• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

Election 2018: Progress PAC endorsements for City Council, School Board

Posted at 8:38 am November 6, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Note This story was updated at 10 a.m.

Four candidates for Oak Ridge City Council and all three candidates running for Oak Ridge Board of Education running in the election today (Tuesday, November 6) have earned endorsements by Progress PAC.

Three City Council incumbents—Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch, Ellen Smith, and Kelly Callison—received the PAC endorsements as did Tim Stallings, who previously served on the City Council in the 1990s.

School Board candidates Laura McLean, Ben Stephens, and Erin Webb—who are all serving on the BOE now and are running unopposed—also received the political action committee’s nod, a press release said.

Progress PAC, which was created by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce but which operates independently, endorses City Council and School Board candidates who ask for the committee’s support and who are supportive of the Chamber’s mission, vision, and key legislative priorities, the press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2018 Election, Education, Front Page News, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge Tagged With: Ben Stephens, BOE, Derrick Hammond, Ellen Smith, Erin Webb, Kelly Callison, Laura McLean, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, Progress PAC, Progress PAC endorsements, Rick Chinn, school board, Stacy Myers, Tim Stallings, Warren Gooch

Hope responds to PAC endorsements

Posted at 9:44 am October 24, 2016
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Chuck Hope

Chuck Hope

Oak Ridge City Council member Chuck Hope, the one incumbent running for re-election in the November 8 election, has responded to the endorsements by the Progress PAC political action committee.

The Progress PAC endorsed Jim Dodson, Joe Lee, and Hans Vogel, who are all making their first runs for seats on the seven-member City Council. The endorsements were announced last week.

Hope was not endorsed. You can see his response here.

The PAC was established two years ago by the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, and it operates autonomously from the Chamber’s Board.

All six of the candidates endorsed by the Progress PAC two years ago were elected, although one candidate who wasn’t endorsed, Rick Chinn, was also elected. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Election, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Angi Agle, Anne Garcia Garland, Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, Hans Vogel, Jim Dodson, Joe Lee, Keys Fillauer, November 8 election, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, political action committee, Progress PAC, Rick Chinn, Stephen Whitson, Trina Baughn, Wende Doolittle

Column: Hope, the incumbent, responds to PAC endorsements

Posted at 12:42 pm October 23, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 5 Comments

Chuck Hope

Chuck Hope

By Chuck Hope

First of all, I want to say congratulations to Jim Dodson, Joe Lee, and Hans Vogel on being endorsed by the Chamber’s Progress PAC political action committee. I think it is important for the citizens of Oak Ridge to know that those three candidates are not the only candidates who support a vital economic development plan for Oak Ridge.

My community involvement has been extensive, serving on both the Chamber Board and the Convention and Visitors Bureau and the City’s Beer Permit Board before being appointed to Council. I was selected by a council majority in July 2011 to fill a vacated council seat and successfully ran for election in 2012. My vision for economic development is to continue to grow our retail sector while continuing to work harder on industrial growth opportunities. Growth like carbon fiber, whose industry is showing a lot of promise right now.

I want voters to know that I was the top vote-getter in my first election, and I am one of just a few Council members that have been on both the Chamber of Commerce Board (chairman in 2010) and City Council. I have been a businessman in Oak Ridge since 1982, and during the past 15 years, I have supported the City/Chamber contracts and aligned myself with what I thought to be the Chamber’s “mission, vision, and legislative priorities,” and worked closely with the Oak Ridge Board of Education. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Election, Government, Oak Ridge, Opinion Tagged With: Board of Education, Chamber of Commerce, Chuck Hope, ECA, Energy Communities Alliance, Hans Vogel, Jim Dodson, Joe Lee, Oak Ridge City Council, PAC endorsements, Parker Hardy, pre-K building, Progress PAC, Senior Center, U.S. Department of Energy, Water Treatment Facility

Progress PAC endorses Dodson, Lee, Vogel for City Council

Posted at 10:53 am October 19, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 16 Comments

jim-dodson-joe-lee-hans-vogel

Pictured above from left to right are Jim Dodson, Joe Lee, and Hans Vogel.

 

The Progress PAC political action committee has endorsed Jim Dodson, Joe Lee, and Hans Vogel for Oak Ridge City Council in the November 8 election.

The endorsements were announced Wednesday.

“From a crowded field of seven outstanding city council candidates, these three most clearly met the committee’s criteria, which includes support of the mission, vision, and legislative priorities of the Oak Ridge Chamber and a willingness to work closely with the Oak Ridge Board of Education,” Progress PAC Chairman Stephen Whitson said in a press release. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Election, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Angi Agle, Chris Johnson, Hans Vogel, Jim Dodson, Joe Lee, John Smith, Keys Fillauer, Mike Belbeck, November 8 election, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, PAC, political action committee, Progress PAC, Stacy Myers, Stephen Whitson

Progress PAC endorses Agle, Fillauer

Posted at 10:44 am October 13, 2016
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

Keys Fillauer

Keys Fillauer

The Progress PAC political action committee has endorsed the two incumbents running for Oak Ridge Board of Education: Angi Agle and Keys Fillauer.

