Oak Ridge Today

Tonight: Learn about candidates, campaigns at Democratic Women’s Club Meeting

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Will Winters

Wil Winters

You can learn about campaigning and meet Democratic candidates running for county and state offices in Oak Ridge tonight, a press release said.

“Join the Blue Wave Campaign, learn how volunteers can campaign effectively, and meet the Democratic candidates running for county and state offices,” the press release said.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday, March 26, at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club has invited candidates running for any office in Anderson County, from county sheriff to state governor, to attend or send a campaign representative to the meeting, the press release said. [Read more…]

Democratic Women’s Club to discuss organizing a political campaign

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Kris Murphy

Kris Murphy

Kris Murphy, senior political director for the Tennessee Democratic Party, will be the guest speaker for the Monday, March 27, meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club. The group will meet at 6 p.m. at Swifty’s Atomic Bar and Grill, which is at 119 South Illinois Avenue in Oak Ridge.

Murphy’s topic will be “Organizing a Political Campaign,” a press release said. Born into a political family, Murphy started campaigning when he was a one-year-old in his father’s state representative campaigns. Since then, he has worked on a number of campaigns and consulted for labor unions and progressive organizations across Tennessee, the press release said.

No reservations are necessary. Those attending may order from the menu at Swifty’s. For more information, please email Ann Mostoller at [email protected] or call Mary Matheny at (865) 483-8937.

This press release was submitted by Kay Brookshire.

Anderson County Democratic Party to select convention delegates on March 5

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The Anderson County Democratic Party will help select Tennessee’s delegates to the Democratic Presidential Convention during a March 5 meeting in Oak Ridge.

The Democratic Party County Delegate Convention will be in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room on Saturday, March 5, a press release said. The doors will open at 11:45 a.m. and close promptly at 1 p.m. EST.  No one will be admitted after the doors are closed. Those who are in the room and in the process of registering will be allowed to finish. The gavel will fall and the convention will convene at precisely 1:05 p.m. EST, as directed by the Tennessee Democratic Party, the press release said.

The event is open to all registered voters in the county, supporters of the Democratic Party, and those who agree to support the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2016 Presidential election, the release said. The Party welcomes all to attend who wish to participate in selecting Tennessee’s delegates to the Democratic Presidential Convention.

Information about becoming a Democratic National Committee (DNC) delegate and the rules governing the DNC Delegate Selection Process may be obtained from tndp.org, or from the Tennessee Democratic Party, 1900 Church Street, Suite 203, Nashville, TN 37203, telephone, (615) 327-9779.

Student loan debt challenges, solutions to be discussed Monday

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Student loan debt challenges and solutions will be discussed during a Monday evening meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Club.

The featured speaker will be Beth Hickman, who is on the Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee and a former field representative for Congressman Lincoln Davis.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Monday, April 27, in the Clinton Community Center Club Room at 101 South Hicks Street in Clinton. There will be free pizza and soft drinks.

“Student loan debt is a huge challenge for students and the economy,” organizers said. “Student loan debt is at a record high of $1.1 trillion,” according to the New York Times, organizers said.

They said student loans are now the second-largest source of consumer debt in the country, surpassed only by home mortgages, and an average undergraduate borrower leaves college $30,000 in debt.

State Democratic Party chair to speak at chili supper Thursday

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Roy Herron, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, will be guest speaker at a Thursday meeting of the Anderson County Democratic Party.

It’s the party’s annual chili supper and potluck, and it starts at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Claxton Elementary School Cafeteria. [Read more…]

Democrats, Republicans joust over jobs

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There are fewer people working in Anderson County than at the beginning of the year, and Rep. John Ragan isn’t doing enough to create and keep jobs in Tennessee, a state Democratic Party official said.

“While jobs are leaving Anderson County, Mr. Ragan continues to put on a show for voters because he has nothing to show for his time in office,” Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Chip Forrester said in a blog post last week. “These are the consequences of partisan politics–a legislature that is focused on protecting schoolyard bullies instead of putting Tennesseans back to work.”

But in an e-mailed response, Ragan said the state’s unemployment rate is moving in the right direction, and the Tennessee General Assembly has passed critical pro-job legislation during the past two years.

“We have lowered taxes for all Tennesseans, cut needless business regulations, fought to end frivolous lawsuits, and passed landmark education reform,” said Ragan, an Oak Ridge Republican.

[Read more…]