mayor Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Gooch re-appointed mayor

Posted at 12:44 am December 13, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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, Chinn re-elected as mayor, mayor pro tem

Posted at 9:32 am November 28, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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

Posted at 12:20 pm November 27, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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

Posted at 11:54 pm November 17, 2018
By John Huotari 5 Comments

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

Posted at 9:44 pm November 13, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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…]

Anderson County candidate forum is Tuesday

Posted at 1:04 am July 8, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Candidate Forum will be held at the Oak Ridge High School Amphitheater on Tuesday.

The forum is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 10.

Candidates who have opponents and are running for sheriff, trustee, mayor, Circuit Court clerk, and Anderson County Commission District 6 and 7 have been invited to speak and answer questions, a press release said.

Candidates who have no opposition and are running for county clerk, register of deeds, road superintendent, Anderson County Board of Education District 6 and 7, County Commission District 8, and Oak Ridge Board of Education have been invited to be introduced. [Read more…]

Races on the ballot today include mayor, sheriff, others

Posted at 10:30 am May 1, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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…]

Tonight: Republican Party candidates forum in Oak Ridge

Posted at 7:39 am April 3, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

The Anderson County Republican Party has a candidates forum in Oak Ridge tonight (Tuesday, April 3).

The forum will feature candidates for these seven Anderson County offices: mayor, sheriff, circuit court clerk, clerk, trustee, register of deeds, and road superintendent. The candidates are running in the May 1 Anderson County Republican Party primary.

The forum will start at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, at the Wildcat Den at 102 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. The doors will open at 6 p.m. for light refreshments, seating, and mingling with Republican primary candidates, a press release said. [Read more…]

Smith, Chinn both seek appointment as mayor pro tem

Posted at 2:01 pm December 9, 2016
By John Huotari 4 Comments

oak-ridge-city-council-ellen-smith-sept-14-2015

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

Posted at 1:12 pm December 9, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

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…]

Letter: Gooch seeks second term as mayor

Posted at 2:36 pm December 4, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Letters 3 Comments

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

Editor’s note: Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch is seeking a second two-year term. Here is a December 2 letter he wrote to the rest of the Oak Ridge City Council.

Dear City Council colleagues:

I am seeking re-election for a second term as mayor, and I respectfully ask for your support. Two years ago, I pledged to be a consensus builder and to work with each of you, the Board of Education, and the city staff to restore collegiality, team work, and shared goals for the future. I also committed to actively promote Oak Ridge and our commitment to excellence in our schools, city services, and quality of life. I believe we have made great strides in this regard, and Oak Ridgers have embraced our collective efforts.

Over the last two years, I have worked diligently to delegate responsibilities among the Council and to appoint every member to lead specific initiatives based upon each member’s personal interests and Council’s priorities. Our work has been successful, as evidenced by the development of Main Street Oak Ridge; the establishment of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park; re-development of Jackson Square; new retail, commercial, and industrial investment; the continued development and support of the Land Bank; the successful award of grants from the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Tennessee Housing Development Agency; the promotion of the Oak Ridge Corridor; the upgrade in our bond rating from AA to AA+; and the addition of the eighth lane to the Melton Lake rowing venue. I am particularly proud of the stronger relationships we have developed with our elected federal, state, and county officials; the Department of Energy; State of Tennessee; and our local Department of Energy contractors. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge mayor to give ‘State of City’ talk at Lunch with League on Tuesday

Posted at 10:03 am April 27, 2016
By Maureen Hoyt 2 Comments

Warren Gooch (Photo by Savanna Schubert)

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will give his “State of the City” address at the next Lunch with the League on Tuesday, May 3. The talk is scheduled to start at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Gooch was elected to the Oak Ridge City Council in November 2014 and later selected by Council members to serve as mayor.

Gooch received his undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee with high honors, and he has practiced law with the Knoxville firm Kramer Rayson since completing his legal education at the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1977. [Read more…]