Oak Ridge Today

Trapuzzano receives Eugene L. Joyce Achievement Award

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Tim Trapuzzano

The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce presented Tim Trapuzzano with the Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual awards gala, An ExtraORdinary Evening, in late January.

Trapuzzano is president and chief executive officer of Omega Technical Services in Oak Ridge, located at 118 Mitchell Road in Oak Ridge.

The Eugene L. Joyce Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a nominee who has truly distinguished himself or herself and embodies the essential values of volunteerism, community service, and dedication to the economic vitality of the community, a press release said. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Chamber launches membership campaign

Posted at
By Leave a Comment

Keys Fillauer

Keys Fillauer

Under the leadership of two long-time community leaders, Keys Fillauer and Darrel Kohlhorst, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce kicked off a new member recruitment campaign on Thursday, September 10. The campaign is focused on identifying new members to bring into the Chamber between now and October 15, a press release said.

“Nearly 100 committed volunteers are working to grow the Oak Ridge Chamber’s collective influence and financial resources,” said Melinda Hillman, vice president of Roane State Community College’s Oak Ridge Campus and chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors. “That represents almost a quarter of the Chamber’s current membership working to expand their organization. Personally, I am appreciative and excited that so many are involved in this effort.”

There are five captains serving as coaches and cheerleaders for the campaign. The five captains are:

  • Rhoni Badsen of Girls Inc.;
  • Bruce Borchers of Oak Ridge Schools;
  • Katy Brown of Comcast Spotlight;
  • Jim Normand of Joyce, Meredith, Flitcroft, and Normand; and
  • Steve Whitson of H-S Whitson Construction.

[Read more…]

Chamber forms Progress PAC, two Council members seek legal action

Posted at
By 11 Comments

Trina Baughn

Trina Baughn

Note: This story was updated at 10:30 a.m.

Two Oak Ridge City Council members have requested a special meeting this week to consider litigation against the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, seeking to prevent the business organization from conducting political activities on public property, including through a new political action committee.

The special meeting, which would be open to the public, has been requested by Oak Ridge City Council members Trina Baughn and Anne Garcia Garland. Baughn said she requested the meeting to “vote upon initiating litigation against the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce so that the city may seek either injunctive relief and/or a temporary restraining order with regards to their conducting political activities on public property.”

Stephen Whitson

Stephen Whitson

On Friday, the Chamber announced it had formed a political action committee named the Progress PAC. The multi-candidate PAC will support candidates in the November elections for Oak Ridge Board of Education and City Council, a press release said.

Stephen Whitson of Oak Ridge has been elected Progress PAC chair, and David Bradshaw, also of Oak Ridge, has been named treasurer. Both are past chairs of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.

In the press release, Whitson said the Progress PAC will only consider supporting candidates who respond to an issue-based written questionnaire and participate in an interview with Progress PAC members. [Read more…]

Guest column: Anderson County court, criminal prosecution programs at risk

Posted at
By 2 Comments

Dave Clark

Dave Clark

Proposals to redistrict Tennessee’s 31 judicial districts may cost Anderson County its full-time judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and their staffs. Proponents want to jumble 15 of Tennessee’s 31 judicial districts containing the state’s 95 counties. The pending proposal would eliminate the 7th Judicial District consisting of Anderson County and combine Anderson, Scott, Union, Campbell, Claiborne, and Fentress counties into a single district. If the move is approved in Nashville, local officials and their offices may be relocated, and many other programs may be terminated.

Currently, Anderson County has a single circuit judge, chancellor, district attorney general, and public defender. All of these offices are located in the county seat in Clinton on a full-time basis. The other counties that are part of the proposed new super-district are headquartered in Scott County in the city of Huntsville, Tenn. It is unclear if redistricting would result in all of Anderson’s current officials relocating to Huntsville. However, what is clear is that under the proposal, Anderson County officials would have duties in other counties, some of them an hour or more away, such as Jamestown, the county seat of Fentress County, located on the Cumberland Plateau bordering Kentucky.

[Read more…]