Heard two interesting things today:

1) That the Probation Department (Alan Beauchamp’s group) is being dissolved, and the service will be contracted to a private company. WYSH has the story:

…By telephone early this afternoon, Mayor Lynch said that while the Probation Department has been successful over the past several years in providing services to probationers and the community alike, he and other officials are tired of seeing the county government as a whole cast in a negative light because of what he called the rumor mill and negative reports about the department, which has been subject to numerous allegations of misconduct investigated by the TBI. While none of those probes have turned up sufficient evidence to prosecute anyone involved in the department with any wrongdoing, rumors and innuendo continue to swirl about the department and its chief Alan Beauchamp and were actually made into issues during the recently completed judicial election.

2) That the State Elections Coordinator, Brook Thompson, has called for the Anderson County Election Commission to delay certifying last Thursday’s election results until at least Monday, based on problems at the polls.

More as I learn it – AHA! The Oak Ridger just posted one of the stories:

Meanwhile, the Anderson County Election Commission has had to postpone the certification of its election results until 5 p.m. Monday. The Election Commission had planned to certify the results on Thursday afternoon but has been asked by state Election Commission officials to postpone the action.

Brook Thompson, state elections coordinator, sent out a letter to Election Commissions across the state asking that they first have a conference call with his office on Thursday or Friday.

“As you know, we tried a different procedure for election night that did not require you to hand-enter your vote totals,” Thompson wrote in a memo to all county election commissions. “While that process met with mixed success, the certification process is a different matter.”

The lead-in on that story is that David Stuart may challenge the election. I know I’ve heard many stories about long lines — 2 or even 3 hours — in the Anderson County election, and some people are simply not able to wait that long. One gentleman left because his oxygen tank was running out. Others may have left unable to bear the oppressive heat on election day, or because they had to go back to work, pick up children, or other obligations.

It was a long ballot, and I’d hate to be the election worker faced with removing a voter from the machine because they were taking too long, but on the other hand, the long wait in the heat undoubtedly meant that some people simply didn’t get to vote. Thousands fewer voted in this election than the one four years ago, and I don’t blame David Stuart for wondering if the voters who went to the polls and had to leave could have been his margin of victory.

Personally, I think it might have been. There’s no way to prove it, except a re-vote in November.

A good partnership involves relatively equal effort, along with relatively equal benefit or reward.

Rex Lynch came to Oak Ridge last night to bring City Council an agreement he would like signed — an agreement stating that Oak Ridge will not annex Bull Run Steam plant for the next 20 years unless it is privatized.

As a reference point, Bull Run Steam Plant is the only parcel in Anderson County that Oak Ridge is allowed to annex under the contentious growth plan agreement signed (by Lynch) five years ago.

“What are you offering Oak Ridge in this?” Council asked. The County officials’ response was that it would show Oak Ridge as a “good parter.”

From this absurd exchange, I can only deduce that Lynch is thinking of a partnership in the carnal sense, showing up here with a bottle of cheap wine, looking for a cheap date.

All the cities — not just Oak Ridge — got shafted in the growth plan signed in 2001 due to the bias inherent in the State’s Growth Plan Law… but I certainly expect our City officials to ensure that it doesn’t happen voluntarily.

Tell Lynch to jump in the river. Preferably, New River.

There’s some interest in the District 7 Commission race, where John Shuey finished with one vote more than Joe Lee. Here’s how the numbers break down:

		ABS	EARLY	AUG 3	TOTAL
HVW	Creasey	2	112	133	247
	Lee	3	72	80	155
	Shuey	3	49	96	148
PVL	Creasey	13	201	255	469
	Lee	10	115	121	246
	Shuey	11	110	125	246
WDL	Creasey	19	80	126	225
	Lee	16	48	58	122
	Shuey	22	37	71	130
TOTAL ALL PRECINCTS
	Creasey	34	393	514	941
	Lee	29	235	259	523
	Shuey	36	196	292	524

If I were Joe Lee (though I’ve never even met him), I think I’d ask for an inspection of the absentee ballots, at the very least. I’d also check to see of any of these were precincts where paper ballots were used, or where excessive lines caused people to leave without voting.

