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Gooch, Chinn will seek re-election as mayor, mayor pro tem

Posted at 9:44 pm November 13, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch will seek re-election as mayor later this month, and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn wants to serve again as mayor pro tem.

The Oak Ridge City Council will elect two of their seven members as mayor and mayor pro tem at a meeting on Tuesday, November 27. The mayor and mayor pro tem, who serves in the mayor’s absence, serve two-year terms. Under the City Charter, they are chosen by Council after each municipal election every two years.

While Gooch is currently mayor, Council member Rick Chinn is now the mayor pro tem. In Oak Ridge, the daily responsibilities of running the city are delegated to a city manager, who is selected by Council. The mayor and mayor pro tem cast votes during City Council decisions, and the mayor—or mayor pro tem when the mayor is not available—leads City Council meetings, signs ordinances and resolutions, and serves as the ceremonial head of the city, among other duties.

If he is re-elected later this month, it would be Gooch’s third two-year term as mayor. It would be Chinn’s second term as mayor pro tem. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Derrick Hammond, election, Ellen Smith, Kelly Callison, mayor, mayor pro tem, Oak Ridge, Rick Chinn, Tim Stallings, Warren Gooch

Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council

Posted at 10:34 pm November 6, 2018
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Warren Gooch

Warren Gooch

Note: This story was last updated at 12 a.m.

The four incumbents—Mayor Warren Gooch, Council members Kelly Callison and Ellen Smith, and Mayor Pro Tem Rick Chinn—were re-elected to four-year terms on Oak Ridge City Council on Tuesday, according to unofficial election results in Anderson and Roane counties.

The final results mirrored the results of early and absentee ballots in Anderson County.

There were four City Council seats up for regular election and five candidates for those seats.

Gooch had the most votes Tuesday, a total of 7,916 in the two counties (6,774 in Anderson County and 1,142 in Roane County). Gooch also had the highest number of votes in the transitional 2014 election, his first City Council election. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, State Tagged With: Ben Stephens, Derrick Hammond, election, Ellen Smith, Erin Webb, John Ragan, Kelly Callison, Laura McLean, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Richard Dawson, Rick Chinn, Tim Stallings, Warren Gooch

Election 2018: Progress PAC endorsements for City Council, School Board

Posted at 8:38 am November 6, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Note This story was updated at 10 a.m.

Four candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and all three candidates running for Oak Ridge Board of Education running in the election today (Tuesday, November 6) have earned endorsements by Progress PAC.

Three City Council incumbents—Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Ellen Smith, and Kelly Callison—received the PAC endorsements as did Tim Stallings, who previously served on the City Council in the 1990s.

School Board candidates Laura McLean, Ben Stephens, and Erin Webb—who are all serving on the BOE now and are running unopposed—also received the political action committee’s nod, a press release said.

Progress PAC, which was created by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce but which operates independently, endorses City Council and School Board candidates who ask for the committee’s support and who are supportive of the Chamber’s mission, vision, and key legislative priorities, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge Tagged With: Ben Stephens, BOE, Derrick Hammond, Ellen Smith, Erin Webb, Kelly Callison, Laura McLean, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Progress PAC, Progress PAC endorsements, Rick Chinn, school board, Stacy Myers, Tim Stallings, Warren Gooch

Normally not controversial, this proclamation, recognizing the sanctity of human life, was

Posted at 11:45 am January 12, 2016
By John Huotari 30 Comments

Oak Ridge City Council on July 27, 2015

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, approved a proclamation that recognizes Sunday, January 17, as Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Ellen Smith, third from right, cast the only vote against the proclamation, saying it was a controversial political statement. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 7:48 a.m. Jan. 13.

Proclamations by the Oak Ridge City Council are normally not controversial, but one that passed on Monday was. It was perceived by some as a controversial political statement that entered the abortion debate.

The proclamation recognizes Sunday, January 17, as Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. It says Tennessee residents “aspire to honor the dignity and worth of every person and to defend the sacredness of each human life.” Also, the proclamation says Tennessee residents care for “society’s weakest and most vulnerable, including the infirm, the elderly, and the unborn,” and no person shall be deprived of his life, liberty, or property.

The question of what rights to grant to the unborn or fetuses can be controversial because of the impact they might have on abortion rights. There is also considerable debate about when life begins.

Tim-Stallings

Tim Stallings

Tim Stallings, executive director of Choices Resource Center in Oak Ridge, requested the City Council proclamation, and he did not think it weighed in on the political debate.

“It’s not just about the unborn,” Stallings said. “It’s about people with infirmities, the elderly.”

He said the day started with former President Ronald Reagan and has been recognized by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam. Reagan established National Sanctity of Human Life Day on Sunday, January 22, 1984, the 11th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the still-controversial Supreme Court decision that granted women the right to an abortion in 1973.

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is on the third Sunday in January, near the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Churches, Community, Faith, Front Page News, Government, Government, Health, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: abortion, abortion rights, Bill Haslam, Brent Shelton, Charlie Hensley, Choices Resource Center, Chuck Hope, Crosses for the Unborn, Ellen Smith, Kelly Callison, National Sanctity of Human Life Day, Oak Ridge City Council, proclamation, Rick Chinn, Roe v. Wade, Ronald Reagan, Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Tim Stallings, Trina Baughn, unborn, Warren Gooch

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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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