Oak Ridge Today

Gooch re-appointed mayor

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Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch was appointed without opposition to a fifth two-year term on Monday, and Council member Jim Dodson was appointed to his first two-year term in a 4-3 vote.

Gooch is starting his third four-year term on Oak Ridge City Council. He has been mayor since being elected to Council in 2014. He had no opposition on Monday.

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Gooch seeks re-appointment as mayor

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Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch is seeking a fifth two-year term as mayor. Gooch has asked the other six members of Oak Ridge City Council to re-appoint him to that position on Monday. He is the only council member seeking to be appointed mayor.

Meanwhile, there are two candidates for mayor pro tem, which is like vice mayor. Council members Jim Dodson and Chuck Hope have both asked to be appointed to that position.

The council member who had been mayor pro tem, Rick Chinn, did not seek re-election in November after two four-year terms on council.

In his letter of intent for mayor, Gooch said Oak Ridge is headed in the right direction, with good news across the city from Elza Gate in the east to The Preserve in the west.

[Read more…]

Gooch, Chinn re-elected as mayor, mayor pro tem

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn were re-elected to two-year terms during a special City Council meeting on Tuesday.

In Oak Ridge, the seven-member City Council selects two of its members to serve as mayor and mayor pro tem after each municipal election every two years. The mayor pro tem serves in the mayor’s absence.

Gooch was the only candidate for mayor on Tuesday. Gooch was re-elected November 6, and he is serving his second four-year term as a City Council member and third two-year term as mayor.

Chinn was also re-elected to a second four-year term City Council on November 6, and he is serving his second two-year term as mayor pro tem. [Read more…]

Council to elect mayor, mayor pro tem; discuss DOE landfill

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The four Oak Ridge City Council members re-elected on November 6 will be sworn into office during a special meeting this evening (Tuesday, November 27).

Council will then choose two of its members to serve as mayor and mayor pro tem. The mayor and mayor pro tem, who serves in the mayor’s absence, serve two-year terms. Under the City Charter, they are chosen by Council after each municipal election every two years.

Oak Ridge City Council member Warren Gooch, who has served two terms as mayor, has announced he will seek to be appointed to a third two-year term.

So far, no one else has publicly announced an interest in serving as mayor. [Read more…]

Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem

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Jim Dodson

Jim Dodson

 

Note: This story was updated at 10:25 a.m. Nov. 18.

There is a second candidate for Oak Ridge mayor pro tem. Oak Ridge City Council member Jim Dodson has announced that he also is interested in serving in that position.

The current mayor pro tem, Council member Rick Chinn, announced Tuesday that he will ask to serve another two-year term. The mayor pro tem fills in when the mayor is unavailable.

Dodson announced his interest in serving as mayor pro tem in a letter dated that same day. In the letter, Dodson, who was elected to City Council in November 2016, cited his experience and leadership style. He said he is committed to a vision to improve the quality of life in Oak Ridge, has experience working with groups to build consensus from a variety of viewpoints, and is seen as a community organizer and community builder by many people in the city. [Read more…]

Gooch, Chinn will seek re-election as mayor, mayor pro tem

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will seek re-election as mayor later this month, and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn wants to serve again as mayor pro tem.

The Oak Ridge City Council will elect two of their seven members as mayor and mayor pro tem at a meeting on Tuesday, November 27. The mayor and mayor pro tem, who serves in the mayor’s absence, serve two-year terms. Under the City Charter, they are chosen by Council after each municipal election every two years.

While Gooch is currently mayor, Council member Rick Chinn is now the mayor pro tem. In Oak Ridge, the daily responsibilities of running the city are delegated to a city manager, who is selected by Council. The mayor and mayor pro tem cast votes during City Council decisions, and the mayor—or mayor pro tem when the mayor is not available—leads City Council meetings, signs ordinances and resolutions, and serves as the ceremonial head of the city, among other duties.

If he is re-elected later this month, it would be Gooch’s third two-year term as mayor. It would be Chinn’s second term as mayor pro tem. [Read more…]

Gooch re-appointed mayor, Chinn replaces Smith as mayor pro tem

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Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch (File photo by Savanna Schubert)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch has been elected by City Council to a second two-year term as mayor, and City Council member Rick Chinn was appointed mayor pro tem, replacing Ellen Smith.

