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Emert, Barker, Lynch lead in early, absentee voting

Posted at 8:24 pm May 1, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Steve Emert

Steve Emert

Note: This story was last updated at 8:48 p.m.

CLINTON—Anderson County Commissioner Steve Emert had a narrow 63-vote lead over Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank in the race for a four-year term as mayor in early and absentee voting results released after primary election polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Emert had 2,997 votes (50.53 percent) compared to 2,934 (49.47 percent) for Frank, who was first elected in August 2012. Both are candidates in the Anderson County Republican Party primary.

Election day votes have not been tabulated, so results could change. The results that follow are from the Republican Party primary. There are two candidates in the Democratic primary, Mark Lucas for sheriff and Ebony Capshaw for trustee, but they are unopposed in the primary election and are assured a spot in the August 2 county general election.

In the three-person Republican race for Anderson County sheriff, Scott Barker, a Clinton Police Department detective sergeant and director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force, had a significant lead over Lewis Ridenour, an Oak Ridge Police Department officer and former chief deputy. Barker had 2,841 votes (49.88 percent), compared to 1,992 (34.97 percent) for Ridenour, according to the unofficial results. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Anderson County, Government Tagged With: August 2 county general election, Democratic primary, Ebony Capshaw, Gary Long, Jeff Cole, Leesa Arowood, Lewis Ridenour, Mark "Hollywood" Whaley, Mark Lucas, Michael Foster, primary election, Regina Copeland, Republican Party primary, Rex Lynch, Scott Barker, Scott Burton, Scott Gillenwaters, Steve Emert, Terry Frank, Tim Shelton, William Jones

Twenty-nine qualify to run for 16 seats on Anderson County Commission

Posted at 1:38 pm April 7, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Twenty-nine candidates have qualified to run for 16 seats on the Anderson County Commission in the county general election in August.

There are also three people running for the Tennessee House of Representatives in District 33, a new appointed Oak Ridge school board member running in a special election in August, and a Democratic challenger to Tennessee Senator Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge resident who is also lieutenant governor.

The deadline to qualify to run in the August 2 election, which will also feature contested elections for Anderson County sheriff and trustee, was noon Thursday.

Anderson County has eight County Commission districts, and there are two commissioners per district. The offices are non-partisan, meaning that, unlike some other county offices, they are not part of the Democratic and Republican primary elections on May 1. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Anderson County, Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Sheriff, Anthony Allen, Avery Johnson, Ben Stephens, Bob Eby, Bob Smallridge, Cassandra Mitchell, Catherine Denenberg, Chris Silver, Chuck Fritts, county general election, David Queener, Democratic primary, Dennis Powers, Denny Phillips, Denver Waddell, Ebony Capshaw, Felicia Foust, Floyd Grisham, Jeff Cole, Jeff Maxwell, Jerry Creasey, Jerry White, Jimmy Bouchard, John Meyer, John Ragan, Joshua Anderson, Leesa Arowood, Lewis Ridenour, Mark "Hollywood" Whaley, Mark Alderson, Mark Lucas, Michael Foster, Nathaniel Varner, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Phil Warfield, Phil Yager, primary elections, Randy McNally, Regina Copeland, Republican primary, Rex Lynch, Richard Dawson, Rick Meredith, Robert Jameson, Robert McKamey, Russell Barker, Scott Burton, Scott Gillenwaters, Shain Vowell, Steve Emert, Steve Mead, Tabitha Harmon, Tennessee House of Representatives, Tennessee House of Representatives District 33, Tennessee Senate District 5, Terry Frank, Theresa Scott, Tim Isbel, Tim Risden, Tim Shelton, Tracy Wandell, William Jones

Anderson County Commission candidates at forum Thursday; Roane County forum on July 19

Posted at 12:09 pm July 14, 2016
By Cleva Marrow Leave a Comment

Voter Registration Month

The League of Women of Voters of Oak Ridge will present two forums featuring candidates on the ballots in the August 4 elections in Anderson and Roane counties. The first forum, featuring candidates for Anderson County Commission, District 8, is tonight (Thursday, July 14).

Tonight’s forum will be held at the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College in Room-111. It starts at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 14.

