By Martha Rose Woodward
Terry Frank won the August 2 election as interim mayor for Anderson County with 7,074 votes to attorney Warren Gooch’s 5,032 votes, or 58% vs. 42%.
Frank becomes the first female to be elected as a mayor in Anderson County. She is a staunch conservative Republican.
Frank raised and spent over $100,000 while Gooch raised and spent over $200,000.
During her campaign, Frank promised to clean up corruption in county government, to make spending transparent by posting all transactions on-line and to cut spending while refusing to raise taxes.
Her support came from a conservative base and long-time friends who have frequented Nature’s Marketplace, the catering business located at 201 Oak Ridge Turnpike, she owns and operates with her husband, Lee Frank. The Franks have also presented a weekly program on cable access television and formerly hosted “Let’s Talk Frank,” a talk radio show helping to give her name recognition.
Political pundits who were closely watching this campaign thought that Gooch may have had a slight lead as he was spending huge amounts of money on television ads that seem to run round the clock. Frank did spend on television ads, but her ads ran closer to the date of the election.
If asked to describe herself, Frank would say that she is a Christian, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a businesswoman, a Republican, a writer, a blogger, a television personality, a historian, a researcher, a cook, a caterer, a concerned citizen and a great friend.
Frank graduated from Anderson County High School, attended Middle Tennessee State College and graduated with a degree in political science. She is married to Lee Frank and the couple have three sons.
The Knoxville Journal Newspaper considers Frank as one of our own as she has frequently written articles for our paper.
