Oak Ridge Today

Norris Bulletin to host candidate forum at ACHS

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Information from WYSH Radio

All of the candidates in the upcoming Democratic and Republican contested primary elections scheduled for May 6 are being invited to a public forum to be hosted by The Norris Bulletin and moderated by publisher Jack Mitchell. The event will be held next Thursday, April 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium of Anderson County High School.

Unopposed candidates are also invited and, after a brief introduction, will be given an opportunity to make a brief statement, but they will not participate in the question and answer session of the forum.

For each of the contested primaries, candidates will be granted two to three minutes for an opening statement, after which 20 minutes will be allocated to a question and answer session where the moderator will pose four questions to each candidate, who will have two minutes to answer. Opponents will then be granted two minutes for rebuttal. The moderator, at his discretion, may permit an additional one minute to the candidate who was originally asked the question. [Read more…]

Meet mayor, sheriff candidates at AARP today

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aarp-sheriff-mayor-candidates-0414-300x250

The local AARP chapter has organized an event today that will allow voters to meet candidates for Anderson County mayor and sheriff.

It starts at 1 p.m. at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. Those who attend are encouraged to bring a snack.

Candidates for mayor include the incumbent, Terry Frank, a Republican first elected in August 2012; her GOP opponent, Commissioner Zach Bates; and Democrat Jim Hackworth, a former state representative. [Read more…]

Judicial candidate Spitzer appoints Shelton as campaign treasurer

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Ryan Spitzer, Rogan, and Patti Shelton

Pictured above are Ryan Spitzer, center; his treasurer Patti Shelton; and Spitzer’s son Rogan. (Submitted photo)

Ryan Spitzer, a candidate for judge in General Sessions Court, Division I, has named Patti Shelton as his campaign treasurer, a press release said.

Shelton is a former director of Girls Inc. of Oak Ridge, and she is a community volunteer in many organizations, the press release said.

“Ryan has knowledge of the law and a professional demeanor that will serve him well as a judge, and I’m excited to be working on his campaign,” Shelton said. “He is my son-in-law, and I have come to know him as a caring and sincere member of our family who gives 150 percent to whatever he does.” [Read more…]

ORPD officer resigns to focus on campaign for sheriff

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Randy Myers

Randy Myers

Note: This story was updated at 3:48 p.m. April 11.

Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Randy Myers is resigning so he can focus on campaigning full-time for sheriff.

His last day on the job will officially be Tuesday, April 15.

“We’re campaigning full-steam,” Myers said Thursday. “We’re fully committed.”

Myers, 48, started with the ORPD in 2007. He is a Republican candidate for Anderson County sheriff in the May 6 primary election, where he has one opponent, Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper Anthony Lay. The primary winner will face the incumbent, Sheriff Paul White, a Democrat, in the Aug. 7 county general election.

[Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber has candidate events April 10, April 22

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is hosting a series of events to allow voters to meet candidates and hear where they stand on issues of importance to the community, a press release said. The first session will be held Thursday, April 10, at 7:30 a.m. at the chamber.

The Chamber will host candidates for the office of Seventh District chancellor and Juvenile Court judge at Thursday’s event, the press release said. Chamber members and the public are invited to attend.

The following candidates have confirmed their plans to be in attendance: [Read more…]

Republican forum: Issues range from jobs, retail to drug courts, trial experience

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Anderson County Republican Party Forum

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, center, gives an opening statement during a Tuesday night candidate forum for Republican Party candidates. Also pictured are Anderson County Commissioner Zach Bates, left, who is challenging Frank in the May 6 GOP primary, and Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Randy Myers, one of two Republican candidates for sheriff.

Note: This story was last updated at 11:45 a.m.

The starkest differences between any candidates at a Tuesday night Republican Party forum might have emerged in the race for Anderson County chancellor, where candidates Michael Farley and Nicki Cantrell clashed on questions of trial experience and whether the Chancery Court should ever be used to hear criminal cases.

In the race for sheriff, Republican candidates Anthony Lay and Randy Myers agreed on one key question: No federal inmates should be housed at the Anderson County jail.

In the race for mayor, Terry Frank, the incumbent, said she had presided over one of the few—and possibly the only—tax cut in Anderson County history, while her opponent, Commissioner Zach Bates, said the county’s biggest economic challenge is “retail leakage.” [Read more…]

Without Republicans, little opposition, few questions at League forum

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David Dunkirk and J. Michael Clement

David R. Dunkirk, left, and J. Michael Clement, Democratic candidates for Juvenile Court judge in the May 6 Anderson County primary election, answer questions during a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge on Tuesday. (Photo by Sara Wise)

Note: This story was last updated at 9:10 a.m.

