Oak Ridge Today

Election is Thursday

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The Anderson County general election and state and federal primary elections are Thursday.

Competitive races include the Democratic and Republican primaries for U.S. Senate, Republican primary for Tennessee House of Representatives in District 33 in Anderson County, an Anderson County Commission seat in District 6 in Oak Ridge, and seats on the Anderson County School Board.

Voters can cast ballots in the county general election and either the Democratic or Republican state and federal primary election.

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Anderson: Barker elected sheriff; incumbents win in Oak Ridge

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Russell Barker

Russell Barker

Note: This story was last updated at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 3.

Russell Barker, a Republican, won the race for Anderson County sheriff on Thursday, beating Mark Lucas, a Democrat, in a race decided by about 2,000 votes, according to unofficial results.

Meanwhile, four incumbents were re-elected in two Anderson County Commission districts where there was a challenger in Oak Ridge.

Barker is a detective sergeant with the Clinton Police Department who has served as director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County. Lucas is chief deputy of the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.

Barker had 7,684 votes (57.79 percent), compared to 5,613 votes (42.21 percent) for Lucas, according to the unofficial results posted after all 27 precincts had been counted Thursday night.

Anderson County Sheriff Paul White is retiring at the end of his third four-year term, and he did not seek re-election.

In another contested race, Regina Copeland, the Republican director of the 911 center, defeated Ebony Capshaw, a Democrat, by a 69.74 percent to 30.26 percent margin (8,981 votes to 3,987). The last elected trustee, Rodney Archer, is now executive director of the County Officials Association of Tennessee, and Myron Iwanski, a former county commissioner and commission chair appointed to the trustee job through this August election, did not seek the job in the election. [Read more…]

Barker leads in early, absentee voting for sheriff

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Russell Barker

Russell Barker

Note: This story was last updated at 8:50 p.m.

Russell Barker, who has served as director of the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County, leads in early and absentee voting for Anderson County sheriff, with a roughly 56-44 percent margin over Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas, according to unofficial results released Thursday evening after polls closed and before any precincts had been counted.

Barker, a Republican, had 4,182 early and absentee votes (55.72 percent), compared to 3,323 (44.28 percent) for Lucas, a Democrat.

It’s not clear if Barker’s lead will hold after all 27 precincts in Anderson County are counted. Early voting leads often or usually predict the eventual winner, but in prior elections, the lead has sometimes narrowed or even reversed. [Read more…]

Meet candidates at Popcorn & Politics on Monday

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You can meet candidates for county and state elected offices at Popcorn and Politics at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

It’s scheduled from 4:30-6 p.m. Monday, June 25. It’s hosted by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Advocacy Committee. Popcorn and Politics will give you a chance to meet candidates running for office in the August election, a press release said.

“All local candidates as well as candidates running for state legislative offices have been invited to participate,” the press release said.

The public is invited. There is no charge to attend, but a reservation is requested. The event will be held in the Joyce Conference Room at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike. [Read more…]

Emert, Barker, Lynch lead in early, absentee voting

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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…]

Races on the ballot today include mayor, sheriff, others

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Note: This story was last updated at 11:50 a.m.

Among the races on the ballot in the primary election in Anderson County today (Tuesday, May 1) are mayor, sheriff, trustee, county clerk, circuit court clerk, and register of deeds.

At least three of the races—mayor, county clerk, and register of deeds—could be decided in the Republican Party primary today because there are no Democrats running for those offices. That’s assuming there are no write-in candidates for those races in the August 2 county general election.

The Republican candidates for mayor are Terry Frank, the incumbent, and Anderson County Commissioner Steve Emert. The GOP candidates for county clerk are Jeff Cole, the incumbent, and his challenger, businesswoman Leesa Arowood. Tim Shelton is running for re-election as register of deeds, and he is being challenged in the Republican primary by Rocky Top City Manager Michael Foster.

There are no Democrats on today’s ballot for circuit court clerk, but there is a write-in candidate who plans to run as a Democrat in the August election. There is also a Republican write-in candidate in the race. It initially appeared this election could be decided today, but it now appears there could be the Republican nominee, either incumbent William Jones or former mayor Rex Lynch, plus two possible write-in candidates. [Read more…]

Anderson County Democrats have candidate forum Thursday

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The Anderson County Democratic Party will have a candidate forum at Oak Valley Baptist Church in Oak Ridge from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 19, 2018. (Submitted photo)

The Anderson County Democratic Party will have a candidate forum at Oak Valley Baptist Church in Oak Ridge from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, April 19, 2018. (Submitted photo)

 

The Anderson County Democratic Party has a candidate forum in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The forum is scheduled from 6-8 p.m. Thursday at Oak Valley Baptist Church.

Candidates expected to attend include Ebony Capshaw, Richard Dawson, Mark Lucas, Alden Souza, and Nathaniel Varner, an event notice said.

Capshaw and Lucas are both running unopposed in the May 1 primary for Anderson County Democrats. Capshaw is running for Anderson County trustee, and Lucas is running for Anderson County sheriff. After the May 1 elections, they will face the winners of the Republican Party primaries, which are also on May 1, in the August 2 county general election for trustee and sheriff. [Read more…]

Ebony Capshaw running for Anderson County trustee

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Ebony Capshaw

Ebony Capshaw

 

Ebony Capshaw has announced that she is seeking election to the office of Anderson County trustee.

Capshaw said her local background and sense of community, combined with her organizational experience and management skills, have led to her interest in local government and public office.

“I love to serve the people,” Capshaw said in a press release. “I have a servant’s heart, and you can trust me to get the job done. With my auditing background and code of ethics within a multibillion-dollar company, I feel confident I can do this job and serve the people of Anderson County with enthusiasm.”

Capshaw is unopposed on the ballot in the Democratic primary election on May 1. She will face the winner of the Republican primary in the August 2 general election. The office is presently held by Myron Iwanski, former Anderson County Commissioner, who was appointed by his fellow commissioners to fill the office following the resignation of Rodney Archer. Archer left to take the position of executive director for the County Officials Association of Tennessee. Iwanski is not seeking election as trustee. [Read more…]

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

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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…]

Anderson County Chamber hosts county election candidate forum

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The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce will host a forum in Clinton this month for candidates in the Anderson County primary election in May.

The candidate forum will be moderated by Gene Patterson, community relations lead for Consolidated Nuclear Security, which manages and operates the Y-12 National Security Complex.

The candidate forum will be hosted by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce Government/Community Relations Committee. It is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, at The Ritz Theater at 119 North Main Street in downtown Clinton. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., and the concession stand will be open, a press release said. [Read more…]

Anderson County Democratic Party celebrating Black History Month tonight

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Ebony Capshaw

Ebony Capshaw

 

The Anderson County Democratic Party will celebrate Black History Month at its meeting and potluck from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, February 22, at the Claxton Community Center, a press release said. The guests will include a candidate for Anderson County trustee.

Everyone is encouraged to bring a main dish, side dish, or dessert to share for the potluck, the press release said.

“However, as always, all are welcome, and bringing food is optional,” the press release said. [Read more…]