“PAC board members feel these candidates best support the business community’s commitment toward exceptional schools and have expressed a willingness to partner with the Oak Ridge City Council on educational issues,” a press release said.

The Progress PAC endorsements for Oak Ridge City Council candidates will be announced later, said PAC Chairman Steve Whitson, an Oak Ridge resident.

“There are 10 candidates running for seven combined City Council and School Board seats, so decisions to endorse candidates are not made without lots of thought and discussion,” Whitson said in the press release. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Election, Education, Front Page News, K-12, Top Stories Tagged With: Angi Agle, Chris Johnson, John Smith, Keys Fillauer, Mike Belbeck, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Progress PAC, Progress PAC endorsements, school board, Stacy Myers, Steve Whitson

Letter: Proud of Progress PAC endorsement, positive campaign

Posted at 12:08 pm October 24, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Letters 8 Comments

To the Editor:

I read the article in Wednesday’s The Oak Ridger where the reporter contacted the five candidates who were not endorsed by the Progress PAC for comments. I wonder why The Oak Ridger did not contact all the candidates.

Either way, I found most comments professional, and in particular Mike Mahathy’s and Jean Hiser’s and in general Andrew Howe’s. Both Andrew Howe’s and Laurie Paine’s, however, referenced me so I feel necessary to respond. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Letters, Opinion Tagged With: Andrew Howe, Board of Education, Bob Eby, candidates, Centrus Energy, Chamber membership, ethics, Jean Hiser, Laurie Paine, Mike Mahathy, PAC, Progress PAC, term limits, The Oak Ridger, Trina Baughn, USEC

Guest column: Smith responds to Progress PAC endorsement

Posted at 5:07 am October 22, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns 9 Comments

Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith

By Ellen Smith

I was surprised and gratified by the recent news that the Progress PAC (the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce political action committee) endorsed my candidacy for City Council. To my dismay, several citizens have told me that this endorsement indicates that I have somehow “sold out” to the Chamber of Commerce. I am writing to respond to their allegations.

The Progress PAC endorsement was a surprise to me because I have never been aligned with the Chamber, I have strongly opposed some Chamber initiatives in the past, and I am not shy about my support for principles like conservation of publicly owned open space and putting the interests of existing residents and owners ahead of the interests of new business development.

However, I respect the Chamber as the main representative of and advocate for a very important element of our community—and a group whose members and volunteers who are passionate about the future of Oak Ridge. We share many common goals and interests for this community, and if we are going to make progress as a community, it’s necessary for government, the business community, our nonprofit sector, and (ideally) all citizens to try to understand each other’s interests and needs and work together for the benefit of all. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns, Opinion Tagged With: business development, candidate, Chamber of Commerce, community, donations, Ellen Smith, endorsement, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, open space, PAC, political action committee, positive outcomes, Progress PAC, volunteers

Letter: Callison appreciates Progress PAC endorsement

Posted at 4:36 am October 22, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Letters Leave a Comment

Kelly Callison

Kelly Callison

To the Editor:

I appreciate the endorsement from the Progress PAC and the support from a broad range of residents.

As I have campaigned across the city from Glenwood to West Hills to Woodland, the concerns are the same as those of the PAC: the desire for exceptional schools, quality housing, and retail and industrial growth. These are the things Oak Ridgers are concerned about, and I intend to focus on these issues and bring the city together to move in a positive direction.

Kelly Callison

Oak Ridge City Council candidate

Filed Under: Letters, Opinion Tagged With: candidate, endorsement, housing, industrial growth, Oak Ridge City Council, Progress PAC, retail, schools

Progress PAC endorses three each for City Council, BOE

Posted at 11:15 am October 15, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 8 Comments

Kelly Callison

Kelly Callison

Ellen Smith

Ellen Smith

Warren L. Gooch

Warren L. Gooch

 

The new Progress PAC political action committee has endorsed three candidates each for Oak Ridge City Council and Oak Ridge Board of Education.

The three candidates endorsed in the City Council race are Kelly Callison, Warren Gooch, and Ellen Smith. The three endorsed in the School Board race are Bob Eby, Paige Marshall, and Laura McLean.

“PAC board members feel these candidates best support exceptional schools and jobs in Oak Ridge via teamwork between the Board of Education and City Council,” a press release said. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Education, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Bob Eby, David Bradshaw, Ellen Smith, interview, jobs, Kelly Callison, Laura McLean, November 4 municipal election, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge City Council, Paige Marshall, Progress PAC, questionnaires, schools, Steve Whitson, Warren Gooch

Guest column: Progress PAC helps broaden conversation of community issues

Posted at 1:14 pm October 12, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 3 Comments

By Progress PAC

We are very proud that the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce has entrusted us to serve as the members of Progress PAC, the multi-candidate political action committee created by the Chamber and focused on our upcoming school board and city council elections. Though we are appointed by the Chamber’s Board of Directors, we operate independently from that same board.

