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Letter: Chinn wants to be mayor, help attract new families, industries

Posted at 12:12 pm November 18, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Letters Leave a Comment

Rick Chinn

Rick Chinn

City Manager Mark 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 the three sitting members of Council for the coming years. I feel we have a great group of leaders 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 our new mayor. That said, I would like to officially announce my interest in becoming the new mayor.

I believe the mayor’s position is much more than cutting ribbons and running the monthly meetings. The mayor, in my opinion, is the chief lobbyist of the city.

We are unique from most cities in the fact that our health as a city is tied closely to the choices that are made by both state and federal lawmakers. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Government, Letters, Oak Ridge, Opinion Tagged With: businesses, City Council, community, crossroads, elected officials, families, federal, GOP, lobbyist, Mark Watson, mayor, Oak Ridge City Council, R.G. Rick Chinn Jr., relationships, Republican Party, residents, state

2014 Election: Interest in mayor position, mall redevelopment, better ties with BOE

Posted at 1:06 am November 3, 2014
By John Huotari 7 Comments

Oak Ridge City Council Candidate Forum

Nine of the 10 Oak Ridge City Council candidates are pictured above. From right, they are Kelly Callison, Rick Chinn, incumbent Anne Garcia Garland, Warren Gooch, Gary Love, incumbent David Mosby, Pedro Otaduy, former Council member Ellen Smith, and Eric Tobler. Not pictured is Aditya “Doc” Savara.

 

A majority of the Oak Ridge City Council candidates said they would consider running for mayor or vice mayor if elected on Tuesday, and almost all supported the incentives recommended for the proposed redevelopers of the former Oak Ridge Mall.

The candidates were mixed on whether to bring back red-light cameras, and most seemed to think the city’s property tax rate is about right, in light of current budget needs.

Asked to grade the current Council as leaders, the candidates handed out grades ranging from “A” to “F.”

In a series of recent forums, the candidates generally advocated for better communication between the City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education and, for the most part, seemed to be in favor of taking over Clark Center Park in south Oak Ridge, although their approvals would hinge on factors such as cost and property restrictions.

There are 10 candidates running for four seats on the seven-member Council in Tuesday’s election. Two of the incumbents—Anne Garcia Garland and David Mosby—are seeking re-election—and two others—Mayor Tom Beehan and Mayor Pro Tem Jane Miller—are not.

Many consider it a critical election, with a business boom under way and major projects on the horizon, including the proposed redevelopment of the mall and the planned $6.5 billion Uranium Processing Facility at Y-12 National Security Complex.

The new Council is expected to elect a new mayor and mayor pro tem (like a vice mayor) during its next meeting after Tuesday’s election.

Here is a look at some of what the candidates said during the recent forums. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Aditya "Doc" Savara, Anne Garcia Garland, BOE, candidates, City Council, Clark Center Park, commercial development, David Mosby, DOE, Ellen Smith, Eric Tobler, festivals, Gary Love, Grove Center, growth, housing, Jackson Square, Jane Miller, Kelly Callison, mayor, mayor pro tem, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oak Ridge Mall, Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department, Oak Ridge Schools, Pedro Otaduy, property tax rate, recreational events, red light cameras, residents, retail, Rick Chinn, sales tax revenue, schools, tax increment financing, tax revenues, TIF, Tom Beehan, U.S. Department of Energy, UPF, uranium processing facility, vice mayor, vision, Warren Gooch, Y-12 National Security Complex

Guest column: Oak Ridge Chamber endorses schools’ funding request

Posted at 3:27 pm May 30, 2014
By Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce 5 Comments

Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce is pictured above.

Note: This is a copy of a May 30 letter sent to Oak Ridge Mayor Tom Beehan and members of City Council.

Mayor Beehan and members of Council:

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has a long-standing tradition of supporting education in our community.

Education is critical in the development of the workforce and is the foundation for a community’s economic vitality.

Our Oak Ridge Schools is an internationally recognized system of excellence and is known for being a leader in new, innovative programs. These educational opportunities, rigor, and performance provided by Oak Ridge Schools have been, and continue to be, the key attraction for new residents to our community. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Education, Government, Guest Columns, K-12, Oak Ridge, Opinion Tagged With: budget, budget request, Chris Johnson, education, financial resources, funding, Keys to College and Career Readiness, Melinda Hillman, Oak Ridge Chamber, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Schools, Parker Hardy, property tax increase, residents, school funding, STEM, STEM school district, Tom Beehan, workforce

Planning Commission to discuss electronic signs this evening

Posted at 10:31 am March 14, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge officials will continue to discuss the the city’s ordinance on electronic signs during a work session this evening.

City officials have been trying to write new regulations for the signs, considering how to govern brightness, display times, and transitions between messages.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: businesses, community, electronic signs, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, ordinance, residents, sign regulations

Guest column: The velocity of money is 70 mph

Posted at 9:58 am March 5, 2013
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns 34 Comments

By Pat Fain and Leslie Agron

The usual theory behind economic development for a community is that the local economy is too small. So, economic development experts seek to bring in new companies, especially industrial ones, to enhance that economy. The theory is that increased local purchases by new companies and their employees are multiplied several times as the money spreads throughout the community. Every additional purchase results in additional sales tax from the same original dollar that exited the new company. Companies that manufacture goods or provide services externally have the greatest value theoretically as they actually bring new money into the community. The rate at which this happens is called the velocity of money.

In Oak Ridge, however, the size of the economy that occurs within our city limits is enormous for our population. The problem for Oak Ridge is that much of that economy occurs within non-taxable institutions and the vast majority of their staff does not live in Oak Ridge. Thus, in Oak Ridge the velocity of money is 70 mph—the speed at which those folks are cruising down Interstate 40 on Friday evening as they take their paychecks home!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: economic development, economic growth, economy, federal facilities, Leslie Agron, Oak Ridge, Pat Fain, property taxes, residents, revenue, sales taxes, tax revenues, velocity of money

City asked to strike balance between businesses, community over electronic signs

Posted at 11:18 am February 23, 2013
By John Huotari 10 Comments

Misty Robbins at Electronic Signs Public Hearing

Misty Robbins, right, of Snappy Tomato Pizza, said the restaurant could buy an electronic sign but wants to see what new regulations might be issued to govern them.

Business owners call them effective, a great way to get out their messages.

But a few residents call them distracting and offensive, at least in some cases.

Caught in the middle are Oak Ridge officials. They are trying to write new regulations for the electronic signs, considering how to govern brightness, display times, and transitions between messages.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: animation, brightness, business owners, Dan Robbins, display times, electronic signs, Melton Lake Drive, Misty Robbins, Oak Ridge Community Development, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, residents, Rick Chinn, sign ordinance, Sigurd Christensen, Terry Domm, Toney Stevens, video

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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