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
Anderson County chancellor—Republican primary
Michael Farley
Nicki Cantrell
Note: This story was updated at 11:30 a.m.
CLINTON—They’ve traded accusations of false claims and “mudslinging” and challenged each other on their courtroom experience. The debate has spilled over into mailed flyers, newspaper ads, and candidate forums.
On one side is Clinton attorney Michael Farley, a former Clinton City Council member and current city judge who is running for Anderson County chancellor in the Republican primary on Tuesday. On the other is Nicki Cantrell, who is also a Republican and Clinton attorney.
In particular, Farley has raised questions about the number of jury trials that Cantrell has handled and the number of contested hearings she’s had in Anderson County Chancery Court. He’s suggested she’s not telling the truth about her experience.
“If you check with the clerks, it’s not backed up,†Farley said. “She doesn’t have the experience I have.â€
Lynn Byrge
Note: This story was updated at 11:25 p.m.
CLINTON—A candidate for Anderson County Commission has proposed drug testing for county commissioners and other elected officials.
“They should be sober-minded,” said Lynn Byrge, one of four candidates for two seats in District 5, which includes Marlow, Dutch Valley, and Oliver Springs. The incumbents are Jerry White and Robert McKamey. Carl D. Beaty is also running.
Byrge made the proposal during a Monday morning Anderson County Commission meeting in Clinton.
“I think that’s appropriate not only for county commissioners, but for all elected officials,” Byrge said. [Read more…]
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, center, gives an opening statement during a Tuesday night candidate forum for Republican Party candidates. Also pictured are Anderson County Commissioner Zach Bates, left, who is challenging Frank in the May 6 GOP primary, and Oak Ridge Police Department Officer Randy Myers, one of two Republican candidates for sheriff.
Note: This story was last updated at 11:45 a.m.
The starkest differences between any candidates at a Tuesday night Republican Party forum might have emerged in the race for Anderson County chancellor, where candidates Michael Farley and Nicki Cantrell clashed on questions of trial experience and whether the Chancery Court should ever be used to hear criminal cases.
In the race for sheriff, Republican candidates Anthony Lay and Randy Myers agreed on one key question: No federal inmates should be housed at the Anderson County jail.
In the race for mayor, Terry Frank, the incumbent, said she had presided over one of the few—and possibly the only—tax cut in Anderson County history, while her opponent, Commissioner Zach Bates, said the county’s biggest economic challenge is “retail leakage.†[Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The citation against Clinton CPA Teddy Davis over an alleged zoning violation was dismissed Tuesday in Clinton City Court.
Davis was issued a citation last summer after someone complained that he was living in a camper on his property on Seivers Boulevard. Davis said he slept in the camper only a few nights while his refinished hardwood floors dried and, to protest the citation, erected a tent in his front yard and began sleeping in a cot on the property. He also put up a sign that said the city has violated his constitutional rights, a sign he says will remain until city officials admit to the accusation.
Davis is the campaign treasurer for Phil Harber, a Clinton attorney seeking the Republican nomination for Anderson County chancellor, and he said the city did not begin targeting him until that was announced. [Read more…]
Phil Harber
Clinton Attorney Phil Harber is campaigning for the Republican nomination for chancellor of the Anderson County Chancery Court. Harber, 59, a Clinton native, has practiced law more than 28 years in most of the trial and appellate courts in East Tennessee, including the United States federal courts, a press release said.
A Republican, Harber described himself in the press release as the only true conservative and the only true Republican seeking the Republican nomination for chancellor.
“Phil believes in faith, family, and freedom,” the release said. [Read more…]
Jim Hackworth
Former Tennessee Rep. Jim Hackworth has qualified to run in the May 6 Democratic primary for Anderson County mayor. He could take on the winner of the Republican primary—either the incumbent, Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, or her challenger, Commissioner Zach Bates—in the Aug. 7 county general election.
Hackworth is unopposed in the Democratic primary.
The deadline to qualify as a candidate in the May 6 primaries was noon Thursday. There were four last-minute qualifiers, including Hackworth. Here are the others:
Information from WYSH Radio
The deadline to qualify as a candidate in any of the races on the ballot for Anderson County’s May 6 primaries is at noon Thursday.
Here is a look at who has qualified so far:
The Anderson County Courthouse on Main Street in Clinton is pictured above.
So far, there are five potential candidates for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge, four for sheriff, and three for chancellor.
An independent has picked up a petition to run for county mayor, possibly opposing Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, and Tennessee Rep. John Ragan has an opponent in the Aug. 7 Republican primary.
The five candidates for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge are Victoria “Vickie” Bannach, a Clinton Republican; Lauren Biloski, an Oak Ridge Republican; Victoria Bowling, a Heiskell Democrat; J. Michael Clement, a Clinton Democrat; and Brian J. Hunt, a Clinton Republican. They are candidates in the May 6 county primary.
The current juvenile court judge, Brandon Fisher, a Clinton Democrat, is running for Anderson County chancellor in that election. The other two chancellor candidates are Phil Harber, a Clinton Republican, and Robert Warren Wilkinson, an Oak Ridge Republican. [Read more…]
CLINTON—With no discussion Monday, the Anderson County Commission denied a payment request from a local attorney who had allegedly demanded money before filing a lawsuit over an incident last fall where he was detained while taking pictures near Clinton Middle School.
Clinton attorney Phil Harber said he was photographing school buses that were parked on Marshall Street in Clinton on Oct. 10 when he was detained. The buses allegedly block the route to his home, and he was reportedly planning to use the pictures in a lawsuit against the city, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Deputy William S. Lucas said in an incident report. [Read more…]
