Oak Ridge Today

Frank, White re-elected; incumbents fare well, but some upsets

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Steve Mead at Early Voting

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

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

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…]

Votes still coming in, but most incumbents in lead; few upsets possible

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Anderson County Early Voting Campaign Signs

The Thursday election featured the Anderson County general election and the state and federal primaries. Pictured above are campaign signs during early voting at the Midtown Community Center in Oak Ridge.

 

Note: Please see this newer story for final results.

The votes are still coming in and the Anderson County Election Commission is repairing its website, but early results suggest most incumbents are faring well, although a few upsets are possible.

Here is a look at some preliminary voting results in Anderson County, as reported by BBB-TV, Channel 12 in Oak Ridge, with 16 of 27 precincts reporting. There could be a few upsets, including on Anderson County Commission and in the races for Anderson County General Session Judge, Division II, and Anderson County Circuit Court Clerk.

Anderson County Mayor

Terry Frank, the Republican incumbent, leads Jim Hackworth, a Democrat, and Bradley Rickett, an Independent.

Anderson County Sheriff

Paul White, the Democratic incumbent, leads Anthony Lay, a Republican.

Tennessee House of Representatives

Republican primary

John Ragan, the Republican incumbent, leads Caitlin Nolan, his GOP challenger. [Read more…]

League forum to feature Anderson County candidates on Tuesday

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Oak Ridge High School

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge will have a Tuesday evening forum for candidates in Anderson County. The forum will be at Oak Ridge High School, pictured above.

The League of Women Voters will have a Tuesday evening election forum in Oak Ridge that will feature candidates from seven contested races in Anderson County—and give voters a chance to meet candidates in the uncontested races.

The forum stars at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater at 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Candidates in the contested races are running for Anderson County mayor, sheriff, register of deeds, circuit court clerk, general sessions judges (Division 1 and 2), and juvenile court judge. They have been invited to speak and answer questions, a press release said.

Candidates who are unopposed for county clerk, trustee, road superintendent, chancellor, criminal and circuit court judge, district attorney general, and public defender will be introduced. [Read more…]

Reminder: Juvenile Court judge candidate forum tonight

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There will be a candidate forum featuring the two men running for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge on Tuesday, July 8, at the Clinton Public Library from 6 to 7 p.m. The forum is being hosted by Community Mediation Services (CMS) and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the Tennessee Heartland.

The candidates are Republican Brian Hunt and Democrat Michael Clement. Both men will be given the chance to address the crowd and will take a few questions from the audience during the forum.

The doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the public is encouraged to attend.

CASA, Community Mediation host juvenile judge candidate forum Tuesday

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Brian Hunt

Brian Hunt

Two nonprofit organizations are hosting a Tuesday evening forum for the two candidates for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge.

The two candidates are Republican Brian Hunt and Democrat Michael Clement.

The forum is hosted by Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the Tennessee Heartland and Community Mediation Services (CMS). It will be held in the Clinton Public Library from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 8. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., a press release said.

Each candidate will have an opportunity to address the group, and several questions will be taken from the audience. The public is invited, and reservations are not necessary.

Michael Clement

Michael Clement

The Anderson County general election is Aug. 7

CASA of the Tennessee Heartland is a local nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that gives a voice in court to abused and neglected children. CASA volunteers give an independent recommendation of permanent placement to the judge based solely on the best interest of the child involved and advocate for necessary services the child may need. More information can be found at www.casatnh.org.

Community Mediation Services is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that assists and empowers individuals to engage, transform, and resolve conflicts through the use of collaborative, constructive processes, the press release said. CMS helps people get heard, get healed, and get back to their lives through four different no-cost mediation programs focusing on at-risk youth and families. Learn more at www.peacefulresolution.org.

2014 Election: Anderson County primary voting totals

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Anderson County Election Commission

Here are the unofficial election results for the contested races in the Democratic and Republican primaries in Anderson County on Tuesday. The results include all 27 precincts, early voting, and absentee ballots.

Anderson County mayor—Republican primary

  • Terry Frank—3,896 (53 percent)
  • Zach Bates—3,406 (47 percent)

Anderson County chancellor—Republican primary

  • Nichole “Nicki” Cantrell—3,895 (54 percent)
  • Michael S. Farley—2,979 (41 percent)
  • Phil Harber—368 (5 percent) [Read more…]

Anderson County elects first female chancellor

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Anderson County Republican Party Candidates

Nicki Cantrell, second from right, who is running unopposed in the Aug. 7 general election after winning the Republican primary on Tuesday, will become Anderson County’s first female chancellor. Also pictured at right is Michael Farley, one of her two Republican opponents. The three GOP candidates for Juvenile Court judge are also pictured. From left they are Vickie Bannach, Lauren Biloski, and Brian Hunt, the winner of Tuesday’s Republican primary.

 

Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Note: This story was last updated at 4:10 p.m. May 7.

