Anderson County Commissioner Steve Mead, one of the incumbents re-elected Thursday, campaigns during early voting at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge. (Photo by Fred O’Hara Jr.)
Terry Frank
Note: This story was last updated at 2:10 p.m. July 8.
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank was elected to her first four-year term on Thursday, and Sheriff Paul White was elected to a third term.
The election featured several close races, including for sheriff and register of deeds, and there were a few upsets, including for Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk, County Commission District 3, and General Sessions Judge, Division II, where longtime Judge Ron Murch suffered defeat.
Paul White
In the race for the Tennessee House, Representative John Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican, beat back a primary challenge by newcomer Caitlin Nolan.
All 27 precincts have reported.
Here are the final unofficial election results for contested races:
Anderson County Mayor
- Terry Frank, the Republican incumbent—7,586 (52.69 percent)
- Jim Hackworth, a Democrat—6,193 (43.01 percent)
- Bradley Rickett, an Independent—619 (4.3 percent)
Frank, who was first elected to a two-year term in a special election in August 2012, beat Hackworth, a former state representative and county commissioner, by about 1,400 votes. The two fought over a 1990 tax hike and “turmoil” and lawsuits in the Anderson County Courthouse.
Anderson County Sheriff
- Paul White, the Democratic incumbent—7,386 (51.64 percent)
- Anthony Lay, a Republican—6,918 (48.36 percent)
White’s margin of victory was just under 500 votes. Lay is a former sheriff in Scott County, and he is currently a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper. The two candidates battled over the food served at the Anderson County jail, crime rate statistics, and the responsiveness of the Sheriff’s Department, among other things. [Read more…]
