Anderson County mayoral race could be most expensive ever

CLINTON—The two candidates for Anderson County mayor have raised and spent a total of about $175,000 since April, possibly making it the most expensive race ever, county officials said.

And the two candidates, Democrat Warren Gooch and Republican Terry Frank, are running to serve only two years, or half a regular term.

“I think that’s unprecedented,” Anderson County Election Commission Administrator Mark Stephens said Tuesday.

The latest financial disclosures filed by the campaigns last week show that Gooch continues to raise and spend more money than Frank. Gooch raised $19,332 in contributions from July 1 to July 23, roughly double Frank’s $9,685.

Gooch also loaned his campaign $40,000, giving him a total of $61,518 in receipts.

Frank, meanwhile, loaned her campaign another $20,743, leaving her with an outstanding loan balance of $30,428. The total of her receipts in the 23-day period was $30,429, about half of Gooch’s.

Gooch also spent about 50 percent more than Frank, roughly $61,500 compared to $42,525 for Frank.

Gooch had 61 contributions of more than $100 in the last reporting period before the Aug. 2 election.

Among the top contributors to his campaign this election are:

• Samantha Clapp of Clinton, who has donated $1,400;
• businessman Keith Clotfelter of Jacksboro, who has donated $1,400;
• Joseph A. Hollingsworth of Clinton, chief executive officer of the Hollingsworth Companies, who has contributed $1,400;
• Loong K. Yong of Knoxville, president of Spectra Tech, who has given $1,400;
• Rick Meredith of Clinton, senior vice president of the Hollingsworth Companies, who has contributed $1,200;
• attorney Michael S. Farley of Clinton, who has given $1,000;
• Lauren Hollingsworth of Clinton, businesswoman at the Hollingsworth Companies, who has also given $1,000;
• retiree Millard V. Oakley of Livingston, Tenn., who has donated $1,000;
• Plumbers and Pipefitters of Nashville, which has donated $1,000; and
• Three Star PAC of Chattanooga, which has contributed $1,000.

Frank had 18 contributions of more than $100 in the most recent reporting period.

Among her top contributors this election are:

• her mother Anne Phillips of Clinton, who has contributed $2,800;
• Eileen Slater of Clinton, who is self-employed and has donated $2,800;
• physician David Stanley of Oak Ridge, who has also donated $2,800;
• insurance adjuster Brian Frank of Smyrna, who has contributed $1,400;
• stay-at-home mom Tracre Frank of Smyrna, who also contributed $1,400; and
• Shelia Rimel of Oak Ridge, who has given $1,000.

Gooch’s top expenses were $35,490 to Team Blue Politics Inc. of Washington, D.C., for consulting, payroll, cable television advertising, and media production; $3,887 to the Knoxville News Sentinel for direct mail; and $3,360 to The Lamar Companies of Knoxville for advertising and artwork.

Frank’s top expenditures were $29,529 to Majority Strategies of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., for mail and advertising; $6,851 to Comcast of Chattanooga for advertising, and $2,176 to The Oak Ridger, also for advertising.

Oak Ridge Today previously reported that Gooch raised three to four times as much as Frank and spent about four times as much as her in the three-month period between April and June.

Whoever wins the Aug. 2 election will complete the unexpired term of former Anderson County Mayor Rex Lynch, who resigned in January 2011 after he was indicted on sales tax fraud charges. The winner will serve through August 2014, when a new mayor will be elected to serve a regular four-year term.