Three candidates are running to fill the unexpired term of Robin Biloski, who resigned from her District 8 in Oak Ridge in August 2015. The three candidates are Myra Mansfield, Angeleque McNutt, and Phil Yager. McNutt was appointed to the seat by Anderson County Commission in August, and that appointment was to last through the county’s general election this August.

District 8 includes the Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland voting precincts in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Election, Anderson County, Front Page News, Government, Roane County Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Commission, Anderson County Election Commission, Anderson County School Board, Angeleque McNutt, August 4 election, candidate forum, County Commission District 6, Criminal Court Judge Ninth Judicial District, Democratic primary, early voting, General Sessions Judge Part 1, Glenda J. Langenberg, John K. Alley Jr., judicial retention, League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, Myra Mansfield, NAACP, Phil Yager, property assessor, Republican primary, road superintendent, Roane County, Roane County Election Commission, Roane State Community College, School Board District 5/6

Ragan runs on record; Nolan questions his representation

Posted at 6:48 pm August 6, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

John Ragan

John Ragan

He’s running for his third term in the Tennessee House, touting his record on state energy policy and trimming government. His challenger questions his record on representing the children and residents of the district, rather than special interests.

The two Republican candidates for the House seat in District 33, which includes most of Anderson County, are the incumbent, Representative John Ragan, and his GOP challenger, Caitlin Nolan. They will face off in the state Republican primary on Thursday.

It’s not clear who the winner will face in November. Misty Neergaard, the only candidate listed on the ballot in the state Democratic primary, has dropped out of the race, although she withdrew too late for her name to be taken off the ballot. There is a write-in candidate on the Democratic ticket, Leslie Agron of Oak Ridge.

During an interview last week, Ragan said legislators have eliminated 14 government organizations in the past two years, and a dozen legislative committees have been cut.

He said he’s helped to make state energy policy a top priority.

Asked about the challenge posed by Nolan, Ragan said: “It’s a race. My opponent is making me work hard, which is good for the voters even if it’s a strain on the candidates.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Government, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Americans for Prosperity, Anderson County, anti-bullying, Beth Harwell, bullying, Caitlin Nolan, Charles Koch, child abuse, Classroom Protection Act, David Koch, Democratic primary, discrimination, District 33, Don't Say Gay, education spending, energy policy, House bill, House District 33, Jim Hackworth, John Ragan, K-12, legislation, Leslie Agron, Marcel Neergaard, Misty Neergaard, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge High School, petition, Republican primary, school vouchers, special interests, StudentsFirst, Tennessee General Assembly, Tennessee House, U.S. Department of Energy

Guest column: Burying the facts

Posted at 1:46 am July 19, 2014
By Leslie Agron 4 Comments

In his guest column on July 4, Tennessee Representative John Ragan requests us to cast our ballots to hold government accountable. This is an excellent idea!

Hidden in Mr. Ragan’s rhetoric about IRS tyranny is the underlying economic policy he espouses: the notion that cutting taxes will lead us to prosperity in all circumstances. Our nation’s experiment with that fanciful notion has been a miserable failure for the last 30 years, causing incredible hardship on our people. It is now overwhelmingly discredited by economists from both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Ragan would likely be good enough with mathematics to have studied economics, but he seems to not have done so. In fact, it appears he learned his economics, not from the best in the field, but from politicians and the media. This has been greatly to the detriment of Tennessee.

In his 400-word column about government, Mr. Ragan mentions God four times—lest anyone be in doubt about his theory of governance. Despite the fact he lives in Oak Ridge and must surely know that this region is blessed by the diverse people drawn here from around the world by the scientific facilities, he chooses to represent only those who share his exact beliefs. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns, Opinion Tagged With: Democratic primary, District 33, economic policy, economics, gays, government, John Ragan, lesbians, Leslie Agron, Misty Neergaard, taxes, Tennessee House of Representatives, write-in candidacy

Guest column: Anderson County election ballot explained

Posted at 12:44 pm July 15, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns 2 Comments

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…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Anderson County, Government, Guest Columns, Opinion Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County general election, appellate court, August 7 ballot, ballot, Clinton, county general election, Democratic primary, election ballot, federal primary, judges, judicial retention, Lake City, local general election, Norris, Oliver Springs, Republican primary, retention questions, state primary, Tennessee Supreme Court

Close to 800 vote early in Anderson County in first two days

Posted at 12:28 pm April 18, 2014
By John Huotari 4 Comments

Anderson County Early Voting

As represented by three signs here, the Anderson County primary election includes three candidates for mayor, the incumbent, Terry Frank, left; her Republican opponent, Commissioner Zach Bates, right; and Democrat Jim Hackworth, center, a former state representative.

