Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch was elected the City's 10th Mayor in November 2014, and he has been unanimously re-elected for three consecutive terms.
During his service as Mayor, he has concentrated on promoting the City's award-winning public school system, economic development and housing issues, including Main Street Oak Ridge, which is revitalizing the center of the City; the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, established in 2015; recognition and celebration of the Scarboro 85, the black students who integrated Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High in 1955; strong advocacy for the United States Department of Energy's missions in Oak Ridge, which is the only host city in which all DOE facilities are within the boundary of a municipality; environmental and energy initiatives across the City in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the Oak Ridge School system; improvements to the world class Melton Lake rowing venue; a new Senior Center; a new Pre-K School; and replacement of the City's 75-yearold water plant with a state-of-the-art energy-efficient facility. Under Mayor Gooch's leadership, the City is currently working through the planning and approval process to establish a new general aviation airport in Oak Ridge, which will provide a catalyst for new jobs and investment in the East Tennessee region.
The Mayor is a partner in the law firm of Kramer Rayson, LLP. where he has practiced for 45 years. He is recognized as one of the leading healthcare attorneys in Tennessee and established the firm's health law practice in 1988. He represents healthcare systems and providers in East and Middle Tennessee. He has been selected for recognition by national publications in the practice areas of healthcare law and administrative/regulatory law for many years. His firm has a reputation for mentoring young professionals and has been designated one of the top workplaces in East Tennessee by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Mayor Gooch earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and he served as a Captain in the United States Air Force Reserve.
He and his wife, Judy, have lived in Oak Ridge for 29 years. They have two sons, Ryan and Matt, graduates of Oak Ridge High School and Furman University. Gooch and his sons are Eagle Scouts. The couple are proud grandparents of Owen, Hayes, Haleigh Rae, and Jackson and are members of the First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge.
Gooch serves on the Great Smoky Mountains Park Commission and on the Board of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce.
He is a past chair of the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in organizing support for the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the construction of the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College.
He regularly refers to our City as, "Oak ridge, where great things happen every day."
Term Expires: November 2026
