Oak Ridge Today

County mayor asks volunteer fire chief to postpone subscription plan

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank has asked the Andersonville Volunteer Fire Department to postpone its controversial proposal to switch to a subscription-based plan.

The AVFD currently relies on donations, but Fire Chief Jeff Bagwell has proposed switching to a membership-based department on Jan. 1. Residents would pay a tax-deductible fee of 0.08 cents per square foot. The fire department would still respond to all fires, but non-members would be billed for service, Bagwell said in an Oct. 22 letter and list of frequently asked questions.

The first hour of a response to a structure fire could cost $1,900, Bagwell said.

“Fires could result in several thousands of dollars,” he said.

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Anderson County mayor hires part-time fiscal analyst

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Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank announced today that she has hired local businessman Thomas Shope as her part-time fiscal analyst.

“When I campaigned for office, I pledged to internally audit the books to look for efficiency on behalf of the taxpayer,” Frank said. “Hiring Tom is part of keeping that pledge.”

Frank was elected to her first four-year term as county mayor on Aug. 2.

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Veteran help, benefits up each year under Jaquet

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The number of veterans helped by the county has grown by 25-30 percent each year during the five-year tenure of Anderson County Veterans Service Officer Leon Jaquet, Mayor Terry Frank announced.

The federal benefits paid to those same veterans has increased at nearly the same rate, Frank said in a press release marking Jaquet’s five-year anniversary. By 2011, the benefits paid to veterans and widows from Anderson County was about $8 million per year, Frank said.

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Frank makes personnel change, Beauchamp laid off

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In her first high-profile personnel change, new Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Anderson County Grants Coordinator Alan Beauchamp has been laid off due to an office restructuring.

“I was forced to do that to have assistants in the office,” said Frank, who was elected Aug. 2 and officially took office at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 1.

Frank said there were no longer be one full-time grants coordinator. Instead, Richard Burroughs, her chief campaign volunteer, will serve as both grants coordinator and chief of staff.

More information will be added later.

New Anderson County mayor, property assessor sworn in today

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Business owner Terry Frank, Anderson County’s new mayor, will be sworn in at 5 p.m. today in the Circuit Courtroom at the Anderson County Courthouse in Clinton.

The new property assessor, John K. Alley Jr., will also be sworn in.

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Frank, Iwanski, Hope win election in Anderson County, Oak Ridge

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Business owner Terry Frank, a Clinton Republican, has defeated attorney Warren Gooch, an Oak Ridge Democrat, in the race for Anderson County mayor.

Frank received 7,074 votes, or 58 percent, while Gooch collected 5,032, or 42 percent, according to unofficial results Thursday night.

She will serve a two-year term, completing the unexpired term of former mayor Rex Lynch, who resigned in January 2011.

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Frank, Iwanski, Hope lead in early election returns

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Business owner Terry Frank, a Clinton Republican, has an early voting lead over attorney Warren Gooch, an Oak Ridge Democrat, in the race for Anderson County mayor, according to early results posted Thursday evening on the Anderson County Election Commission website.

Results continue to be tabulated, but Frank has been collecting about 56 or 58 percent of the early, absentee, and election day votes, compared to about 42 to 44 percent for Gooch.

Also taking an early lead was City Council candidate Charles J. “Chuck” Hope Jr., who had about 58 percent of the vote around 8:42 p.m., compared to 42 percent for Trina Baughn.

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Anderson County mayoral race could be most expensive ever

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

CLINTON—The two candidates for Anderson County mayor have raised and spent a total of about $175,000 since April, possibly making it the most expensive race ever, county officials said.

And the two candidates, Democrat Warren Gooch and Republican Terry Frank, are running to serve only two years, or half a regular term.

“I think that’s unprecedented,” Anderson County Election Commission Administrator Mark Stephens said Tuesday.

The latest financial disclosures filed by the campaigns last week show that Gooch continues to raise and spend more money than Frank. Gooch raised $19,332 in contributions from July 1 to July 23, roughly double Frank’s $9,685.

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Gooch raises four times as much in campaign contributions as Frank

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch, the Democratic candidate for Anderson County mayor, raised more than four times as much in campaign contributions as his Republican opponent, Terry Frank, in the three-month reporting period that ended June 30.

Gooch, an Oak Ridge attorney, reported total contributions of $64,680, while Frank, a Clinton business owner, reported $15,193.

If a $6,479 loan from Frank to her campaign is included, Frank’s total receipts were $21,672, about one-third of Gooch’s.

Gooch also spent about four times as much as Frank—or $60,147 in total disbursements, compared to $14,070 for Frank, the campaign finance reports said.

In his 77-page report, Gooch reported he received 233 donations of more than $100 each. Those donations are called itemized contributions.

In her 17-page report, Frank reported 31 itemized contributions.

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Frank hosts free concert at Big Valley Barn Saturday

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Business owner Terry Frank, a candidate for Anderson County Mayor, will be hosting a concert on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Big Valley Barn, formerly Carl Bean’s Barn, in Clinton. The Parrot Brothers will be performing.

This is a free community event, and food will be provided.

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Letter: Anderson County needs civility, Gooch the model

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To the Editor:

Early voting began last week, and there’s a clear choice on the ballot for Anderson County mayor—one candidate who is open to input and reasonable discourse on issues, and another whose opening line in a recent opinion column was, “If I hear the word civility one more time, I’ll puke” (Terry Frank, Knoxville Journal, Jan. 28, 2011).

I would hate for anyone to be sick on the courthouse floor, as Anderson County is home to a very diverse group of people, and civility is something of a necessity to get anything positive accomplished.

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Candidates: Tax incentives not a ‘silver bullet,’ a ‘last resort’

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Terry Frank

Terry Frank

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Like their counterparts running for Oak Ridge City Council, the two candidates running for Anderson County mayor disagreed on the use of tax incentives to assist commercial developments.

Warren Gooch, an Oak Ridge Democrat, said one type of tax incentive known as tax increment financing, or TIF, is “a tool that can be used to spur retail development.”

It has been used in Oak Ridge to help the developers of Woodland Town Center, a commercial project on South Illinois Avenue that will include an Aubrey’s restaurant and Panera Bread.

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