The three incumbent Oak Ridge City Council members—L. Charles “Charlie” Hensley, Charles J. “Chuck” Hope Jr., and Ellen Smith—have picked up qualifying petitions to run in the Nov. 6 election, and Trina Baughn, the first-time candidate defeated days ago in the Aug. 2 special election, plans to run again in November.
Also qualifying to run in November is Kelly S. Callison, who sought an appointment to City Council after former member Tom Hayes resigned in June 2011.
There are three seats available. They are the seats now held by Hensley, Hope, and Smith. Hope was appointed to the position after Hayes resigned.
Meanwhile, former Oak Ridge City Council member Leonard Abbatiello has picked up a petition to run for school board, and the two incumbents, Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer, have also picked up petitions, said Stephanie Gamble, Anderson County Election Commission deputy administrator.
She said Oak Ridge City Judge Robert A. McNees III has also qualified to run in November.
Hensley is completing his first four-year term on the City Council, and he is the council’s representative on the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission.
Hope owns Chuck’s Car Care Center, and he is a former chair of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
Smith is also completing her first four-year term, and she is a former chair of the Oak Ridge Environmental Quality Advisory Board.
Baughn is a communications professional and blogger who has questioned school system spending.
Callison is the chief operating officer for Information International Associates, and he is vice chair of the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission.
Fillauer is chair of the Oak Ridge Board of Education, and Agle is treasurer.
Abbatiello has often pressed for more information on school system budgets, particularly pushing for details on long-term financial planning.
Lake City and Norris also have municipal elections this fall, and Clinton voters could consider a charter amendment that would move the city’s elections from December of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years, Anderson County Election Commission Administrator Mark Stephens said.
Oak Ridge made a similar change a few years ago, moving elections from June of odd-numbered years to November of even-numbered years, when they coincide with state and federal general elections. The charter change in Oak Ridge had the effect of extending the terms of City Council and Board of Education members by 18 months.
Hayes resigned at the end of what would have been the completion of a four-year term in June 2011.
Hope’s appointment to fill Hayes’ seat lasted through this year’s Aug. 2 special election.
Hope won a three-month term in that election and will now serve through November.
Winners in the three council races in November will serve regular four-year terms.
Tl says
It is important for citizens to attend all city council meetings and ask hard questions.
Confront the council members on the street and ask them their positions on programs, debt, red light cameras, etc.
The city is at a crossroads, like America, and throwing money at problems doesn’t help.
We are $178,000,000 in debt, which will increase by $20,000,000 as the sewer project proceeds. Your sewer and water bill has increased by at least 40% and one third of the home owners will have to foot the cost of replacing their sewer lines.
Ipersonally believe the red light cameras have done nothing to decrease the accident rates in the city. They have caused hundreds of people to by pass OR to shop elsewhere. They have caused many not to move here and many to leave.
Hensley, Miller, and Beehan voted for them with the promise to look at the statistics a year later and vote to remove them if they were not effective. The only thing they have been effective for is putting money in the general fund and pissing off people.