Oak Ridge Today

Scott, county commissioner in District 7, running for Charter Commission

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Theresa Scott

Theresa Scott

Anderson County Commissioner Theresa Scott, who represents District 7 in Oak Ridge, is running for Charter Commission in the November 8 election.

In a press release, Scott said she thinks it is extremely important that the representation of Anderson County residents continues to be both non-partisan and knowledgeable of current government processes.

One of the proposals the Anderson County Charter Commission could consider, Scott said, is changing how the county attorney is selected, possibly making it an elected position.

In Tennessee, 91 of 95 counties appoint their county attorney, rather than electing them, Scott said. [Read more…]

BBB-TV posts video from Anderson County Charter Commission candidate forum

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BBB-TV, Channel 12 in Oak Ridge, has posted video from the candidate forum for Anderson County Charter Commission candidates in districts six through eight. Those three districts are primarily in Oak Ridge.

The candidate forum was September 20 at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.

See the forum in the video below. [Read more…]

Forum for Anderson County Charter Commission candidates on Thursday

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A Thursday forum will feature candidates for Charter Commission in five districts in Anderson County.

The forum starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, October 20, in the “Big Room” at Clinton Community Center, which is at 101 Hicks Street in Clinton, a press release said. The forum is hosted by AndersonCharter.com.

There are 19 people running for eight seats on the Anderson County Charter Commission. Only one person from each County Commission district will be elected to the Charter Commission.

Organizers of the charter effort hope to give residents the ability to have more input and involvement in their local government, the press release said. [Read more…]

Mead, a county commissioner, running for Charter Commission

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Steve Mead

Steve Mead

Steve Mead, an Anderson County commissioner representing an Oak Ridge district, is running for one of eight seats on the Anderson County Charter Commission in the November 8 election.

Mead has expressed some concerns about term limits, at least as proposed in Anderson County this campaign season. Term limits have become one of the defining issues of the Charter Commission campaign, although nothing official will be proposed, debated, or approved until after the eight-member commission is elected next month.

In a press release, Mead said eight candidates have made term limits the primary focus of their campaign. He said those eight candidates were recruited by Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and her supporters, although at least two candidates—Jim Cooper and Kathy Moore—have denied that in statements to Oak Ridge Today.

Mead said he supports term limits for career politicians that make a living from their elected offices. That’s similar to the position taken by other nation-wide organizations like U.S. Term Limits Inc., Mead said in the press release. [Read more…]

In first run for office, Farmer seeks seat on Charter Commission

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Howard Farmer

Howard Farmer

Howard Farmer, a longtime educator and farmer, is seeking one of eight seats on the Anderson County Charter Commission. It’s Farmer’s first run for public office, a press release said.

Farmer wants to represent District 5, which includes the Dutch Valley, Clinton High School, Marlow, and Norwood precincts.

“I’ve voted my entire adult life, but this is the first time I’ve stepped forward to run for an office,” Farmer said. “I’m running because it is so important that we exact term limits. We have a lot of great people in Anderson County, but we’re not tapping into their talent and potential because of career politicians. We need term limits so we can benefit from new and fresh ideas.” [Read more…]

Moore cites city, county government experience in run for Charter Commission

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Kathy Moore

Kathy Moore

Longtime Oak Ridger Kathy Moore has announced that she is running for one of eight seats on the Anderson County Charter Commission, a press release said.

Moore supports term limits. The press release said term limits would give more people an opportunity to participate in local government as candidates and as board members.

Moore said she wants to use her experiences to serve as the representative from the Eighth District. That district includes the Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland voting precincts.

“As a lifelong Oak Ridger with experience in both city and county government, I believe I can provide knowledgeable input into the charter process,” Moore said. “A charter has worked well for the City of Oak Ridge, ensuring that citizens are an active part of our government. I want the same for Anderson County in order to move us forward.” [Read more…]

Meet the candidates at Civic Center on Thursday

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You can meet candidates for the Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Board of Education, and Oak Ridge candidates for Anderson County Charter Commission at the Oak Ridge Civic Center on Thursday.

You talk directly to the candidates at the meeting, which is scheduled from 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, October 13, in the Oak Ridge Civic Center gym.

It’s a free community event hosted by DFET (Democracy for East Tennessee), a community organization that hosts this nonpartisan event every two years, a press release said. [Read more…]

Reminder: Forum tonight features candidates for Anderson County Charter Commission

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A forum tonight will feature the Oak Ridge candidates for Anderson County Charter Commission.

The forum will start at 7 p.m., Thursday, October 6, in the City Room (A-111) at Roane State Community College at 701 Briarcliff Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Here are the Oak Ridge candidates: [Read more…]

Reminder: League forum tonight features candidates for City Council, Board of Education

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Reminder: A forum tonight will feature candidates for the Oak Ridge Board of Education and the Oak Ridge City Council. It is scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, October 4, at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater.

It’s the first of three candidate forums in October organized by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge.

The second forum will be on Thursday, October 6, at Roane State Community College City Room on the Oak Ridge campus. This will include the Oak Ridge candidates for the Anderson County Charter Commission. To begin the forum, there will be a short presentation from a subject matter expert on the process of reviewing and changing a county charter. This forum will be from 7 to 9 p.m. [Read more…]

Stanley, a doctor running for Charter Commission, supports term limits

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David Stanley

David Stanley

David Stanley, a doctor running for Anderson County Charter Commission, supports term limits for the county mayor and the County Commission, as well as more active citizen participation, a press release said.

Stanley is running for the District 7 seat on the eight-member Charter Commission in the November 8 election. District 7 includes the Highland View, Glenwood, and Pine Valley voting precincts.

Stanley was born and raised in Maryville, the press release said. After obtaining his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and graduating from medical school in Memphis, Stanley spent time as a medical missionary in Laos, where he founded a modest hospital on the border of Cambodia and Laos, bringing modern medicine to the area for the first time, the press release said.

Once he returned to the United States, he moved his young family to Oak Ridge, where he built his medical practice from the ground up, the release said. [Read more…]

Ward, an attorney running for Charter Commission, supports term limits

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Hugh Ward Jr.

Hugh Ward Jr.

Hugh B. Ward Jr., an attorney running for Anderson County Charter Commission, supports term limits for county mayor and county commissioners, a press release said.

Ward is running for the District 6 seat on the eight-member Charter Commission, which will be elected November 8. District 6 includes the Oak Ridge City Hall, Robertsville, and West Hills precincts.

“Charter government has worked well for the City of Oak Ridge since November 7, 1962; the City of Clinton since 1954; Knoxville; Knox County; and other East Tennessee cities,” the press release said. “I think it’s time we modernize and allow Oak Ridge citizens to have the same level of citizen input in county government as our own fine city government. I favor a charter government, including term limits for county commissioners and the office of county mayor. For stability, I believe we need to establish staggered terms of office for commissioners as occurs in our city and surrounding municipalities.”

If elected, Ward said, his priorities will include transparency and open government, citizen participation on county committees, and ensuring charter proposals are consistent with the state constitution and general laws. [Read more…]

Reminder: School board candidate forum is Thursday morning

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Reminder: The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has a forum for candidates for Oak Ridge Board of Education on Thursday morning.

It’s the second of three candidate forums for the November 8 election.

The Board of Education candidate forum will start at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, September 29, in the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Joyce Conference Room. It’s free and open to the public.

There are three candidates for two seats on the school board: the incumbents, Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer, and challenger Myra Mansfield. [Read more…]