Not sure what the Charter Commission is? Hear from candidates on Tuesday

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has a forum for candidates for the Anderson County Charter Commission on Tuesday morning.

It’s the first candidate forum for the November 8 election.

The Charter Commission candidate forum will start at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 20, in the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Joyce Conference Room. It’s free and open to the public.

There are 20 candidates for eight seats on the new Charter Commission. The Tuesday morning forum at the Oak Ridge Chamber will feature candidates from the county’s District 6, District 7, and District 8, which all include parts of Oak Ridge.

There are seven candidates for those three seats:

District 6 (elect one)

• Steve Mead
• Hugh B. Ward Jr.

District 7 (elect one)

• Marjorie Mott Lloyd
• Theresa Scott
• David G. Stanley

District 8 (elect one)

• Kathleen D. Moore
• Bob Smallridge

Among the issues raised during the petition drive to call for the Charter Commission were term limits. But the Charter Commission may or may not consider that issue—or any others. When elected, the charter commissioners will make a decision on what to take on, said Mark Stephens, Anderson County Election Commission administrator. It could be very broad, or not.

Those who sought to have a Charter Commission submitted the required 1,776 signatures—equal to 10 percent of those voting in the last governor’s race in 2014—in a petition on July 1, Stephens said.

It would be the first charter for Anderson County. Only two counties in the state have a charter now: Knox County and Shelby County.

Here are the other candidate forums scheduled by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce:

• Thursday, September 29—Candidates for Oak Ridge Board of Education
• Tuesday, October 18—Candidates for Oak Ridge City Council

Audience members may submit questions in writing at the forums. Questions must be addressed to all candidates. Chamber staff may combine questions of a similar focus or topic. Questions will not be shared with candidates in advance.

The moderator for the forums will be Gene Patterson of Consolidated Nuclear Security, a former news anchor.

For additional information on the forums, visit the Oak Ridge Chamber’s website at www.oakridgechamber.org and click on the Calendar link or contact Greta Ownby at [email protected] or (865) 483-1321.

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