Oak Ridge Today

Letter: Rep. Ragan defends Anderson County against big government

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To the Editor:

For over 200  years, my family has called Anderson County home. I’ve always been proud of my heritage and where I live, and I want nothing more than to ensure that the place where I was raised remains a secure community for generations to come.

The best way that we can make sure that Anderson County has a thriving economy and can provide jobs for its citizens is to elect representatives who understand that we as residents know better than anyone, especially big government, what this county needs. For this reason, I urge you to examine every candidate regardless of how you have voted in the past.

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Early voting up on first day in Anderson County

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The number of voters casting ballots on the first day of early voting Friday was up from 2010, the Anderson County Election Commission said.

Elections Administrator Mark Stephens said 642 people voted Friday, up 146 from 2010.

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Early voting begins today

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Early voting began this morning for the Aug. 2 county general election and state and federal primary elections.

There are three early voting locations in Anderson County, one in Oak Ridge, a second in Clinton, and a third in Andersonville.

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Candidates forum at Clinton Community Center tonight

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The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge has a forum tonight for Anderson County and Oak Ridge political candidates.

The forum starts at 7 p.m. at the Clinton Community Center. It will feature candidates for Anderson County mayor, property assessor, County Commission District 8, School Board District 3, and Oak Ridge City Council.

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Survey: Lack of jobs that pay well a serious problem

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The lack of jobs that pay well is the most serious community problem, Anderson County residents said in a recent telephone survey.

Fifty-five percent of those responding rated it as a major problem, according to a survey summary released Monday by PlanET.

But 76 percent of those surveyed in Anderson County said the quality of life in their community is good or excellent.

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Property rights advocates oppose five-county plan

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A PlanET forum discssion group

Residents discuss their vision for a five-county region that includes Anderson, Blount, Loudon, Knox, and Union Counties during a Tuesday forum at Anderson County High School in Clinton.

CLINTON — Although the two sides appeared to engage in a civil discussion, a Tuesday forum again pitted planners and property rights advocates against each other.

The property rights advocates oppose the drafting of a five-county regional development plan known as PlanET.

“I am concerned more about freedom of choice and personal property rights,” said Lynn Byrge, an Anderson County resident and owner of Active Electric in Oak Ridge. He attended a PlanET forum on Tuesday at the Anderson County High School in Clinton.

A protest car at the PlanET forum in Clinton

Those who protest the drafting of a five-county regional development plan are concerned about losing their property rights.

Opponents of the three-year plan, funded with help from a $4.3 million U.S. Housing and Urban Development grant, draw a connection between PlanET and an international resolution passed in 1992 that was designed to encourage nations to use fewer resources and conserve open land by steering development to already dense areas.

“It’s Agenda 21, straight out of the United Nations,” Byrge said.

That resolution has drawn greater scrutiny as activists across the country tie it to a range of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy, according to The New York Times.

But the officials helping to develop the local plan, and currently collecting public input in a week-long series of forums, say they are only asking East Tennesseans to share their vision for the future of the region.

“We have no preset goal,” planner Rob Kerns said. He works for Wallace Roberts and Todd, a planning and design firm based in Philadelphia that was hired to run the PlanET project.

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Anderson County committee discusses no-tax-increase budget today

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An Anderson County committee this afternoon will consider a budget that doesn’t include a tax increase or an additional $2 million requested by the Sheriff’s Department.

Anderson County Mayor Myron Iwanski said the extra $2 million requested by Sheriff Paul White would increase his department’s budget by 20 percent in the fiscal year that begins July 1. The sheriff’s budget has already doubled during the past six years, Iwanski said.

The mayor said the sheriff could make minor adjustments in his $10 million budget and the assignments of his 175 authorized employees. Those adjustments would allow the dormitory at the overcrowded jail to be staffed until a new pod is built. That pod will have extra beds that can be rented to produce the revenue to hire more jailers, Iwanski said.

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