Primary Winners: Frank, Cantrell, Hunt, Lay, Clement

One is Anderson County’s first female mayor. The other will become the county’s first female chancellor.

The two candidates—Terry Frank and Nicki Cantrell—beat their opponents by significant margins in the Republican primary on Tuesday. Both said their victories were based in large part on running positive campaigns.

Cantrell’s victory over Clinton attorney and City Judge Michael Farley, who had the support of many other lawyers, appeared to be the big upset of the night in what had been the most heated race, with the two candidates clashing over their courtroom experience and trading accusations of false claims and “mudslinging.”

Zach Bates

Zach Bates

Both were running to replace the current chancellor, William Lantrip, who is retiring at the end of June after 25 years on the bench. The chancellor hears cases in Chancery Court ranging from divorces and adoptions to lawsuits and contract disputes, but can also sometimes hear Criminal Court cases, sit as the Circuit Court judge, and hear Juvenile Court appeals.

“Nobody believed we could do this,” Cantrell’s husband Dail Cantrell said Tuesday night. “We refused to run a negative campaign and got the support of the people.”

Nicki Cantrell won by about 900 votes, collecting 3,895 votes to Farley’s 2,979, according to unofficial results with all 27 precincts reporting. That’s roughly a 54 percent to 41 percent margin.

A third candidate, Republican Phil Harber, who did not appear to campaign as hard as either Farley or Cantrell, received 368 votes. [Read more…]

Letter: CASA volunteer outlines juvenile judge qualities

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To the Editor:

When I started as a volunteer CASA in 1994, I had not given much thought to what qualities I expected of the judge other than an impeccable character. When I was preparing a report for a complex case and I needed the judge to read the report and conclude the same as I had—that the child needed to be removed immediately from what was planned to be its adoptive home—I started mulling over the qualities needed for a judge to effectively carry out his or her responsibilities and assessing what qualities the judge I was addressing had. I started the following list and it grew with time: [Read more…]

Letter: Dunkirk a candidate who can administer ‘justice with mercy’

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David Dunkirk

David Dunkirk

To the Editor:

What does it take to be an effective juvenile court judge in Tennessee?

First, in my opinion, would be the ability to know, understand, and apply the laws that impact juveniles and their families or guardians.

Second, that person must have the demeanor to be a judge. He or she must recognize that the position is not based upon winning a popularity contest; or being a “glad-hander” at a community pancake breakfast, for example; or having the most and largest political ads in the local press; or having the most yard signs to the point their number appears to exceed the number of wild onions in a person’s lawn. That candidate must recognize the seriousness of the office and conduct him or herself accordingly.

Third, he or she must have outstanding credentials.

In my judgment, Mr. David Dunkirk exceeds these qualifications. [Read more…]

Norris Bulletin to host candidate forum at ACHS

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Information from WYSH Radio

All of the candidates in the upcoming Democratic and Republican contested primary elections scheduled for May 6 are being invited to a public forum to be hosted by The Norris Bulletin and moderated by publisher Jack Mitchell. The event will be held next Thursday, April 24, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium of Anderson County High School.

Unopposed candidates are also invited and, after a brief introduction, will be given an opportunity to make a brief statement, but they will not participate in the question and answer session of the forum.

For each of the contested primaries, candidates will be granted two to three minutes for an opening statement, after which 20 minutes will be allocated to a question and answer session where the moderator will pose four questions to each candidate, who will have two minutes to answer. Opponents will then be granted two minutes for rebuttal. The moderator, at his discretion, may permit an additional one minute to the candidate who was originally asked the question. [Read more…]

Letter: Bannach an assistant DA, helped set up Child Advocacy Center

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Victoria "Vickie" Bannach

Victoria “Vickie” Bannach

To the Editor:

We support Victoria “Vickie” Bannach, who is running for Juvenile Court judge. Vickie is an assistant district attorney and has prosecuted many cases in Juvenile and Criminal Court with hard work, dedication, and compassion.

Vickie is concerned for all children and their families and wants the best outcome for all involved.

She has worked with the county school systems to decrease truancy, helped establish the Anderson County Child Advocacy Center, and is a member of the Anderson County Child Protective Investigative Team. CPIT reviews child abuse cases to guarantee the best placement for the child(ren). [Read more…]

Letter: Of the candidates observed, recommends Hunt

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Brian Hunt

Brian Hunt

To the Editor:

My name is Tommy Brooks. I was the first Juvenile Court bailiff and had the honor of serving the citizens of Anderson County in that capacity until my retirement. As bailiff, I had the opportunity of observing most of Anderson County’s attorneys in their responsibilities of advocating for their clients and they were all dedicated in their pursuit.

So, you may think that if I thought all the attorneys were good, why would I choose to recommend a candidate at all? Well, in my opinion, of all the good candidates I have had the good fortune to observe, Brian Hunt is the candidate I wholeheartedly recommend for Juvenile Court judge.

Tommy Brooks

Clinton