Engineer, Army veteran, community volunteer running for City Council

Hans Vogel, current vice chair of the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, is running for one of three seats on the Oak Ridge City Council in the November 8 election.

Vogel is also a member of the Board of Directors for Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties, or ADFAC, and he is a graduate of the Leadership Oak Ridge 2015 class, a press release said.

He is also an engineer and Army veteran, according to the press release.

The release said Vogel has a strong vision for the city of Oak Ridge that centers around working together to achieve a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable community where people choose to live, work, and play.

“Oak Ridge has unlimited potential if the City Council, business community, and Department of Energy can join together with our citizens to address community priorities,” Vogel said in the release. “In order to achieve this goal, the city must have a plan.”

The release said Vogel has 22 years experience working with Battelle, the U.S. Department of Energy contractor responsible for operating national laboratories around the country. His career has been split between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the field of operations, and he has worked on large construction projects both in the United States and overseas.

Vogel has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and a master’s degree in environmental engineering. He is also an Army veteran, having earned a Bronze Star for Meritorious Service in Combat during Operation Desert Storm, the press release said.

It said Vogel has practical experience making and executing plans.

“Throughout his successful professional career, he has championed the need to have realistic plans, develop achievable goals, and look to the future in order to obtain the growth necessary to turn visions into realities,” the release said.

Vogel’s campaign for City Council will focus on improving quality of life in the community by creating a business friendly environment, attracting jobs, developing better housing, and increasing tax revenues so community priorities can be addressed, the release said.

Developing the East Tennessee Technology Park and ensuring the new Main Street Oak Ridge project is a success that represents two solid steps toward meeting this goal that Vogel has already advanced through his work on the Planning Commission, the release said.

Also, “continued strong support for our school system will attract young families to Oak Ridge and spur on the growth and development needed to achieve fiscal responsibility,” Vogel said.

He also said he thinks that an important aspect of the city’s responsibilies is to “improve our community’s environmental image by protecting our ground water, expanding our greenways, and helping to complete the cleanup of legacy waste (that) will draw further interest from businesses, home buyers, and visitors to our community. We can explore these options without compromising our community history.”

Vogel and Dana, his wife of 27 years, have two college-age sons.

Cande Seay is the campaign treasurer.

To learn more, send an email to [email protected] or [email protected], or visit the Hans Vogel for City Council page on Facebook.

Besides Vogel, other candidates who have announced so far include Oak Ridge High School student Mark LeNoir, Jefferson Middle School teacher Jim Dodson, business owner and current Council member Chuck Hope, and construction superintendent Joe Lee. It’s not clear yet if two other incumbents, Trina Baughn and Charlie Hensley, will seek re-election. You can see our complete coverage in our 2016 Election section.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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