Oak Ridge Today

AC Charter Commission recommends no changes to county government, no charter

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Information from WYSH Radio

With little fanfare, the Anderson County Charter Commission has completed its work and will meet just one more time, this Thursday, February 15, to conclude its business.

Eight people were elected in November 2016 to serve on the commission, which examined the structure of county government.

The issue was placed on the ballot after a group obtained enough signatures to call for the election of a charter commission. The race ended up coming down to two groups, one in support of things like term limits and making the county law director an elected position, and the other in support of a more measured approach to the process.

Meeting last week, the Charter Commission voted unanimously to recommend no changes to the current form of government and that no charter be drafted. [Read more…]

New Charter Commission meets Tuesday

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The new Anderson County Charter Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Room 312 in the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

Agenda items include a consideration of rules, according to an agenda submitted by Charter Commission Chair V.L. Stonecipher.

The Charter Commission members are Stonecipher (District 1), Mark Alderson (District 2), Steve Emert (District 3), Tim Isbel (District 4), Jerry White (District 5), Steve Mead (District 6), David Stanley (District 7), and Bob Smallridge (District 8). [Read more…]

Seven of eight term-limit candidates defeated in Charter Commission race

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Bob Smallridge

Pictured above is Bob Smallridge, a District 8 candidate who received the most votes of any candidate for Anderson County Charter Commission. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Steve Emert

Pictured above is Steve Emert, a District 3 candidate who received the second-highest number of votes in the Anderson County Charter Commission election.

Seven of the eight candidates who said they will support term limits if elected to a new charter commission lost in the Tuesday election, according to unofficial election results posted by the Anderson County Election Commission.

In District 1 (Claxton, Bull Run), V.L. Stonecipher, a former director of Anderson County Schools, defeated Floyd Grisham, the term-limit candidate, by 1,500 votes to 1,292. A third candidate, Tim Risden, had 412 votes.

In District 2 (Clinton), Anderson County Commissioner Mark Alderson beat Jim Cooper, the term-limit candidate, 1,954 to 1,340.

In District 3 (Andersonville, Norris), Steve Emert, the Anderson County Commission chair, earned about 300 votes more than former commissioner Dusty Irwin, the term-limit candidate. Emert had 2,157 votes to Irwin’s 1,846.

In District 4 (Briceville, Rocky Top), Tim Isbel, an Anderson County commissioner, defeated Dennis Hashbarger, the term-limit candidate, 1,567 to 1,024. [Read more…]

Term-limit candidates trail in early voting

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Bob Smallridge

Bob Smallridge

 

Note: This story was updated at 1:30 a.m.

Seven of the eight candidates who said they will support term limits if elected to a new charter commission are behind in early voting, according to unofficial results posted on the Anderson County Election Commission website on Tuesday evening.

In District 1 (Claxton, Bull Run), Floyd Grisham, the term-limit candidate, trails V.L. Stonecipher by 1,019 early votes to 831. A third candidate, Tim Risden, had 286 early votes.

In District 2 (Clinton), Jim Cooper, the term-limit candidate, is behind Mark Alderson, an Anderson County commission 1,430 to 922.

In District 3 (Andersonville, Norris), Steve Emert, the Anderson County Commission chair, leads former commissioner Dusty Irwin, the term-limit candidate, 1,541 to 1,323.

In District 4 (Rocky Top), Tim Isbel, an Anderson County commissioner, is ahead of Dennis Hashbarger, the term-limit candidate, 773 to 620. [Read more…]

Early voting update: More than 16,000 have cast ballots in Anderson County

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Information from WYSH Radio

There are now just over three days left in the early voting period in Tennessee for next Tuesday’s presidential and county general elections. Turnout at the polls has been impressive, and that string of robust participation continued on Monday.

In Anderson County on Monday, another 1,356 people voted, bringing the 11-day total, including paper ballots, to 16,370. Anderson County residents can cast ballots at the Clinton Community Center, the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge, and at the North Anderson Government Office in the Anderson Crossing Shopping Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today (Tuesday, November 1) through Thursday, November 3. For more, visit www.acelect.com or call (865) 457-6238. [Read more…]

Letter: Stanley will give you a term-limit option to consider

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To the Editor:

The Anderson County Charter Commission needs thoughtful individuals who are willing to recognize the problems with our current system of county government. Dr. David Stanley will do that. He’s running for Charter Commission in District 7.

Dr. Stanley has served the community for many years. As a physician, he understands the importance of reaching the root cause of a problem—to best solve it.

The Department of Energy’s workforce heavily sells Knox County to new, incoming workers. Anderson County realtors find it almost impossible to even speak with these workers. [Read more…]

Survey: Do you support or oppose term limits, a smaller county commission, electing law director?

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Note: This story was updated at 3:55 p.m.

Among the issues in the campaign for Anderson County Charter Commission are whether term limits should be implemented for Anderson County commissioners and the Anderson County mayor, whether the County Commission should be reduced in size, and whether the law director should be elected.

We are curious what Oak Ridge Today readers think so we set up some poll questions to ask you. They are below.

Nothing can officially be proposed, debated, or recommended to voters in the November 2018 election until after the Charter Commission is elected this November 8.