For those who are interested (AT, AT2, and anyone else), I’ve finished keying in all the countywide general election returns — or at least the contested races. Click here for the PDF.

Turnout was a factor; I have to wonder how many people left without voting when they encountered lines of an hour, two, or more on election day (in very hot and humid conditions). 15,232 people voted this year, compared with 18,194 in August 2002. Could 3,000 people have made a difference?

You betcha. Stay tuned.

The pro-Beauchamp v. anti-Beauchamp matchup ended 2:2. He got the Gen. Sessions Judge and Sheriff; he lost the DA and Chancellor.

Of course, he’s had a sheriff tell him to take a hike before, and could again. We’ll see what Paul White is made of.

Like AtomicTumor, it’s the General Sessions Judge race that was the most painful for me. It was so close, with Stuart leading in early voting, that I’m most anxious to see the precinct-by-precinct returns. Unfortunately, due to all the yes-no judicial races and such, the document is two hundred and a bunch pages, so the election commission will be charging for copies this year.

Truthfully, I don’t want a paper copy. I’d rather have it electronically, but with the new system, they don’t yet know how to do that. The Clinton Courier has already picked up the detailed returns, so it will be in their Sunday edition; the Oak Ridger usually carries it, but they hadn’t yet picked one up at 9:30 or so… and 10:00 is generally their deadline, so I’m not sure they’re going to carry it today. Maybe they kept track last night, but unfortunately, WYSH and Channel 12 weren’t reporting the results by individual precinct.

Just out of curiosity, I wonder how many people voted in this election who are currently under supervision of the probation department? That’s not illegal (unless they’re convicted felons), but it would raise eyebrows if there were any evidence of “persuasion” by probation officials.

I’m immensely glad that we have a new DA, and I have a great deal of confidence in Dave Clark. He simply will not ignore investigations that ought to go to the Grand Jury, and the process can work the way it is supposed to. And, contrary to some recent predictions, that one wasn’t even close. Of course, three-way races are notoriously tricky to predict. It was a three-way general that kept Ramsey in office sixteen years ago, with the narrowest of margins between all three.

Robin Biloski will do a fine job as the new 8th District Commissioner, along with veteran Iwanski. That really was a race with three good people, but I know that Robin will represent Oak Ridge well.

Lastly, in the 7th District, Joe Lee fell just one vote short, giving John Shuey the nod. However, that happened in 2002 with Jerry Creasey losing to Chuck Fritts by one, and irregularities led to the election being voided. Creasey won in a November rematch. I expect there will be a thorough review of why paper ballots were used on election day in this district, with a strong possibility of a challenge by Lee if anything looks amiss.

Vote tomorrow: Thursday, August 3.

It’s more important than eating lunch; it’s more important than getting to the grocery store, picking up dry cleaning, or whatever you normally do right after work.

Choices made tomorrow will affect this county for eight long years… there’s no way you could have missed exposure to at least most of the candidates.

My picks:

Chancellor: Bill Lantrip. The Chancellor has a tough job, because he decides things like divorces, custody, matters of equity, and other emotionally-charged cases. He is patient and kind, and applies the law fairly as written to all who come before him. While it is inevitable that one party will leave unhappy from any case in his court, he is careful to cause no more harm to people already in an emotionally trying circumstance in applying the law gently and justly.

General Sessions Div. I: David Stuart. David is extraordinarily competent in his knowledge of the law, posesses the ability to remain calm under pressure, and is a gentleman of the utmost honesty and integrity. In the last couple of months, he has brought to light some discomforting truths about the incumbent judge — truths that call into question the reliability of our local judicial system and other aspects of county government. While unpleasant to confront, his honesty and candor have provided a crucial service to the people of this county. Thank him, but more importantly, vote for him.

District Attorney: David Clark. David Clark has proven himself in his service as County Attorney, and in spite of the fact that I did not like nor agree with all of the causes he took up in that position (namely annexation issues), I do understand that was the nature of the job and that he performed it well. As District Attorney, he would apply the same work eithic to a different job: prosecuting those accused of breaking the law, without exception. He won’t back down for fear of the risk of a jury trial, nor for political pressure. He’s the best choice for DA.