No other City Council member sought to be appointed mayor, and Gooch, who was first appointed after he was elected in 2014, was unanimously elected by the new City Council.

Smith and Chinn both sought to be appointed mayor pro tem. The mayor pro tem serves as mayor when the mayor is temporarily unavailable. [Read more…]

Letter: Chinn asks to be appointed mayor pro tem

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Rick Chinn (File photo by John Huotari/oak Ridge Today)

Editor’s note: Oak Ridge City Council member Rick Chinn has asked to be appointed mayor pro tem during a Monday, Dec. 12, meeting of the City Council. Here is a copy of a Dec. 7 letter he wrote to other city leaders.

City Manager Watson and Honorable Members of Oak Ridge City Council,

First, I would like to congratulate the new members elected to Council and express my enthusiasm in working with all the new and returning members of Council for the coming years. I feel we have a great group of members and know that if we work together we can accomplish some great things for the City of Oak Ridge. In my opinion, a key to making these great things happen is working together in electing and supporting Council leadership.

That said, I would like to officially announce my interest in becoming the new mayor pro tem.

Next, I would like to express my gratitude and support for Mayor Warren Gooch in his service as mayor for the past two years and his willingness to offer his service again. I feel he has done a fine job in bringing Council together to accomplish our common goals. I fully support him in his continued service in this role. [Read more…]

Letter: Smith asks to be re-appointed as mayor pro tem

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Ellen Smith (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Editor’s note: Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith has asked to be appointed to a second two-year term during a Monday, Dec. 12, meeting of the Oak Ridge City Council. Here is a copy of a Dec. 6 letter she wrote to other city leaders.

Dear Fellow City Leaders:

I am writing to request your support and your votes for my candidacy to serve as mayor pro tem for a second two-year term.

The role of the mayor pro tem is to fill in for the mayor when the mayor is not available—particularly to chair meetings of City Council and serve as the “face” or ambassador of the city’s elected leadership when the mayor is unable to do so.

I have endeavored over the past two years to conduct city business in an efficient and respectful manner and to present a positive image for Council and the community, both locally and when representing Oak Ridge outside our city’s borders. [Read more…]

Smith, Chinn both seek appointment as mayor pro tem

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Ellen Smith (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Oak Ridge Mayor Pro Tem Ellen Smith is seeking appointment to a second two-year term as mayor pro tem on Monday.

But she has a challenger: Rick Chinn.

The mayor pro tem is someone who can carry out the duties of the mayor when the mayor is temporarily unavailable. That includes leading Oak Ridge City Council meetings and serving as the city’s ambassador when the mayor is not available.

In a letter to her fellow city leaders, Smith said she has tried, during her two-year term, to conduct city business in an efficient and respectful manner and to present a positive image for Council and the community, both locally and when representing Oak Ridge outside the city’s borders. [Read more…]

New Council members to be sworn in Monday

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Two new members of the Oak Ridge City Council and one incumbent will be sworn in Monday. Two incumbents re-elected to the Oak Ridge Board of Education will also be sworn in.

The two new City Council members are Jim Dodson and Hans Vogel. The incumbent is Chuck Hope.

The two school board members who were re-elected in the November 8 municipal election are Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer. [Read more…]

Gooch seeks second term as mayor

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Warren Gooch (2016 file photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch is seeking a second two-year term as mayor. Gooch has written a letter to the rest of the seven-member Oak Ridge City Council outlining why he is seeking re-election.

The Oak Ridge City Council is expected to appoint a mayor and mayor pro tem during its next meeting on December 12.

Four City Council members expressed an interest in serving as mayor two years ago, but so far this year, Gooch is the only one who has asked to be appointed.

The Oak Ridge City Council appoints two of its members as mayor and mayor pro tem at a regular meeting after each municipal election—they’re held every two years—and after all newly elected members have been duly qualified, according to the Oak Ridge City Charter. There was a municipal election on November 8 this year. [Read more…]