Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch is seeking a fifth two-year term as mayor. Gooch has asked the other six members of Oak Ridge City Council to re-appoint him to that position on Monday. He is the only council member seeking to be appointed mayor.
Meanwhile, there are two candidates for mayor pro tem, which is like vice mayor. Council members Jim Dodson and Chuck Hope have both asked to be appointed to that position.
The council member who had been mayor pro tem, Rick Chinn, did not seek re-election in November after two four-year terms on council.
In his letter of intent for mayor, Gooch said Oak Ridge is headed in the right direction, with good news across the city from Elza Gate in the east to The Preserve in the west.
“For the last eight years, I have worked to be a consensus builder with each of you, the Board of Education, and city staff to move our city forward and to set ambitious but obtainable goals for the future,” Gooch said. “I will continue to promote a commitment to excellence in our schools and city services and a sense of urgency in achieving our objectives.”
Gooch said he will continue to delegate responsibilities and appoint council members to lead specific initiatives based upon their personal interests and council priorities.
“This governance model works for Oak Ridge, and we need to build on its success,” said Gooch, who was elected to a third four-year term on council in November.
Gooch said the city has completed several projects and achieved long-term goals, but there is more work to do.
“I continue to believe that an exceptional city must be welcoming, its citizens forward-thinking, compassionate, engaged, and committed to excellence,” Gooch said.
In his letter of intent, Dodson, who unsuccessfully ran for the Tennessee House of Representatives this fall, said the past year has been “very rewarding as I’ve had the unique opportunity to speak with many groups regarding what Oak Ridge citizens feel are important issues affecting their lives. I am appreciative and humbled by the local businesses and individuals who supported me and helped me to expand my connections across the county and the state.”
Dodson, an art teacher at Jefferson Middle School, said he has been a teacher for 36 years and a volunteer with many local nonprofit social service, education, and arts organizations.
“I have enjoyed and have been honored to represent the City of Oak Ridge as a councilman throughout our community,” said Dodson, who is in the middle of his second four-year term on council.
He said he would continue to be “strongly engaged” as mayor pro tem.
In his letter of intent, Hope, who is in his third full term on council, said he has the experience to fill the mayor pro tem position after more than 11 years on the city’s legislative body.
“I will continue to work closely with my fellow council members to keep moving the city forward,” Hope said.
In Oak Ridge, the daily responsibilities of operating the city are delegated to a city manager, who is selected by the seven council members, who include the mayor and mayor pro tem. The mayor and mayor pro tem cast votes during City Council decisions, and the mayor—or mayor pro tem when the mayor is not available—leads City Council meetings, signs ordinances and resolutions, and serves as the ceremonial head of the city, among other duties.
Monday’s City Council meeting will start at 7 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Municipal Building Courtroom. You can see the agenda here.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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