Oak Ridge Today

Next City Blueprint meeting is Thursday

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Emory Valley_Briarcliff and Lakeview Poster

Note: This story was updated at 11:30 a.m.

The Oak Ridge Community Development Department is continuing the Oak Ridge City Blueprint effort with a discussion focused on the Emory Valley, Briarcliff, and Lakeview residential neighborhoods. An open house will be held between 5:30 and 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, at Jefferson Middle School.

Families living in these subareas are encouraged to attend and provide ideas and suggestions for possible neighborhood improvements, a press release said.

“Please note that no formal presentation is planned for this event,” the press release said. “Those attending can come and go anytime during the open house to meet, ask questions, and share thoughts with city staff and board representatives.”

What: Oak Ridge City Blueprint Open House—Emory Valley, Briarcliff, and Lakeview neighborhoods [Read more…]

Moore cites city, county government experience in run for Charter Commission

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Kathy Moore

Kathy Moore

Longtime Oak Ridger Kathy Moore has announced that she is running for one of eight seats on the Anderson County Charter Commission, a press release said.

Moore supports term limits. The press release said term limits would give more people an opportunity to participate in local government as candidates and as board members.

Moore said she wants to use her experiences to serve as the representative from the Eighth District. That district includes the Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland voting precincts.

“As a lifelong Oak Ridger with experience in both city and county government, I believe I can provide knowledgeable input into the charter process,” Moore said. “A charter has worked well for the City of Oak Ridge, ensuring that citizens are an active part of our government. I want the same for Anderson County in order to move us forward.” [Read more…]

Smallridge, a former school superintendent, running for Charter Commission

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Bob Smallridge

Bob Smallridge

Bob Smallridge is running for Anderson County Charter Commission in District 8, which includes the Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland voting precincts.

The eight-member Charter Commission will be elected in November with the purpose of considering and voting on possible changes to Anderson County government, a press release said.

Once elected and certified, the Commission will have nine months to come up with a recommended document for voter approval or rejection through a countywide referendum.

As pointed out in a recent newspaper editorial, a home rule charter provides, “numerous options for improving county government, but also ample opportunity to make government worse,” the press release said. [Read more…]

Yager wins special election for Anderson County Commission, District 8

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Phil Yager

Phil Yager

 

Note: This story was last updated at 12:05 a.m.

Phil Yager beat two other candidates to win a seat on Anderson County Commission in District 8 in Oak Ridge on Thursday.

The special election for the District 8 seat was held along with the county general election and state and federal primaries on Thursday, August 4. District 8 includes the Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland voting precincts in Oak Ridge.

Yager finished with 542 votes, compared to 239 for Angeleque McNutt and 227 for Myra Mansfield, according to unofficial results posted on the Anderson County Election Commission website.

The final results from all 27 precincts, plus early, absentee, and write-in ballots, were posted at 10:41 p.m. Thursday. [Read more…]

Reminder: Anderson County Commission candidates at Thursday forum

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Reminder: A Thursday morning forum will feature three candidates for Anderson County Commission.

The three candidates are Myra Mansfield, Angeleque McNutt, and Phil Yager. They are running for one of two seats in District 8, which includes the Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland voting precincts in Oak Ridge.

The candidate forum is from 7:30-9 a.m. Thursday, July 14, at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which is at 1400 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Gene Patterson will be the moderator. The forum is free and open to the public.

See previous story here: [Read more…]

Aug. 4 ballot: Competitive races for Congress, AC Commission in Oak Ridge

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Voter Registration Month

The ballot is set for the August 4 county general election and state and federal primary elections. The competitive elections include the Republican and Democratic primaries for the U.S. House of Representatives in the Third Congressional District, which includes Oak Ridge, and the race for one of two seats in Anderson County Commission’s Eighth District, which includes the Woodland, Hendrix Creek, and Emory Valley precincts in Oak Ridge.

There is also competition for two seats on the Anderson County School Board, one in the Third District and the other in the Fifth District.

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, an Ooltewah Republican, is the incumbent in the House’s Third Congressional District. He has two opponents in the Republican primary on August 4: Allan Levene and Geoffery Suhmer Smith. (Signs for Fleischmann and Smith have both recently been posted in Oak Ridge.)

There are also three Democratic candidates on the ballot for U.S. House, Third District. They are Michael Friedman, George Ryan Love, and Melody Shekari.

The Republican winner will face the Democratic winner in the November 8 federal general election. [Read more…]

Small business owner seeks to retain seat on County Commission

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Angeleque McNutt

Angeleque McNutt

Anderson County Commissioner Angeleque McNutt wants to keep her seat on County Commission, and she has announced that she is a candidate in the August 4 election.

