Roane property assessor candidate withdraws from race

Cheryl Laxton, a candidate for Roane County property assessor, has announced she is ending her campaign. Her primary reason, according to a press release last week, was the health concerns of her mother.

“Everyone knows that I come from a very close and tight-knit family,” Laxton said. “My mother now has a serious illness which will require constant and continuous care and supervision. My mother is the most important thing in the world to me, and I look forward to being able to take care of her.”

Although the deadline has passed to remove her name from the ballot, Laxton is suspending all campaign activities, according to the press release.

She has endorsed David Morgan, another candidate for property assessor.

“I want to publicly thank Mrs. Laxton for her support and endorsement, and wish her and her family well,” Morgan said. “I look forward to working with her.”

Separately, Teresa Kirkham, the current property assessor, has reportedly  suspended her campaign for a week after one of the candidates, James Thomas Woods Jr., fatally shot himself in Kirkham’s front yard in Kingston. Woods was a former employee of the Roane County Property Assessor’s Office.

The other candidate in the race is Steven Robinette.