Anderson: Barker elected sheriff; incumbents win in Oak Ridge

Russell Barker

Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 3.

Russell Barker, a Republican, won the race for Anderson County sheriff on Thursday, beating Mark Lucas, a Democrat, in a race decided by about 2,000 votes, according to unofficial results.

Meanwhile, four incumbents were re-elected in two Anderson County Commission districts where there was a challenger in Oak Ridge.

Barker is a detective sergeant with the Clinton Police Department who has served as director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County. Lucas is chief deputy of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

Barker had 7,684 votes (57.79 percent), compared to 5,613 votes (42.21 percent) for Lucas, according to the unofficial results posted after all 27 precincts had been counted Thursday night.

Anderson County Sheriff Paul White is retiring at the end of his third four-year term, and he did not seek re-election.

In another contested race, Regina Copeland, the Republican director of the 911 center, defeated Ebony Capshaw, a Democrat, by a 69.74 percent to 30.26 percent margin (8,981 votes to 3,987). The last elected trustee, Rodney Archer, is now executive director of the County Officials Association of Tennessee, and Myron Iwanski, a former county commissioner and commission chair appointed to the trustee job through this August election, did not seek the job in the election.

Four incumbents won in two Anderson County Commission districts where there was a challenger in Oak Ridge. Anderson County Commission races are non-partisan, meaning candidates don’t register as Democrats or Republicans, and two commissioners are elected to four-year terms per district.

The two contested Oak Ridge districts were District 6 and District 7. District 6 includes the Oak Ridge City Hall, Robertsville, and West Hills precincts, and District 7 includes the Highland View, Pine Valley, and Glenwood precincts.

District 6

Steve Mead, an incumbent—740 (37 percent)
Catherine Denenberg, an incumbent—649 (32.45 percent)
Anthony Allen, a challenger—611 (30.55 percent)

District 7

Jerry Creasey, an incumbent—885 (37.85 percent)
Theresa Scott, an incumbent—784 (33.53 percent)
Jimmy Bouchard, a challenger—669 (28.61 percent)

The two incumbents in District 8, Bob Smallridge and Phil Yager, were unopposed in their runs for re-election on Anderson County Commission. District 8 is also in Oak Ridge, and it includes the Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland precincts.

There was one upset in the Anderson County Commission races. Incumbent Philip Warfield was defeated in District 3, where he finished third behind new commissioners Joshua Anderson and Denver Waddell. Steve Emert, a former commission chair who unsuccessfully ran for mayor in the Anderson County Republican Party primary in May, did not seek re-election as a commissioner in this district, which includes the Andersonville, Fairview, Glen Alpine, and Norris precincts. There was another candidate in this race, John Meyer, and he finished fourth.

There was also a new commissioner elected in District 2, where Commissioner Mark Alderson did not seek re-election. Incumbent Rick Meredith was re-elected, and he will be joined in that district by Robert A. Jameson. David W. Queener finished third in this race, which includes the Clinton, North Clinton, and South Clinton precincts.

In District 1, incumbents Chuck Fritts and Tracy Wandell were both re-relected to four-year terms, beating four challengers: Felicia Foust, Floyd E. Grisham, Avery Johnson, and Tim Risden. District 1 includes the Claxton and Bull Run precincts.

Incumbents also won re-election in District 4 (Tim Isbel, the current commission chair, and J. Shain Vowell) and District 5 (Robert McKamey and Jerry White). Finishing third in District 4 was Tabitha Duncan Harmon, and third in District 5 was Chris Silver. District 4 includes the Briceville, Clinton Middle, Lake City Middle, Rocky Top, and Rosedale precincts. District 5 includes Clinton High, Dutch Valley, Marlow, and Norwood.

In state races, Richard Dawson of Clinton beat Nathaniel Varner of Oak Ridge in the contested Democratic primary for Tennessee House of Representatives, District 33, which includes most of Anderson County, including Oak Ridge. Dawson, who had 2,394 votes compared to 670 for Varner, will face the incumbent, Republican John Ragan of Oak Ridge, in the November 6 election.

Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally, an incumbent Oak Ridge Republican, had no opposition in the Republican primary election for Tennessee Senate, Fifth District, and he will face Democrat Stuart Starr in November.

Some county races, including the campaign for Anderson County mayor and circuit court clerk, were essentially decided in the May 1 Republican Party primary. Incumbent Mayor Terry Frank, who received 9,008 votes in the election on Thursday, had no Democratic opponent on the ballot, although she had a write-in challenger, Donnie Rosenbalm, a Democrat. Rosenbalm received 944 votes Thursday. It will be Frank’s second full four-year term as mayor. She served a special two-year term starting in August 2012 after former Anderson County Mayor Rex Lynch resigned and Iwanski temporarily served as interim mayor.

There were also write-in candidates in the race for circuit court clerk. Lynch, who was on Thursday’s ballot, defeated the current officeholder, William Jones, in the May 1 primary, and Lynch received 8,502 votes in the August 2 general election. He had two write-in opponents, Robbie Fulton and Alden Souza. Fulton, a Republican, received 1,147 votes Thursday, and Souza, a Democrat, received 568.

Republican Jeff Cole, the incumbent Anderson County clerk, beat a challenger, Leesa Arowood, in the May 1 primary, and he was unopposed in the general election on Thursday.

Republican Tim Shelton, the incumbent Anderson County register of deeds, beat a challenger, Michael Foster, in the May 1 primary, and he was also unopposed Thursday.

Road Superintendent Gary Long, a Republican, was unopposed in both the May primary and Thursday’s general election.

Benjamin J. Stephens II, appointed in March to fill an Oak Ridge Board of Education seat vacated by Bob Eby, who is now on the state board, was elected to serve through the November 6 election. Stephens had no opposition Thursday.

A few other races were also uncontested: Anderson County School Board District 6 (Christopher Gillenwaters) and District 7 (Don A. Bell).

The total number of voters in the Anderson County general election and state and federal primaries, including absentee and early voting and Election Day voting on Thursday, August 2, was 14,079.

On July 28, the Anderson County Election Commission said 7,888 people voted early in 14 days of early voting. That compared to 8,670 four years ago, in 2014. Republicans had 5,347 early votes, and Democrats had 2,426.

You can see the August 2 election results here.

See our story on the May 1 primary here.

You can see our previous story on candidates here.

See our 2018 election coverage here.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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