Sheriff: Bill White. The bottom line is, Bill White has gotten the job done. He’s gotten the job done even within cities with their own police departments, when those departments failed for whatever reason. And even though Alan Beauchamp managed his campaign in 2002, Bill White knew when to tell him to “take a hike.”

Juvenile Court Judge: April Meldrum. This was a tough call for me, because just last year, Pat Hess handled the juvenile burglar who broke into my home and stole my car exactly as I would have wanted: tough enough to get his attention, but without wrecking his life or jeopardizing his future. At the request of a friend, I met with April earlier this year, and was very impressed with her. Her priorities are the right ones — the best interest of children, including those who have gone astray. She’s not a marshmellow, but she will dispose of cases on a timely basis… and when dealing with permanency issues for children, timely is essential. April has my vote.

Trustee: John Stair. John has the accounting experience to do the job well, all other factors aside. That his mother has done the job impeccably for thirty years is some assurance that there would be a smooth transition, and that he won’t fire all the experienced staff. Patsy put customer service foremost, and John will continue that tradition.

I don’t have any contested races for County Commission, but I’ll cast a vote for Scott Gillenwaters anyway, because he’s done a good job, and always takes my calls. If you’re in District 8, I’d recommend Robin Biloski and Myron Iwanski (everybody needs a good pair of skis); if you’re in District 2, David L. Bolling is a keeper.

Hmmm… hardly as entertaining as AtomicTumor’s endorsements, but food for thought in any case.

Of all the letters to the editor this campaign season, today’s Oak Ridger contains one that must be read — it’s the last of several today.

The writer is Melissa Martin, who served as (retired) Judge Buddy’s Scott’s judicial assistant for the last 15 years. The lady brings credentials to the arguments about cases heard, for she was involved on a daily basis in the scheduling.

In particular, the following two paragraphs caught my attention:

The true reason for the small number of jury trials is they were not asked for and scheduled by their [Ramsey’s]office. Criminal cases were resolved by plea bargaining and often with victims in the courtroom upset over the lenient punishment of the plea bargain that had been offered by the assistant district attorney general assigned to cover the Criminal Court. Defense attorneys often expressed to me what great deals they could get for their clients in Anderson County.

In the few criminal cases that were set for a jury trial, the attorney general’s assistant would offer the defendant a better deal at the last minute to avoid trial. If Judge Scott turned down a plea, the justice system was punished by non-aggressive prosecution by the attorney general’s office. Two pleas that involved the deaths of the victims are now pending before the Tennessee Supreme Court because Judge Scott would not accept such inadequate punishment for defendants that took a life.

If, as prosecutor-in-chief, he proved adept in ensuring avoidance of corrections; just how bad might he be as a judge with the same ethic?

Ramsey’s jerking around the efforts to form a drug court — an avenue that has proven very successful in reducing repeat offenses, as well as being more cost-effective for the public — still bothers me. I cannot understand his motivation in the least.

Thank goodness August 3rd is just around the corner.

We often complain in Oak Ridge that we don’t get much coverage of Anderson County government. It may be true that many don’t care — but it may also be true that it’s hard to care about that of which you have little (if any) information.

The Clinton Courier News unquestionably provides the most coverage of county government, and for a time I subscribed for that purpose. However, I got the news a couple of days late, since the paper arrived by mail. I’ve found it’s more efficient just to buy one, since it’s not available online.

Today’s edition contains the paper’s endorsements, notable because that paper most closely covers the County government and thus would probably have the most information to work with. It’s worth picking up a copy, available at Rocky Top Markets and several other locations in Oak Ridge.

Endorsed are Dave Clark for District Attorney, Bill Lantrip for Chancellor, David Stuart for General Sessions Judge, April Meldrum for Juvenile Court Judge, and Bill White for Sheriff.

I think this may be the first time that Ron Bridgeman and I have agreed on selections for every office — at least every office for which he offered an opinion. Regardless of knowing the outcome in advance, pick up a copy and read it for yourself: Bridgeman provides a well-reasoned explanation for each of his picks.

Sounds like it got a little hot at the fair last night, from eyewitness reports. Some of those not endorsed seemed to wilt.