Oak Ridge Today

Meet and greet for Marshall, a school board candidate, tonight

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Paige Marshall

Paige Marshall

Oak Ridge resident and community volunteer Dottie Thompson will host a “meet and greet” tonight for Paige (White) Marshall, a candidate for the Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The meet and greet is from 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 14, at Thompson’s home at 25 Windhaven Lane in Oak Ridge.

“I’m so appreciative of Dottie for hosting this event,” Marshall said. “I’ve known her family for 30 years, and her support and endorsement mean the world to me. This type of gathering provides a great opportunity to meet folks face to face and better hear and understand the viewpoints of our citizens.”

Visit www.facebook.com/PaigeMarshallORBOE for more information about Marshall.

Tea Party meeting this evening to feature Frank, Wells

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

The Anderson County Tea Party meeting this evening will feature Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Aaron Wells, a candidate for Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. today (Tuesday, October 14) at the Red Cross building on Oak Ridge Turnpike.


Aaron Wells

Aaron Wells

Other agenda items will include a presentation by the “Yes on 1” group, member reports from the latest Oak Ridge City Council meeting, and a book raffle of “Rules for Radicals” by Saul Alinski. The Red Cross building is located at 908 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

This meeting is open to the public and will last until approximately 8 p.m., a press release said.

Contractor, businessman seeking seat on City Council

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Rick Chinn

Rick Chinn

Rick Chinn, a lifetime resident of Oak Ridge, is seeking a seat on the Oak Ridge City Council in the upcoming November 4 election.

Chinn, who is a licensed contractor and local businessman, serves on a number of nonprofit boards and has been active as a civic leader in working to improve the quality of life for all Oak Ridge families, a press release said.

Chinn explained his reasons for seeking to serve on City Council.

“A lot of people in Oak Ridge have invested their time and energy over the years to help me better understand and appreciate how rewarding it is to live and work in Oak Ridge,” he said in the press release. “I have worked hard to continue that tradition of excellence by volunteering my time and resources over the past 20 years. I want to ensure that my children have the same opportunities in the future that have been provided to me. I am ready to work hard for the future of Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]

DFET: Meet the candidates on Thursday

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A local organization is sponsoring a Meet the Candidates event from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, October 9, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Gymnasium. It’s been organized by Democracy for East Tennessee, and residents of Anderson and surrounding counties are invited, a press release said.

Candidates for the following offices have been invited: Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Tennessee House of Representatives 33rd District, State Senate 5th District, 3rd U.S. Congressional District, and U.S. Senate.

The election is November 4. The October 9 event will offer residents a chance to become better informed and acquainted with candidates by meeting with them on an individual basis at a single event, a press release said. [Read more…]

Engineering design contractor running for City Council

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Gary Love

Gary Love

Gary Love, an engineering design contractor, is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 municipal election.

“I am a proud native of Oak Ridge—and I am ready to roll up my sleeves to work with the people to make this community an even better place to live in the 21st century,” Love said in a press release.

Love said he grew up in the Woodland Community and graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1974. After graduating from East Tennessee State University in 1979 with a degree in biology, he went to work for the city of Chattanooga.

Later, he extended his education with a two-year degree in computer engineering and joined the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga, where he spent 18 years as a power design engineer, the press release said.

“I’m glad to be back in Oak Ridge, where I live with my wife, Toni,” Love said. “We have three grown children, including my son, who now works with me at Tennessee Valley Authority, where I work as a contractor in engineering design. We also have a teenage granddaughter.” [Read more…]

Boys and Girls Club president running for School Board

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Aaron Wells

Aaron Wells

Aaron Wells, a lifelong Oak Ridger and president of the Boys and Girls Club of Oak Ridge, is running for Oak Ridge Board of Education in the November 4 municipal election, a press release said.

“Over the last two decades, I have spent countless hours coaching, mentoring, and fundraising for the youth in our town,” Wells said in the release. “After much prayer and discussion, my wife Melissa and I made the decision that I would run for school board.”

If elected, Wells said he will focus on achieving four priorities.

