority are made by unanimous vote. The same is true of the Board of Education and our boards and commissions.

A well-balanced government should not be stacked with all like-minded people whose primary goal is to achieve harmony. Some might argue that unanimity, which should not be mistaken for progress, is what has gotten us into many of the messes we are in. No, an elected body should allow for all voices to have the opportunity to be heard and considered. [Read more…]

Letter: Oak Ridge needs Chinn’s perspective, expertise

Posted at
By 1 Comment

To the Editor:

Although I have never written an endorsement for any political candidates, I feel sincerely compelled to at this time.

Twenty-five years ago, I moved my family to Oak Ridge. I was not born here, had no family members here, nor did I relocate due to a job transfer or employment contract. I moved my family to this beautiful city for I desired to live in this community. I voluntarily chose Oak Ridge.

I started a business almost 24 years ago and earlier this year sold that business and am presently thoroughly enjoying retirement. Oak Ridge has been good to me and my family and God favored me over this past quarter of a century. And having the advantage of being a local business person, I want to cast my ballot in this year’s City Council election for Rick Chinn. [Read more…]

Letter: Paine the best candidate for school board

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

Laurie Paine is, by far, the best candidate for the Oak Ridge Board of Education. She’s loyal and fights hard for what she believes in.

I’ve witnessed first-hand her diligence in fighting to get the bus routes reinstated for children living closer to school. Her oldest daughter lost her life riding her bike home from school. It’s because of that tragedy that she fights harder and more diligently than anyone else. She’s determined and committed to do whatever’s necessary to ensure our children’s safety.

Rumors have spread about mistakes she’s made in the past. While other candidates seem focused on people’s faults, Laurie continues to press forward in fighting for people’s best interests. Sure, she’s made her fair share of mistakes, but who hasn’t. Often times we learn more by making mistakes. I believe that Laurie’s past has made her even more determined and focused to create a better and safer future for our kids. [Read more…]

Letter: Paine the right candidate for school board

Posted at
By 13 Comments

To the Editor:

We are writing this letter in support of Laurie Paine, who is running for the Oak Ridge Board of Education. We have two children who attended Oak Ridge schools and are now pursuing college educations. We feel Ms. Paine has many excellent qualities that she can offer to the community by serving on the Board of Education.

Among those qualities would be her educational and work background. Ms. Paine has experience in both accounting and project management. As a project manager for several companies, Ms. Paine has worked with large budgets. She was the senior project manager for one company. We know personally that Ms. Paine is familiar with the Oak Ridge Schools budget as she has done research and has attended BOE budget meetings in the past. The tools she has gained with her business experience will prove to be invaluable in the budget deliberation process and other financial decisions the BOE must vote on. If elected, Ms. Paine will see to it that ORS and the BOE have financial accountability and transparency.

Secondly, Ms. Paine cares about Oak Ridge children and wants to make them a priority. Ms. Paine states that currently 47 percent of Oak Ridge students come from financially disadvantaged families. She wants to ensure that these students and all Oak Ridge students are given equal opportunities in our school system. She will work to fairly allocate resources to benefit all students, and she especially wants to give hope and a voice to those children with limited financial resources. [Read more…]

Letter: Democrats represented Oak Ridge more years than Republicans

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

To the Editor:

Although many in Oak Ridge assume that only a Republican can further the interests of Oak Ridge nationally, it is interesting to note that from the formative years of Oak Ridge until 1963, the Third Congressional District was represented by a Democrat.

From 1963-1975, District 3 had Republican representation.Then for the next 20 years, from 1975 until 1995, it was represented by a Democrat, who happened to be a woman.

All in all, Oak Ridge and District 3 has had Democratic representation for 44 years and Republican representation for a total of 23 years. We’ve had Democrats represent us for almost twice as long as we have had Republicans in Washington.

There is no reason to think that a Democrat cannot serve the Third District well.

Virginia M. Jones

Oak Ridge