Oak Ridge House candidates speak on differences, similarities

Oak Ridge residents John Ragan's and Jim Dodson's responses to questions during one of last week's candidate forums showed where they agree - such as their support for small modular reactors and nuclear power-related industries coming to the city - and where they disagree: abortion, Medicaid expansion and gun rights.

Both men are seeking the District 33 seat on the Tennessee House of Representatives currently held by Ragan, a Republican. Dodson, an Oak Ridge City Council member and 36-year public school teacher, is the Democratic challenger in the district, which includes Oak Ridge and most of Anderson County.

The League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge sponsored two candidates' forums last week. While Tuesday's event focused on state and federal offices, Thursday's was open to local candidates. Election Day is Nov. 8, but early voting is currently underway.

Approximately 100 people attended the candidates' forum Tuesday at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge, with others watching online. Audience members were allowed to submit questions for the candidates, but questions that pertained to specific candidates were not accepted by the League members who vetted them.

Abortion

Asked about making abortion legal in Tennessee, Ragan said the majority of abortions are done as a form of birth control and not because the mother's health is in jeopardy. He said the question of abortion and its legality boils down to when life begins. He said the individual in the womb, which he said is a human being once the woman's egg is fertilized, has the same rights as other individuals.

Dodson said he didn't think that he should supersede a woman's right to do what she wants with her body. He said if you deny a woman's right to an abortion, it will likely occur anyway in a "back alley" and both the mother and baby's lives will be in jeopardy.

Abortions are banned in Tennessee. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade precedent over the summer, states gained the ability to ban abortion. Some states, like Tennessee, had already passed so-called "trigger bans," ready to go into effect in the event Roe was overturned. According to The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville, in Tennessee, it will fall to local law enforcement and, crucially, 32 elected district attorneys, to decide whether and how to investigate and prosecute possible violations of the law.

'This law threatens life':Q&A with Knoxville lawyer fighting Tennessee’s abortion ban wording

Nuclear reactors, industry

Both candidates were asked about their support for small modular reactors (SMRs) and other nuclear industry-related companies coming to Oak Ridge.

Ragan said he'd been working to get them in Oak Ridge, listing the many organizations he's involved with in connection to these efforts. He also said he wants molten salt reactors in Oak Ridge, in addition to the SMRs. He pointed out that having SMRs in various places in the country could keep electricity supplied to the nation if something affected the three power grids.

Dodson aid he supported SMRs and molten salt reactors, too. He said they were safe and energy efficient and better than coal-fired plants such as the Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton, which TVA has said would be shut down in 2023.

Medicaid expansion, guns

Dodson said he sees the need for expanded government-funded healthcare when he looks at the students in his classroom each day. He characterized the families of some students having to decide whether to pay for food, rent or medical bills.

"These are the same students I see get a free breakfast every morning," he said.

Ragan said expanding Medicare is not a good option. Instead, he said, healthcare comes with jobs , so by increasing the number of jobs in the area, healthcare would also be provided. He called it a better option than "handouts."

"It's not a handout, it's something that some need," Dodson said.

The two candidates also differed on gun safety.

Asked what "common sense" gun safety and gun control looked like to them, Dodson said there are hunters in his extended family, but he is not for easy access to firearms by lots of people. He said licensing, training and background checks are needed.

He then brought up school violence, saying there needs to be a proactive and not reactive approach to the problem.

"I'm running as Jim Dodson the educator," he pointed out.

Ragan responded by saying that there are already background checks done before guns are sold to individuals and in regard to gun licenses, he said licenses are needed for privileges such as the right to drive a vehicle - but guns are a right guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He said actions to stop people from their right to carry arms would be the first step in citizens losing their freedoms.

The problem is not with firearms, Ragan said, the problem is with mental health.

House District 32 race: Fritts, Hahn

Republican Monty Fritts, of Kingston, and Democrat Jan Hahn, of Lenoir City, are seeking the House seat for District 32, which includes parts of Loudon and Roane counties.

Although they expressed differing views on questions, they both spoke about people working together. They said they'd be friends after the election is over.

"We can disagree with each other without being disagreeable," said Hahn, a physician and educator.

"We need to remember we are all children of God" and thus, brothers and sisters, he said.

Like Ragan, Fritts said disagreements are not necessarily a bad thing in government, serving as a vetting process on the issues and needed actions.

"We should be able to disagree and still not hate each other," he said.

The Oak Ridger's News Editor Donna Smith can be reached at dsmith@oakridger.com. Follow her on Twitter @ridgernewsed.

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: House candidates speak on differences, similarities