“First and foremost, I commit to truly listen to our teachers and integrate their feedback into all of my decisions,” Wells said. “Teachers are the lifeblood of our schools, and they know better than anyone how to make our students successful. We can no longer afford to ignore their invaluable feedback and concerns. The Board of Education must fight to restore to them the freedom they need to do what they do best—inspire and educate our children.” [Read more…]

Developer, businessman running for City Council

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Eric Tobler

Eric Tobler

Local developer and businessman Eric Tobler is running for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 4 election.

“I love Oak Ridge,” Tobler said. “I have committed myself to do all I can, to help Oak Ridge reach its full potential. I’m all in, personally and financially.”

Tobler is probably most well-known for the Crossroads at Wolf Creek subdivision, which if located off Illinois Avenue. It provides Oak Ridge with a big part of the new housing inventory for the area, a press release said.

Tobler graduated from Oak Ridge high school in 1983. He is also a graduate of Roane State, with two degrees, one in contemporary management and the other in technology. He has also received a bachelor’s degree from Tusculum College in business administration.

Professionally, he is the chief executive officer of Tobler Enterprises and the managing partner for the CRWC partnership. He is a licensed general contractor and a licensed real estate agent, with Linda Brown Realty. [Read more…]

Three speakers to discuss three proposed constitutional amendments

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Corinne Rovetti

Corinne Rovetti

Two college professors and a co-director of a reproductive health center will discuss three proposed constitutional amendments that will be considered by Tennessee voters in the November 4 election.

The proposed amendments will be discussed during a Tuesday evening forum in Oak Ridge.

Corinne Rovetti, co-director and family nurse practitioner for the Knoxville Center for Reproductive Health, will address Amendment 1, which deals with reproductive choice and privacy, a press release said. [Read more…]

Reception for Garcia Garland, running for re-election

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There will be a reception for Oak Ridge City Council member Anne Garcia Garland on Sunday at the Comfort Inn on Rutgers Avenue. Garcia Garland is running for re-election in the November 4 municipal election.

The reception is from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, October 5.

“Citizens are invited to have a bit of punch or wine and small finger foods and talk with the candidate,” a press release said. “Those interested will be able to pick up a campaign sign and even volunteer to canvas a few houses or blocks.”

Meet and greet with Paine at Cedar Hill on Monday

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Laurie Paine

Laurie Paine

There will be a meet-and-greet for Laurie Paine, a candidate for Oak Ridge Board of Education, at Cedar Hill Park at 6 p.m. Monday, October 6.

“Bring the kids for some fun!” a press release said. “With all the recent events happening in Oak Ridge, this is also a safety awareness event.”

Light finger foods will be offered along with free face painting for the children, the release said.

It said Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank will be attending as a guest.

Chamber has two candidate forums this week

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has two Election Selection candidate forums this week.

The first is Tuesday morning, September 30, and it will feature the 10 candidates for Oak Ridge City Council. The second is Thursday morning, October 2, and it will feature the eight candidates for Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The forums have been organized by the Chamber’s Pro-Growth Advocacy Committee. They are open to the public.

Doors to both forums open at 7 a.m. There will be 30 minutes of meet-and-greet time among the candidates, Chamber members, supporters, community members, and attendees, a press release said. [Read more…]

Former Council member Smith running for City Council

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Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith, who served on Oak Ridge City Council from 2007 to 2012, has announced that she is a candidate for City Council in the November 4 election.

Smith is a 33-year resident of Oak Ridge who describes herself as “an Oak Ridger by choice.” As newcomers to East Tennessee in 1981, she and her husband Rich Norby looked around the area and then chose to buy in Oak Ridge and make this city their home, a press release said.

Both have made their careers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where Ellen is a research staff scientist in the Environmental Sciences Division and Rich is a corporate fellow in the Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute. Their adult son Karl was born here and attended school at Linden Elementary School, Robertsville Middle School, and Oak Ridge High School.

Smith said she decided to run for City Council this year after many citizens from diverse sectors of the city urged her to do so, the press release said. People tell her they value her knowledge of Oak Ridge, its history, and city government; her thoughtful analysis of issues and proposed solutions; and her responsiveness to citizens who contacted her with concerns, the release said. Smith said she is committed to working for the community and all of its citizens. [Read more…]