Early voting began this morning for the Aug. 2 county general election and state and federal primary elections.
There are three early voting locations in Anderson County, one in Oak Ridge, a second in Clinton, and a third in Andersonville.
Roane, Oak Ridge candidate forum tonight
The second of two political forums this week will feature Roane County candidates for property assessor, road superintendent, and school board districts five and six, as well as candidates for Oak Ridge City Council.
The forum starts at 7 p.m. today in the Oak Ridge Civic Center A-B Room.
Anderson County Democrats have rally, picnic tonight
Ridge City Ramblers
Anderson County Democrats are having a public rally and picnic at 6:30 p.m. today to celebrate the start of early voting Friday.
The rally and picnic have been moved from Gibbs Ferry Park to the Claxton Elementary School cafeteria because of the weather.
Letter: Gooch the only logical choice for mayor
To the Editor:
During a 1980 Presidential debate, candidate Ronald Reagan famously said to President Jimmy Carter, “There you go again,” changing that election completely.
That’s exactly how I felt when I read Alex Moseley’s letter to the editor. Alex, there you go again, trying to turn an important local election here in Anderson County into some great referendum on the liberal/conservative divide.
Candidates: Tax incentives not a ‘silver bullet,’ a ‘last resort’
Terry Frank
Warren Gooch
Like their counterparts running for Oak Ridge City Council, the two candidates running for Anderson County mayor disagreed on the use of tax incentives to assist commercial developments.
Warren Gooch, an Oak Ridge Democrat, said one type of tax incentive known as tax increment financing, or TIF, is “a tool that can be used to spur retail development.”
It has been used in Oak Ridge to help the developers of Woodland Town Center, a commercial project on South Illinois Avenue that will include an Aubrey’s restaurant and Panera Bread.
Council candidates differ on tax incentives, high school debt
Chuck Hope
Trina Baughn
One candidate seemed more willing than the other to use tax incentives to spur commercial development in Oak Ridge, but neither appeared ready to build a senior center.
A difference also emerged between the two Oak Ridge City Council candidates, Chuck Hope and Trina Baughn, on paying off the debt on the $66 million renovation of the city’s high school.
Hope, owner of Chuck’s Car Care Center, called the question over whether higher Anderson County sales tax revenues should be used to help pay that debt the “800-pound gorilla in the room.”
“That’s our biggest divide,” he said. Sales tax revenues in Oak Ridge need to be increased to help solve the problem, Hope said.
Congressman Ryan endorses Rep. Fleischmann for re-election
Chuck Fleischmann
Paul Ryan, a top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, has endorsed Rep. Chuck Fleischmann in his re-election campaign, the congressman announced Tuesday.
Ryan is a Wisconsin Republican and chairman of the House Budget Committee who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate. He is perhaps most well-known for developing a budget plan supported by Republicans and bashed by Democrats.
Candidates forum at Clinton Community Center tonight
The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has a forum tonight for Anderson County and Oak Ridge political candidates.
The forum starts at 7 p.m. at the Clinton Community Center. It will feature candidates for Anderson County mayor, property assessor, County Commission District 8, School Board District 3, and Oak Ridge City Council.
Education could be key battleground in Tennessee House race
Clinton High School English teacher DeWayne Emert, left, announces that a Tennessee Education Association organization has endorsed Democrat Jim Hackworth, center, in his campaign for the state House of Representatives. Also pictured is Ryan Mackay, Tennessee Democratic Party deputy field director.
CLINTON — Education could be one of the key battlegrounds in Anderson County’s hotly contested race for Tennessee House of Representatives.
This week, Democratic candidate Jim Hackworth said teachers are unhappy with changes made during the past few years and are “tired of being treated like second-class citizens.
“They want someone who will listen to them and ask them what they think to improve education,” said Hackworth, a former four-term legislator who is trying to take back his old seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Tennessee House candidates allege legal violations, desperate attacks
Former Tennessee legislator Jim Hackworth, a Clinton Democrat, left, and Ryan Mackay, Tennessee Democratic Party deputy field director, question whether Rep. John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, is following state law for campaign websites and literature.
Former Tennessee legislator Jim Hackworth this week accused his campaign opponent, Rep. John Ragan, of violating state ethics and finance laws, but Ragan said Hackworth was engaging in “desperate attacks.”
On Monday, Hackworth said Ragan’s campaign website violated state ethics and finance laws because it included his official office phone number and state e-mail address. By Tuesday morning, Ragan had removed that contact information, although he said including it was not illegal and he had removed it as a courtesy to Hackworth, a constituent.
That didn’t seem to satisfy Hackworth.
Rep. Ragan changes campaign website after Hackworth questions legality
John Ragan
Tennessee Rep. John Ragan has removed his official office phone number and state e-mail address from his campaign website after his opponent, Jim Hackworth, said that including the information violated state law.
On Monday, Hackworth, a former state representative trying to take back his old House seat in November, said Ragan’s website violated state ethics and finance laws because it directs voters to contact Ragan at his official office phone number and state e-mail address.
Democrats, Republicans joust over jobs
There are fewer people working in Anderson County than at the beginning of the year, and Rep. John Ragan isn’t doing enough to create and keep jobs in Tennessee, a state Democratic Party official said.
“While jobs are leaving Anderson County, Mr. Ragan continues to put on a show for voters because he has nothing to show for his time in office,” Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said in a blog post last week. “These are the consequences of partisan politics–a legislature that is focused on protecting schoolyard bullies instead of putting Tennesseans back to work.”
But in an e-mailed response, Ragan said the state’s unemployment rate is moving in the right direction, and the Tennessee General Assembly has passed critical pro-job legislation during the past two years.
“We have lowered taxes for all Tennesseans, cut needless business regulations, fought to end frivolous lawsuits, and passed landmark education reform,” said Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican.
