U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann and his Republican challenger Weston Wamp will take part in a question-and-answer session at the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce on Monday morning.
The event starts at 7:30 a.m. Monday.
Fleischmann is running for his third term as a congressman in Tennessee’s Third District, which includes Oak Ridge. Wamp is challenging him for the second time.
The two are running in the Aug. 7 federal Republican primary. [Read more…]
Terry Frank
Zach Bates
CLINTON—She says she’s kept her promise to protect Anderson County from higher taxes and worked to make government more efficient while improving customer service.
He says the county needs a more targeted approach to bringing in new retail and rebuilding the housing market.
The two candidates, incumbent Terry Frank and her challenger Zach Bates, face off in the Republican primary in Anderson County on Tuesday.
Frank was first elected in a special election in August 2012. She is the first female mayor of Anderson County and running for her first four-year term. She is completing the unexpired term of former mayor Rex Lynch, who resigned in January 2011.
Bates is a one-term Anderson County Commissioner who is not seeking re-election to that seat. [Read more…]
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€
As represented by three signs here, the Anderson County primary election includes three candidates for mayor, the incumbent, Terry Frank, left; her Republican opponent, Commissioner Zach Bates, right; and Democrat Jim Hackworth, center, a former state representative.
Early voting started Wednesday in Anderson County, and close to 800 residents cast ballots in the first two days, according to WYSH Radio in Clinton.
The early voting is for the May 6 Democratic and Republican primaries in Anderson County.
WYSH said 410 people voted Wednesday, and 378 voted Thursday. The two-day total was 788.
The Republican primary has been more popular, with 645 votes cast so far. That primary features four contested races: mayor, sheriff, chancellor, and juvenile court judge. About 82 percent of the ballots cast have been in the GOP primary.
There is only one contested race in the Democratic primary, and that’s for juvenile court judge. One hundred forty-three voters, or about 18 percent of them, cast ballots in the Democratic primary on Wednesday and Thursday, WYSH said. [Read more…]
Caitlin Nolan
Caitlin Nolan, a candidate for the Tennessee House of Representatives, has a meet-and-greet on Thursday in Clinton.
It’s scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at 364 Market St. in Clinton.
Nolan is challenging the incumbent, Rep. John Ragan of Oak Ridge, in the Aug. 7 Republican primary in the state’s 33rd District. The 33rd District includes Oak Ridge, Clinton, and most of Anderson County.
Visit www.caitlinnolan.com for more information.
Victoria “Vickie” Bannach
Victoria “Vickie†Bannach, a Republican candidate for Anderson County Juvenile Court judge, will have a Thursday reception at Faith Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge.
Bannach is a candidate in the May 6 Republican primary in Anderson County.
The Thursday reception will allow citizens to “meet the candidate and discuss important issues and concerns that are occurring with our children and families within the community,” a press release said. It is scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday. [Read more…]
Mary Headrick
Mary Headrick, a retired physician who lives in Maynardville, recently announced a second run for Congress in Tennessee’s Third District.
Headrick is a Democrat who also ran in 2012 but lost to the incumbent, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, a Republican who was first elected in 2010.
“All the people, especially the working families and retirees of District 3, deserve representation,” Headrick said in a press release. “They are not getting it. Special wealthy and corporate interests hold the power and benefits while the middle class shrinks and democracy falters. Too few people control too much money and power, and they are grabbing more by ‘buying’ a Congress that will pass laws and regulations to enhance their personal profit at the expense of the rest of us. I will defend our economy, jobs, Social Security, Medicare, public education.” [Read more…]
Weston Wamp, right, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, talks to Verner Anderson, who volunteered for the first campaign of Wamp’s father, Zach Wamp, in 1994.
If elected this year, Weston Wamp could become the youngest member of Congress. The Chattanooga Republican turns 27 this month.
If elected, he would return the East Tennessee seat to a member of the Wamp family. His father, Zach Wamp, held the seat for 16 years, from 1994-2010.
Wamp tried to unseat the incumbent, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, once before, in 2012. He wasn’t successful. Now, he’s trying again.
“Tennessee’s Third District deserves better representation,†Wamp said during a recent interview in Oak Ridge. “At the very least, they deserve a choice at the ballot box.”
Wamp suggested Fleischmann’s record could hurt the two-term congressman. Wamp said many federal employees and U.S. Department of Energy contractors are not pleased with Fleischmann’s performance, especially after a high-profile budget vote that led to a partial government shutdown in October. [Read more…]
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:
Anderson County Commissioner Zach Bates, pictured at center with his wife Whitney, announces he is running for Anderson County mayor in the Republican primary in May.
CLINTON—Anderson County Commissioner Zach Bates on Tuesday announced he is running for Anderson County mayor in the Republican primary in May.
Bates, 25, will oppose Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank, 45, who was elected to a two-year term in August 2012, completing the unexpired term of former mayor Rex Lynch, who resigned in January 2011.
The oldest of 19 children, Bates was 21 when he was elected to the Anderson County Commission  in 2010. He represents District 4, which includes Lake City and Briceville. County officials said he is the youngest mayoral candidate they can recall.
His challenge to Frank might have appeared unexpected. The two have at times appeared to be politically aligned, including, for example, on the citizen-led initiative to install “In God We Trust” signs on the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton in July 2013. [Read more…]
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…]
Caitlin Nolan
She lobbied the state legislature for anti-bullying legislation as a high school freshman eight years ago, and now Republican Caitlin Nolan is seeking a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Nolan would challenge incumbent John Ragan of Oak Ridge in the Republican primary in the state’s 33rd District, presuming Ragan seeks re-election to a third two-year term. The 33rd District includes Oak Ridge, Clinton, and most of Anderson County.
The Republican primary is Aug. 7, 2014. [Read more…]