There was little opposition and only a few questions at a Tuesday night candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

All of the Democratic candidates were at the League forum, which was held in the Pollard Auditorium at Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

But most of the Republican candidates were a few blocks away at their own forum, and none of them attended the League forum. Still, many sent representatives to speak on their behalf.

The dueling forums were held with less than a month remaining before the May 6 primary election. Most of the competition is on the Republican side, with more than one GOP candidate for mayor, sheriff, chancellor, and Juvenile Court judge. The only contested Democratic race is for juvenile judge. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge resident Don Bell running for Anderson school board

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Don Bell

Don Bell

Oak Ridge resident Don A. Bell is running for the District 7 seat on the Anderson County Board of Education. District 7 includes Highland View, Glenwood, and Pine Valley in Oak Ridge.

Bell is a longtime Oak Ridger and a 1974 graduate of Oak Ridge High School, the candidate said in a press release. He retired from the Oak Ridge school system in 2013. He had worked in the maintenance and operations division at Glenwood Elementary School.

Bell served on the board of directors of Oak Ridge Schools Federal Cedit Union for seven years and as vice chairman for three years. He also served on the Superintendent’s Search Committee to appoint the principal for Glenwood Elementary and was on the supervisory committee of the Tennessee Members First Federal Credit Union.

In the press release, Bell said he looks forward to meeting his constituents and hopes to use his experience to serve the Anderson County school system.

Friends host ‘meet and greet’ for judicial candidate Ryan Spitzer

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Ryan Spitzer

Ryan Spitzer

Friends of Ryan Spitzer, a candidate for General Sessions Judge Division 1, will host a “meet and greet” and fundraising reception for Spitzer from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, at Hensley Happenings Cafe and Grill in Norris.

The event is hosted by George and Kay Davis, Catherine Denenberg, Susan Fowler, Warren and Judy Gooch, C.A. and Judy Ridge, and Jim Ed and Sharon Wallace. They invite voters to come by and meet Spitzer, an attorney who has more than a decade of legal experience in criminal and civil law, a press release said. Refreshments will be served.

Spitzer has served as an assistant district attorney general in Anderson County since 2007. He is unopposed as the Democratic candidate for General Sessions judge in the May 6 primary election. [Read more…]

Voters can meet candidates for contested Anderson County offices on April 15

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Democracy for East Tennessee

From left to right, DFET members Charles Jones, Joan Cassens, and Tom Burns review the 2014 Anderson County primary ballot while planning a “meet the candidate” event. (Submitted photo)

Democracy for East Tennessee has organized an April 15 event that will allow Anderson County voters the chance to meet candidates for four county offices before the May 6 primary election.

The four contested races are for Anderson County mayor, sheriff, chancellor, and Juvenile Court judge. Other offices on the primary ballot are not contested.

The “meet the candidates” event is scheduled from 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center’s A/B Room.

“Democracy for East Tennessee is sponsoring this event so citizens of Anderson County can become better acquainted with the candidates for four Anderson County offices before the primary election on May 6,” the organization said in a press release. [Read more…]

Most Anderson commissioners seek re-election, six running in District 7 in OR

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Anderson County Courthouse

The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above.

There are six candidates running for Anderson County Commission in District 7 in Oak Ridge in August, and a Democrat has joined the race for Tennessee House of Representatives in the 33rd District.

Meanwhile, an Independent, Bradley S. Rickett, has joined the race for Anderson County mayor, competing against Democrat Jim Hackworth and the winner of the May 6 Republican primary, either the incumbent, Terry Frank, or her challenger, Commissioner Zach Bates.

Fourteen of the 16 Anderson County commissioners are seeking re-election to a four-year term. But Bates, from District 4 in the Lake City area, is not. And neither is Commissioner John Shuey. Shuey is one of two commissioners in District 7, which includes the Glenwood, Highland View, and Pine Valley precincts in Oak Ridge.

District 7 is the most competitive in terms of number of candidates. In addition to the incumbent, Jerry Creasey, other candidates include Jimmy Bouchard, Michael Marsh, Denny Phillips, Kevin Rice, and Theresa Scott.

District 3—which includes Andersonville, Fairview, Glen Alpine, and Norris—has five candidates, including the two incumbents, Steve Emert and Dusty Irwin. The other three candidates are Josh Anderson, David Farmer, and Philip Warfield. [Read more…]

Nolan, a state House candidate, has meet-and-greet on Thursday

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Caitlin Nolan

Caitlin Nolan

Caitlin Nolan, a candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives, has a meet-and-greet on Thursday in Clinton.

It’s scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at 364 Market St. in Clinton.

Nolan is challenging the incumbent, Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge, in the Aug. 7 Republican primary in the state’s 33rd District. The 33rd District includes Oak Ridge, Clinton, and most of Anderson County.

Visit www.caitlinnolan.com for more information.