Candidate forums planned in Oak Ridge for city school board, council, state seats

On Tuesday and Thursday, the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge will be hosting two candidate forums for voters who live in Oak Ridge.

The candidate forum for candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in Room A-111 (the City Room) in the Coffey-McNally Building on the Oak Ridge Branch Campus of Roane State Community College, 701 Briarcliff Ave.

The candidates for the Oak Ridge City Council are Jim Dodson, Derrick M. Hammond, Charles “Chuck” Hope, Jr. and Ruthie Pless Rizzie. Voters are asked to select three of the four candidates.

The candidates for the Oak Ridge school board are Mary Crank, Republican Party nominee; Ashley Craven, Democratic Party nominee; Sharon Gleason, Independent candidate; Keith Jetter, Independent candidate, and Tiffany Malone, a Democrat. Voters can cast a vote for two candidates.

The forum for candidates for the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tennessee Senate - the two chambers in the Tennessee General Assembly - will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, in the same venue.

Anderson County residents eligible to vote can choose either Anne Backus, Democratic Party nominee, or Rick Scarbrough, Republican Party nominee, for election to the House's District 33.

Roane County residents eligible to vote can choose either Charles Hutson II, an Independent, or State Sen. Ken Yager, for election to the Senate to represent District 12.

According to the League news release, Oak Ridgers are cordially invited to attend these forums where candidates will make opening and closing statements and answer questions from the audience.

The city, state and federal elections are Nov. 5. Early voting is Oct. 16-31. The final day to request an absentee ballot from the Anderson County or Roane County election commissions is Oct. 29.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Candidate forums planned in Oak Ridge for city school board, council, state seats