McNutt, who owns Rainbow Florist in Oak Ridge, was appointed to replace Robin Biloski on Anderson County Commission when Biloski resigned on August 3 because she and her husband Bill moved to Madeira Beach, Florida.

McNutt now represents District 8, one of two commissioners in that district (Myron Iwanski is the other commissioner). The district includes Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland in Oak Ridge.

McNutt’s appointment to the seat by the County Commission in August 2015 was through the August 2016 county general election. [Read more…]

2014 Election: Commission candidates talk ouster, taxes

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During a forum earlier this month, a half-dozen Oak Ridge candidates running for Anderson County Commission said they support the county’s law director, the defendant in a controversial ouster suit, while four others said they are reserving judgement.

A few candidates said the county’s property tax rate ought to be lowered, while others argued that officials have done a good job of holding the rate as low as possible.

Several agreed that the county needs to work on attracting more jobs, affordable housing, and retail.

All five of the incumbents seeking re-election in Oak Ridge’s three County Commission districts face challengers in the August 7 election. Voters will elect two commissioners in each district.

The most crowded race is District 7, where incumbent Jerry Creasey is seeking re-election but Commissioner John Shuey is not. There are six candidates in that race. Besides Creasey, they include Jimmy Bouchard, Mike Marsh, Denny Phillips, Kevin Rice, and Theresa Scott.

District 7 includes the Glenwood, Highland View, and Pine Valley voting precincts in Oak Ridge. [Read more…]

Iwanski announces re-election campaign for County Commission

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Myron Iwanski

Myron Iwanski

Myron Iwanski is seeking re-election to Anderson County Commission in District 8, which includes the Woodland, Emory Valley, and Hendrix Creek precincts in Oak Ridge.

Iwanski was appointed in 2011 to serve as mayor by County Commission early in his current term on County Commission. This was a 19-month appointment until a mayor could be elected for the remaining two years of former Mayor Rex Lynch’s term.

“It was an honor to be selected by my peers on County Commission to serve as chairman of County Commission for three terms and then as mayor during a difficult time for our county government,” Iwanski said in a press release.

“We had to work together to make some tough decisions,” Iwanski said. “We put several initiatives in place that will expand our retail and industrial tax base, promote tourism, and create jobs. This included setting funds aside for industrial land and infrastructure and creating a public/private partnership to hire a retail recruiter. We also put initiatives in place that are slowing the growth in the county jail population while helping reduce the crime rate. [Read more…]

Biloski seeks re-election to County Commission

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Robin Biloski

Robin Biloski

Anderson County Commissioner Robin Biloski is seeking re-election to Anderson County Commission in the Aug. 7 election. Biloski represents District 8 in Oak Ridge, which includes the voting precincts of Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland.

During her tenure, Biloski has helped secure and complete energy initiatives for the county that are sustainable and save taxpayer money, a press release said. It said she secured donated funding to repave the county’s offices in Oak Ridge by working with the County Clerk and Trustee to open a drive-through operation and actively supported the expanded and updated Dental Clinic in Oak Ridge, which are all within District 8.

“I feel very positive about my contributions to Anderson County these past eight years, and seeing the expansion at Roane State and the beginnings of the new facility for Emory Valley Center shows the continued growth within District 8,” Biloski said. “Acting as a resource for city/county inquiries is what I most love doing as an elected official. I have always considered myself a professional, independent, and educated voice in my service to all county residents. I humbly and respectfully ask those in District 8 for their vote in the upcoming election.”

Paul Spray is again Biloski’s treasurer for her campaign, the press release said. [Read more…]

Myra Mansfield running for County Commission in District 8

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Myra Mansfield

Myra Mansfield

Myra Mansfield has announced she is running to serve as an Anderson County Commissioner for District 8 in Oak Ridge. The district includes the Emory Valley, Hendrix Creek, and Woodland voting precincts.

Mansfield is a native Oak Ridger who grew up in the district where she is asking to serve, a press release said. She attended Woodland Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, and is a graduate of Oak Ridge High School. After high school, she received an associate degree in accounting and a bachelor degree in business management. Later in life, she returned to school to receive her master’s degree while studying counseling.

The release said Mansfield has invested her adult life in business and nonprofit leadership, government and community service, parenting, writing, and public speaking. As a hobby, she has been involved in numerous multimedia projects. She loves history and historical research. Over the years, she found herself being offered a series of opportunities to use her leadership skills to bring positive transition to organizational structure, the release said. [Read more…]

Sewer smoke testing in Emory Valley starts Monday

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Oak Ridge work crews will continue smoke testing the sanitary sewer system in the Emory Valley area starting Monday and continuing through Friday, June 29, as part of an ongoing system study.

The smoke testing helps find leaks.

[Read more…]