GOP sweeps Anderson; incumbents win Norris council seats
All five members of the current Norris City Council were re-elected last week, outpolling two challengers. Members are, from left, Loretta Painter, Chuck Nicholson, Will Grinder, Bill Grieve and Mayor Chris Mitchell. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Out of 36,745 votes cast throughout the county, Trump received 24,537, or 67.25%; Kamala Harris won just 11,510 votes, or 31.54%.
Total voter turnout was 68.58% of Anderson County’s 53,576 registered voters, which fell way short of the 80% turnout predicted by county Elections Administrator Mark Stephens, which he based on the record heavy early-voting totals (nearly 51%).
• In Norris, these incumbents were re-elected to the five-member City Council: Will Grinder, 570 votes (16.76%); Bill Grieve, 547 votes (16.09%); Chris Mitchell, 545 votes (16.03%); Loretta Ann Painter, 512 votes (15.06%); and Charles P. “Chuck” Nicholson, 505 votes (14.85%).
Losing candidates were Ron Hill, 441 votes (12.97%); and James “Lee” Ragsdale, 280 votes (8.24%).
The council will select a mayor and vice mayor from its ranks during its regular meeting Dec. 9.
Mitchell serves as mayor now, and Nicholson is vice mayor.
There are no rules that determine who gets to be mayor or vice mayor based on vote totals; the decision is entirely up to the City Council.
Mitchell has been mayor for nearly 16 years, or all eight two-year terms he has served on the council.
• In Clinton, Robert Herrell won the Ward 1 City Council seat with 2,589 votes (68.4%) over Lucas Heaton, who got 1,196 votes (31.6%).
Larry Gann was unopposed for the Ward 2 council seat, and polled 3,447 votes,
Matthew Foster was unopposed for the Ward 3 seat, polling 3,342 votes.
• For Clinton city Board of Education, three candidates were vying for two Ward 1 seats.
Winners were Joey Smith, Republican, with 2,233 votes (41.56%) and Deborah J. Heaton, Republican, with 1,733 (30.91%).
The losing candidate was K.K. Meredith, an independent, with 1,544 (27.54%).
In Ward 3, Merle Pryse was unopposed as an independent, and polled 3,091 votes.
• In Oak Ridge, four candidates ran for three City Council seats.
The winners were Jim Dodson, 7,999 votes (30.71%); Charles “Chuck” Hope Jr., 7,279 (27.94%); and Derrick M. Hammond, 6,618 (25.41%).
The losing candidate was Ruth Pless Rizzie, with 4,152 votes (15.94%).
• For Oak Ridge city judge, James T. “Jim” Normand ran unopposed and polled 9,973.
• Five candidates ran for two Oak Ridge Board of Education seats.
The winners were Democrat Ashley Craven, 5,343 votes (26.35%); and Republican Mary Crank, 5,292 votes (26.10%).
Losers were Democrat Tiffany Malone, 4,673 votes (23.04%); and independents Sharon Gleason, 2,583 votes (12.74%); and Keith Jeter, 2,387 votes (11.77%).
• Voters approved by a vote of 8,814-2,528 a charter amendment Oak Ridge that will make Board of Education elections nonpartisan.
• In Oliver Springs, Char-Lee Bailey won the Ward 1 alderman position on the Town Council with 505 votes (63.6%) over Kenneth T. Brown, who polled 289 votes (36.4%).
Terry Holland was unopposed in Ward 5,
and polled 722 votes.
Becky Devaney was unopposed in Ward 6, and received 736 votes.
• In Rocky Top, Keith Daniels was the only candidate for two open seats on the City Council, and polled 387 votes.
The open seats are being vacated by Stacy Phillips and Zack Green, who both chose not to run.
Because no write-in candidates qualified for the ballot, the mayor will appoint someone to fill the unclaimed spot, with approval of the new council.
• In Anderson County, among the statewide races, Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn easily won over Democrat Gloria Johnson and three independent candidates, as did Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, who faced Democrat Jack Allen and two independents.
Republican Rick Scarbrough easily carried the county over Democrat Anne Backus for District 33 in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
State Rep. Ed Butler, a Republican, won over Democrat Joel Derek Hawn in state House District 41.
All of those Republican candidates won their races overall, as well.