There have been proposals this campaign season to enact a two-term limit for commissioners and the mayor and reduce the County Commission from its current 16 to a minimum of nine. There have been other proposals as well, including making the mayor’s position part-time, making the law director’s position part-time, and appointing a mayor rather than electing the mayor. [Read more…]

Term limits: Who could no longer serve if two-term limit was in place now?

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Jerry Creasey

Jerry Creasey, an Anderson County commissioner from Oak Ridge, could no longer serve if a two-term limit were in place now. Now in his seventh term, Creasey is the longest-serving commissioner. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 6:15 p.m.

If the proposed two-term limit was in place now, Jerry Creasey, the longest-serving Anderson County commissioner, could no longer serve.

Neither could Mark Alderson, who is in his fifth term; Chuck Fritts or Jerry White (both are in their fourth terms); or Whitey Hitchcock, Robert McKamey, or Tracy Wandell (all three are in their third terms).

Creasey is in his seventh term, according to information from the Anderson County Election Commission.

It’s not clear if Myron Iwanski would be term-limited at this point. Iwanski is in his sixth term, but those terms were interrupted by his service as interim Anderson County mayor from January 2011 to August 2012—after former mayor Rex Lynch resigned and before current mayor Terry Frank was elected. Whether Iwanski would be term-limited would depend upon whether term limits, assuming a two-term limit was enacted, were consecutive or lifetime limits.

Assuming Iwanski was term-limited, though, that would mean that eight of the 16 commissioners, or half of them, would be past their second term and not able to serve if a two-term limit were in place.

No term limits are in place now, and they can’t officially be proposed, debated, or recommended to voters until after the eight-member Anderson County Charter Commission is elected November 8. Whether they are even considered is likely to depend upon which candidates are elected. The Charter Commission is not obligated to consider term limits, but it will have the authority to do so. (See a story on the Charter Commission process here.) [Read more…]

Letter: Irwin wants to help create intelligent, functional, transparent county government

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To the Editor:

During the past year, I have worked continuously with a group of citizens from Anderson County to develop and implement a plan to move our county in a positive direction toward a charter county, or home rule, form of government.

After great consideration and encouragement, I made a decision to run for a seat on the Anderson County Charter Commission in the November 8, 2016, election. This committee of elected citizens will represent each district in our county as they draft a charter that will go before our state legislators for approval, and finally to “We The People” for a ballot vote in 2018.

Those running in favor of home rule are attempting to put local government more firmly back into the hands of the people where it belongs and once again establish a healthy balance to our county government. [Read more…]

Charter Commission candidates debate term limits, reducing County Commission, electing law director

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anderson-county-oak-ridge-charter-commission-candidates-collage

Seven candidates for Anderson County Charter Commission sparred over term limits, cutting the Anderson County Commission almost in half, and electing the law director during a public forum in Oak Ridge in October. The candidates, all from three Oak Ridge districts, are pictured above. They are, from top left, top row, Marjorie Mott Lloyd, Steve Mead, Kathy Moore, Theresa Scott, and from bottom left, bottom row, Bob Smallridge, David Stanley, and Hugh Ward. (Photos by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Candidates for Anderson County Charter Commission sparred over term limits, cutting the Anderson County Commission almost in half, and electing the law director during a public forum this month.

There was also a heated exchange over whether two candidates—both county commissioners, including one in her first term and another halfway through his second—are permanent officeholders.

The seven candidates are running for three seats on the eight-member Anderson County Charter Commission in the November 8 election.

The debate over term limits has focused on whether the limits are necessary, whether they would encourage more young people to run for office, and whether Anderson County voters already have the right to impose term limits through elections, among other arguments for and against.

As proposed during the campaign, there could be a two-term limit on county commissioners and the county mayor. However, nothing will be official until the Charter Commission is elected next month, and the Charter Commission is not obligated to consider the proposal. Whether the commission even considers term limits could depend upon which candidates are elected. Any changes proposed by the Charter Commission will be considered by voters in November 2018. If approved, they would go into effect in September 2019. [Read more…]

Charter Commission a ‘big deal’ for Anderson County, attorney says

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Joe Jarret

Joe Jarret (Submitted photo)

 

The Charter Commission being elected on November 8 is a “big deal” for Anderson County, an attorney said this month.

“If you live here, you’re going to be affected by it,” said Joe Jarret. He is an attorney who has served two different charter county governments as law director-chief legal counsel, a University of Tennessee lecturer, and former chief legal counsel to the Knox County Charter Review Commission.

Jarret said there are three types of county government in Tennessee: [Read more…]

Cooper, a Vietnam veteran, longtime industrial recruiter, running for Charter Commission in District 2

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Jim Cooper

Jim Cooper

Jim Cooper, a Vietnam veteran and former president of the Melton Hill Regional Industrial Association, is running for one of eight seats on the Anderson County Charter Commission in the November 8 election.

Cooper is running for the District 2 seat. District 2 includes the Clinton Community Center, South Clinton, and North Clinton voting precincts.

“The City of Clinton has had a charter form of government since 1954, and instituting a charter government in Anderson County presents our county with the opportunity to enact term limits,” Cooper said. “I support term limits (two consecutive four-year terms) for the offices of county commissioners and mayor. I also support electing commissioners for staggered terms—meaning we don’t elect all 16 in just one election year.” [Read more…]