Precinct selection should be explained
EDITOR:
At a recent meeting of the Anderson County Election Commission, a comparison table was presented by a group of concerned citizens, which described in clear detail the differences in the two locations under consideration for re-locating the voting site for the City Hall Precinct.
Note that the precinct includes the area historically described as Gamble Valley.
The information found on that comparison table provided all we needed to know about the two locations, except the thinking behind the commission’s poor decision to choose the Senior Center instead of the Scarboro Community Center.
The comparison table noted that both the Senior Center and the Scarboro Community Center are well-maintained, have security monitored by the city of Oak Ridge, and are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In addition, both locations have direct entrance to the voting area from the parking lot, and if needed, can provide transportation via golf cart from the parking lot to the voting entrance. City signs direct traffic to both centers.
However, the Scarboro Center has 4,845 square feet of dedicated space for voting, compared with the Senior Center’s much smaller 1,530 square feet.
While the Scarboro Center has no traffic safety concerns, there are turning hazards at the Senior Center for vehicles entering and exiting the parking lot.
Another significant difference is found in the locations of the two properties.
The Scarboro Center lies at the geographic center of the voting precinct and is closer to a majority of voters. The Senior Center is at the upper edge of the precinct.
Last fall, that concerned citizens group circulated a petition (in-person and online) asking for signatures in support of the Scarboro Center as the new voting location.
A total of 647 residents of Anderson County signed that petition; 400 of that number were residents of the City Hall Precinct.
The Scarboro Center clearly is the better choice.
Yet, the Election Commission voted 3-2 in favor of the Senior Center. So, what drove the decision?
Considering the successful resolution regarding location of the Oak Ridge Scarboro Preschool, the anniversary of desegregation of the Oak Ridge school system, and a growing effort to recognize the Scarboro community as an integral part of the city of Oak Ridge, it seemed obvious to select the Scarboro Community Center as the new voting location for the City Hall Precinct.
Did you know the Oak Ridge City Council sent a resolution to the commission in favor of the Scarboro Center?
The commissioners’ responses to questions regarding their selection have been vague.
I believe the commissioners need to be transparent and state to the public why they made their choice against the appeal of citizens and the strength of the Oak Ridge City Council’s resolution in favor of the Scarboro Center. I believe the comparison indicates Scarboro Center is clearly the better selection.
Let the commissioners know that some formal accounting needs to be directly communicated to the citizens of Anderson County and the Oak Ridge City Council.
Each commissioner needs to show transparency and explain the rationale.
If opposing voices and other views were expressed behind the scenes to the commissioners, they need to offer those details.
If the assignment was a mistake, it needs to be rectified and Scarboro Community Center declared the location for voting.
Lou Ann Harris Cristy
Oak Ridge