Candidate forum held in Tellico Village

Dozens of people gathered in Tellico Village to learn more about the candidates running for state offices in the Aug. 1 election.

The forum, organized by the Tellico Village Property Owners Association, was held at the Kahite Community Center from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on June 13. Some attendees sipped wine or cocktails brought in from the attached restaurant, which is next to a golf course, as they listened to the occasionally animated exchanges that ensued.

Candidates on the first panel were those running for state House of Representatives in the 21st District, which includes part of Loudon and Monroe counties. Incumbent Lowell Russell, R-Vonore, faces Kenneth Moore, a 17-year resident of Tellico Village who is running as a Democrat.

Each candidate had five minutes to introduce themselves before the floor was opened to questions from the audience. Moore described himself as “not a politician” who still practices what he learned as a combat engineer in the U.S. Marine Corps, and during his 40-plus-years career in engineering and production management.

“I love my country. That is the primary reason that I am running,” Moore said. “I think the Tennessee House is on a power trip. I think they believe they can do anything they want because they are the majority. I believe sincerely that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When I’m put in, I will vote on issues that help ALL Tennesseeans.”

Moore said he went to jail twice during the Civil Rights Movement while fighting for “what is being taken away one thing at a time by this Tennessee Legislature.”

“It’s as if the things that happened to me when I was growing up in the Jim Crow South never happened,” he said.

Once elected, he intends to seek out even-minded folks in the Legislature to build a fair consensus on better ways to go about things, even if he is “one voice in the wilderness.”

“I don’t want my grandchildren to say, ‘Grandpa, what were you doing down there in Tennessee when these folks did this and this and this?’” Moore said. “I want to tell them I was standing tall (and) fighting for the common man. Even though the common man is being duped.”

In 2022, Moore lost a Loudon County Commission race against District 7 Republican incumbent Henry Cullen.

Russell, who grew up in Blount County and worked for the Tennessee Highway Patrol until he was seriously injured when a tractor trailer slammed into the patrol car he was in, said serving the 21st District since 2018 has been the highlight of his life.

“I hope that I have made you proud during the past six years,” he said. “I will continue to work and strive to live up to your expectations.”

Issues of the greatest importance include economies, public safety and small government, he said. Responding to an attendee’s question about what the candidate’s values are, Russell added that he believes the Republican platform is “low taxes, Second Amendment and the protection of life.”

Several of the audience questions or comments centered around abortion, immigration and fentanyl. Others touched on the influence of special interests, in vitro fertilization, school vouchers, Veterans Affairs and health care.

Responding to questions about abortion, Russell said he received the endorsement of Tennessee Right to Life and will “continue to fight for the babies.”

“I’ll also, like I said, make sure we protect the mother’s life and to make sure that if she’s going to have any kind of major organ damage or something, those doctors can perform those procedures,” Russell said.

Moore said he believes “a woman has the right to take care of anything that goes on in her body.” One person, who spoke so graphically about abortion that it provoked a negative reaction from the audience, asked Moore how he can support abortion — as a Christian — if “Holy Scripture” … “says that He created us in the womb.”

“Because that woman is a human being, as well,” Moore responded.

Following the panel, another one was held for all candidates running for state Senate in the 2nd District, which includes Blount, Monroe, Polk and part of Bradley counties. Those candidates include Republicans Tom Hatcher, John Pullias and Bryan Richey — who did not attend the event — and Democrat Patti Young.

During a break between the panels, an exchange between two attendees captured the atmosphere.

“This is a feisty group,” the first person said.

“Well, these are feisty times,” the other responded.

Before the event concluded, Chet Pillsbury, POA CEO, took to the podium to remind everyone that these particular forums are deliberate — not accidental.

“We at the POA want to give all of our homeowners access to all the information. And so as these are brought forward, and there’ll be more throughout the year, that is the intent.

“It is to inform you. It is not for you to make it tell you what we think you should think,” Pillsbury said. “It’s simply to give you the information so you can make an informed decision without having to go all over God’s green earth to get it.”

“And so by bringing them here and having this kind of forum, it offers you the opportunity to hear for yourself and ask your own personal questions to make those decisions. It is important to me personally, and I believe it’s important to the POA itself, that all of us are informed.”

The event was moderated by Greg Ready, a member of the POA government affairs committee. A recording of the full forum can be viewed at on the Tellico Village Network channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmxppvEGAOA.