She was the first to pick up a petition and the first to qualify for the 2016 ballot, and now Anne Garcia Garland, a former Oak Ridge City Council member, has formally announced her desire to serve again, a press release said. She’s running for one of three seats on the seven-member Council in the November 8 election.

In the press release, Garcia Garland said she has no business or political agenda, only a continuing desire “to be responsive and accountable to the citizens and help this city thrive.”

She said her primary goals for the city are to:

1. seek a clear return on investment in commercial and industrial development outlays,
2. focus on what the community does exceedingly well in education and city management,
3. develop an equitable relationship with U.S. Department of Energy headquarters, and
4. publicize the extraordinary assets the city already enjoys to a much wider audience of prospective residents and visitors.

Garcia Garland said she works affably with corporate, government, and private organizations. She is active in the League of Women Voters, the American Association of University Women, United Church Chapel on the Hill, and the NAACP. Before retiring, she and her husband T.J. Garland established Noble Metals Inc., a small business that recycles metal scrap and continues to employ local workers. [Read more…]