Oak Ridge Today

Voter’s guide: Notes from a candidate forum

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Note: This story was last updated at 10:35 a.m.

Today, August 2, is Election Day in Anderson County. The election includes the Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections.

It’s the second of three elections this year. The first was the county primary election on May 1, and the last is the municipal election and state and federal elections on November 6.

Here are notes about Anderson County candidates in today’s county general election from a forum at Oak Ridge High School in July. The county general election includes selections for mayor, sheriff, county commission, trustee, circuit court clerk, county clerk, register of deeds, road superintendent, and school board, among other positions. Some of the candidates have no opposition.

Anderson County Sheriff [Read more…]

Anderson County candidate forum is Tuesday

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The Anderson County Candidate Forum will be held at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater on Tuesday.

The forum is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 10.

Candidates who have opponents and are running for sheriff, trustee, mayor, Circuit Court clerk, and Anderson County Commission District 6 and 7 have been invited to speak and answer questions, a press release said.

Candidates who have no opposition and are running for county clerk, register of deeds, road superintendent, Anderson County Board of Education District 6 and 7, County Commission District 8, and Oak Ridge Board of Education have been invited to be introduced. [Read more…]

Meet the candidates in Oak Ridge on Thursday

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There will be a Meet the Candidates event in Oak Ridge on Thursday, July 12. It will allow residents of Oak Ridge and Anderson County to become acquainted with the candidates for contested offices in the August 2 state and federal primary and Anderson County general elections, a press release said.

The Meet the Candidates event is scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 12, in the gymnasium at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. It’s sponsored by Democracy for East Tennessee.

Among the contested offices on the Anderson County general election ballot are mayor, commissioners for Districts 6 and 7 in Oak Ridge, Circuit Court clerk, sheriff, and trustee, the press release said. [Read more…]

Register to vote in August election by Tuesday

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The deadline to register to vote in the August 2 election is Tuesday, July 3.

WYSH Radio in Clinton reported that the rest of the Anderson County Courthouse will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday (July 3 and 4) for the Independence Day holiday, but the Anderson County Election Commission office will be open for its regular business hours on Tuesday, July 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. so that you can register to vote.

The August 2 election includes the Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections.

See the Anderson County Election Commission website here.

Candidate forum for Anderson County Commission District 8 to be held July 14

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Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce building is pictured above.

 

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee will host a series of candidate forums during the election season this year, and the first forum, for three Anderson County Commission candidates, will be in July.

That first forum will be for candidates running in the special election for Anderson County Commission District 8. The forum will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. Thursday, July 14, in the Joyce Conference Room at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

All three candidates for the office—Myra Mansfield, Angeleque McNutt, and Phil Yager—have indicated that they will be present for the forum, a press release said. All candidate forums are free and open to the public. [Read more…]

County officials urged to hire attorneys in ouster suit as legal fees rise

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Jay Yeager and Lynn Byrge

Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager, left, the defendant in an ouster suit filed by a group of residents, is pictured with Lynn Byrge, one of the petitioners, during a Monday morning Anderson County Commission meeting.

 

Note: This story was last updated at 10:06 a.m. July 22.

CLINTON—The legal fees in a few high-profile disputes between top Anderson County officials could approach a half-million dollars, and Anderson County commissioners should all seek their own legal counsel in an ouster lawsuit filed against the law director, stunned commissioners were told Monday.

Subpoenas have already been issued in the ouster suit, and several officials, including a few County Commissioners, have reportedly received letters asking them to waive their attorney-client privilege.

Anderson County Commissioner Myron Iwanski, who is former interim mayor, said some of the records he’s been asked to provide go back 10 years, and some of them are personnel records. Iwanski said he needs legal representation because he doesn’t want to disclose anything improper, a mistake that could lead to another lawsuit.

“It’s about trying to do what’s right for the county,” Iwanski said.

He said former Anderson County Jail Administrator Avery Johnson has also been served with a subpoena and will need legal representation.

“This is just the start of the legal battle,” Iwanski said. [Read more…]

Guest column: Anderson County election ballot explained

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Submitted

The August 7 ballot for the state primary and local general election will be an important and complex ballot. You will find three main sections to the ballot.

First will be the state and federal primary, second will be the county general election, and third will be the retention questions for Tennessee Supreme Court judges and appellate court judges.

The first eight offices on the ballot are the contests for the state and federal primary election. They are governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Tennessee Senate, Tennessee House of Representatives, and state executive committeeman and committeewoman. These eight offices are the ones a person must declare whether they are voting in the Democratic or Republican primary.

After these eight offices come the candidates for the Anderson County general election. It does not matter which party primary you selected to vote in, Democrat or Republican, you are now free to vote for the candidate of your choice no matter to which party you belong. The county general election offices are: [Read more…]

League forum to feature Anderson County candidates on Tuesday

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Oak Ridge High School

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge will have a Tuesday evening forum for candidates in Anderson County. The forum will be at Oak Ridge High School, pictured above.

The League of Women Voters will have a Tuesday evening election forum in Oak Ridge that will feature candidates from seven contested races in Anderson County—and give voters a chance to meet candidates in the uncontested races.

The forum stars at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Candidates in the contested races are running for Anderson County mayor, sheriff, register of deeds, circuit court clerk, general sessions judges (Division 1 and 2), and juvenile court judge. They have been invited to speak and answer questions, a press release said.

Candidates who are unopposed for county clerk, trustee, road superintendent, chancellor, criminal and circuit court judge, district attorney general, and public defender will be introduced. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Today adds 2014 Election section

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It’s shaping up to be a big election year, and Oak Ridge Today has added a special 2014 Election section to help you keep up with the candidates and issues. You can access that section by clicking on the 2014 Election button in the navigation bar near the top of the website.

As of Friday, there were already more than three dozen candidates for various state and county offices in Anderson County. [Read more…]

Republican primary voting may not predict outcome of local election

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Republicans outvoted Democrats 2-to-1 during early voting this year, but that could be because some Democrats “crossed over” and voted in state and federal Republican primaries, an election official said Tuesday.

“I would assume that some Democrats crossed over and voted in the Republican primary for U.S. House,” Anderson County Elections Administrator Mark Stephens said.

[Read more…]