Iwanski
Interim Anderson County Mayor Myron Iwanski has announced that he will seek re-election to Anderson County Commission in District 8, which now includes the Woodland, Emory Valley, and Hendrix Creek precincts.
Iwanski is a former Anderson County commissioner who served as chairman of the commission for three terms. He has also served 14 years on the Anderson County Budget Committee.
Gooch
Warren Gooch, who is running for Anderson County Mayor, opens his campaign headquarters on Thursday. The public has been invited to a reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at 25 East Tennessee Ave.
Gooch, an attorney and business leader, is seeking the County Mayor’s office in a special election for a two-year term on August 2. Early voting in the special election begins July 13 and continues through July 28.
Congressmen Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., and Doc Hastings, R-Wash., talk to the media before a Friday tour of the three local U.S. Department of Energy sites.
During a brief press conference this morning, Congressmen Chuck Fleischmann and Doc Hastings said they are advocating for more money for cleanup work at U.S. Department of Energy sites and a Manhattan Project National Historical Park that could include Oak Ridge and Hanford.
The Manhattan Project was a top-secret federal program to build the world’s first atomic weapons during World War II.
“There’s so much history that was involved in what we did,” said Hastings, a Washington Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources.
The day after President Barack Obama announced his support for gay marriage, U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann announced his opposition.
“I could not disagree more with the president’s support for gay marriage,” said Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican whose district includes Oak Ridge. “Marriage is the union of one man and one woman, period. This principle has been the bedrock of our Judeo-Christian family values, and stable families remain the key to a healthy society.”
U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings will visit Oak Ridge on Friday, and he and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann will tour the East Tennessee Technology Park, Y-12 National Security Complex, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Jim Hackworth
Former Tennessee Rep. Jim Hackworth has officially announced he wants to take back his old seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat, is running against Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, in Tennessee’s 33rd District, which includes most of Anderson County.
Running for his first political office, Ragan beat Hackworth, a four-term legislator, two years ago in the November 2010 election, when Republicans gained power across the country.
Congressman Chuck Fleischmann recently voted for the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012.
The Sportsmen’s Heritage Act, which is supported by the National Rifle Association and more than 35 conservation groups, removes restrictions on hunting and fishing on public lands. This act also prevents the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from barring the use of certain types of traditional ammunition.
“As a member of the NRA, I fully believe that Americans should be able to hunt and fish recreationally free from the overreach of government bureaucrats,” said Fleischmann, whose district includes Oak Ridge. “From the founding of our nation to the settling of the West, the right of citizens to hunt and fish on wild land has been a hallmark of our American identity.”
Trina Baughn
In her first run for an elected office, Oak Ridge City Council candidate Trina Baughn said she would like to cap the city’s debt, cut the property tax rate, and help attract industry.
Baughn, a 38-year-old communications professional and consultant, said the city ought to have a debt ceiling and debt reduction plan.
Oak Ridge resident Pat Fain is having a Friday night meet-and-talk session with Mary Headrick, one of two Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in Tennessee’s Third Congressional District.
The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at 926 W. Outer Drive, is open to all Democrats interested in learning more about the candidates in the Aug. 2 primary.
Warren Gooch, the Democratic candidate for Anderson County mayor, talks to Claxton residents Carol Brown, left, and Kathy Martin, center, after a Tuesday evening forum at Claxton Elementary School.
CLAXTON—Warren Gooch has a time-honored, easy-to-remember campaign promise. “I will not raise taxes,” he’s proclaimed on billboards alongside busy roads in Anderson County.
It’s a message that Gooch, the Democratic candidate for Anderson County mayor, continued to deliver this week, this time in person, during a Tuesday evening forum at Claxton Elementary School. It was the first of four forums Gooch has scheduled this month.
“Raising taxes is simply not an option,” said Gooch, a 60-year-old Oak Ridge attorney.
Gooch points out that there was already a significant property tax rate increase in Anderson County last year to help pay for projects that include a jail expansion, new alternative school, and the purchase of industrial land.
Also, the current economic recovery is very fragile, Gooch said.
Warren Gooch, a Democrat who is running for Anderson County Mayor, has several public forums this week.
The first will be on Tuesday, April 3rd, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at Claxton Elementary School Cafeteria.
The rest are as follows:
Information from warrengooch.com.