Early voting started Wednesday in Anderson County, and close to 800 residents cast ballots in the first two days, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.

The early voting is for the May 6 Democratic and Republican primaries in Anderson County.

WYSH said 410 people voted Wednesday, and 378 voted Thursday. The two-day total was 788.

The Republican primary has been more popular, with 645 votes cast so far. That primary features four contested races: mayor, sheriff, chancellor, and juvenile court judge. About 82 percent of the ballots cast have been in the GOP primary.

There is only one contested race in the Democratic primary, and that’s for juvenile court judge. One hundred forty-three voters, or about 18 percent of them, cast ballots in the Democratic primary on Wednesday and Thursday, WYSH said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, 2014 Election, Anderson County, Government, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson Crossing Shopping Center, Clinton Community Center, Democrat, Democratic primary, early voting, Midtown Community Center, North Anderson Government Office, primaries, Republican, Republican primary, voters, WYSH Radio

Headrick announces second run for Congress in Third District

Posted at 1:08 am March 22, 2014
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Mary Headrick

Mary Headrick

Mary Headrick, a retired physician who lives in Maynardville, recently announced a second run for Congress in Tennessee’s Third District.

Headrick is a Democrat who also ran in 2012 but lost to the incumbent, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican who was first elected in 2010.

“All the people, especially the working families and retirees of District 3, deserve representation,” Headrick said in a press release. “They are not getting it. Special wealthy and corporate interests hold the power and benefits while the middle class shrinks and democracy falters. Too few people control too much money and power, and they are grabbing more by ‘buying’ a Congress that will pass laws and regulations to enhance their personal profit at the expense of the rest of us. I will defend our economy, jobs, Social Security, Medicare, public education.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Chuck Fleischmann, Congress, Democrat, Democratic primary, Mary Headrick, Republican primary, Tennessee, Third District, Weston Wamp

Anderson County primary deadline Thursday at noon

Posted at 1:06 pm February 19, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Information from WYSH Radio

The deadline to qualify as a candidate in any of the races on the ballot for Anderson County’s May 6 primaries is at noon Thursday.

Here is a look at who has qualified so far:

  • So far, only incumbent Judge Don Elledge has qualified to run for his seat as criminal and circuit judge.
  • Five people have qualified to run in the hotly-contested Juvenile Court judge primaries. Two Democrats—J. Michael Clement and David Dunkirk—are seeking the nomination, while three Republicans—Victoria Bannach, Lauren Biloski, and Brian Hunt—have qualified to seek their party’s nod to run for the seat in the August general election.
  • Brandon Fisher, the current Juvenile Court judge, had qualified to run for the Democratic nomination for chancellor, a seat coming open due to the retirement of William Lantrip, but he announced just a couple of weeks ago that he will be dropping out of the race to join a company in Pennsylvania. On the Republican side, Mike Farley and Phil Harber have qualified to appear on the May ballot. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Anderson County, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Anderson County, Anderson County Election Commission, Anthony Lay, Bill Gallaher, Brandon Fisher, Brian Hunt, chancellor, Circuit Court Clerk, county clerk, Dave Clark, David Dunkirk, Democratic primary, district attorney general, Don Elledge, Don Layton, Gary Long, General Sessions, J. Michael Clement, Jeff Cole, Juvenile Court, Lauren Biloski, May 6 primaries, mayor, Mike Farley, Paul White, Phil Harber, primary, public defender, Randy Myers, register of deeds, Republican primary, road superintendent, Rodney Archer, Ron Murch, Ryan Spitzer, sheriff, Terry Frank, Tim Shelton, Tom Marshall, trustee, Tyler Mayes, Victoria Bannach, William Jones, William Lantrip, Zach Bates

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Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

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