Some people in the community have questions about how Progress PAC will operate, who we might support, and how endorsements might be made. Some have criticized the timing of Progress PAC’s establishment, and we acknowledge it could have been better. However, our primary goal is to have a positive impact in this election cycle.

Now that Progress PAC has been created, we are largely autonomous. The Chamber’s Board may not approve or disapprove of any endorsement decisions we may make; the Chamber’s Board cannot approve or disapprove of contributions that Progress PAC either receives or distributes. The Chamber contributes no funds to PAC operations; we are supported by donations made directly to the PAC and we must report those to the appropriate election commissions. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns, Opinion Tagged With: business community, campaign, candidates, Chris Johnson, City Council, contributions, David Bradshaw, donations, election, endorsement, interviews, John Smith, Mike Belbeck, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, political affairs, Progress PAC, school board, Stacy Myers, Stephen Whitson

Guest column: Surprised by debate, Chamber explains Progress PAC

Posted at 2:09 pm October 7, 2014
By Oak Ridge Today Guest Columns Leave a Comment

Parker Hardy

Parker Hardy

By Parker Hardy and Chris Johnson

At the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, we have been surprised by the debate that has surfaced after we established Progress PAC last month.

Why? Because political activity by this Chamber and others is nothing new. And political action committees, or PACs, are quite common tools for chambers and for other organizations that wish to exercise their rights to participate in the political process. Progress PAC was established to build transparency for the Chamber’s political engagement. It is not funded by Chamber membership investments or dues. Furthermore, city economic development marketing funds, which cannot be used for Chamber operations, certainly cannot and will not be applied to Progress PAC. Reporting requirements for all PACs will demonstrate that financial transparency.

Good chambers have been politically engaged for decades. And our chamber has been engaged in pro-business political activity since our founding in 1949—even before the City of Oak Ridge was incorporated. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns, Opinion Tagged With: business parks, Chris Johnson, City of Oak Ridge, infrastructure improvements, Keys to College and Career Readiness, land bank, legacy housing, legislative priorities, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, PAC, Parker Hardy, political action committee, political engagement, Program of Work, Progress PAC, rowing venue, school funding, shopping centers, speculative buildings, STEM school, zoning

Chamber forms Progress PAC, two Council members seek legal action

Posted at 12:55 am September 23, 2014
By John Huotari 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…]

Filed Under: 2014 Election, Business, Education, Government, K-12, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Anne Garcia Garland, David Bradshaw, FORS, Friends of Oak Ridge Schools, injunctive relief, Jim Normand, Ken Krushenski, litigation, Oak Ridge Board of Education, Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, Oak Ridge City Council, PAC, Parker Hardy, political action committee, Progress PAC, restraining order, Stephen Whitson, Trina Baughn

Search Oak Ridge Today

Classifieds

Availability of the draft environmental assessment for off-site depleted uranium manufacturing (DOE/EA-2252)

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announces the … [Read More...]

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • Flatwater Tales Storytelling Festival Announces 2025 Storytellers
  • Laser-Engraved Bricks Will Line Walkway of New Chamber Headquarters
  • Democratic Women’s Club to Discuss Climate Change, Energy and Policy
  • Estate Jewelry Show at Karen’s Jewelers Features Celebrity Jewelry
  • Keri Cagle named new ORAU senior vice president and ORISE director
  • ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal+ORAU Annual Giving Campaign exceeds $100,000 goal More than $1 million raised in past 10 years benefits United Way and Community Shares Oak Ridge, Tenn. —ORAU exceeded its goal of raising $100,000 in donations as part of its internal annual giving campaign that benefits the United Way and Community Shares nonprofit organizations. ORAU has raised more than $1 million over the past 10 years through this campaign. A total of $126,839 was pledged during the 2024 ORAU Annual Giving Campaign. Employees donate via payroll deduction and could earmark their donation for United Way, Community Shares or both. “ORAU has remained a strong pillar in the community for more than 75 years, and we encourage our employees to consider participating in our annual giving campaign each year to help our less fortunate neighbors in need,” said ORAU President and CEO Andy Page. “Each one of our employees has the power to positively impact the lives of those who need help in the communities where we do business across the country and demonstrate the ORAU way – taking care of each other.” ORAU, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, provides science, health and workforce solutions that address national priorities and serve the public interest. Through our specialized teams of experts and access to a consortium of more than 150 major Ph.D.-granting institutions, ORAU works with federal, state, local and commercial customers to provide innovative scientific and technical solutions and help advance their missions. ORAU manages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Learn more about ORAU at www.orau.org. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OakRidgeAssociatedUniversities Follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/orau Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/orau ###
  • Children’s Museum Gala Celebrates the Rainforest
  • Jim Sears joins ORAU as senior vice president
  • Oak Ridge Housing Authority Receives Funding Assistance of up to $51.8 Million For Renovating Public Housing and Building New Workforce Housing
  • Two fires reported early Friday

Recent Comments

  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Raymond Mitchell on City manager’s ‘State of the City’ canceled due to weather
  • Mysti M Desilva on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Mel Schuster on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Cecil King on Crews clearing roads, repairing water line breaks
  • Rick Morrow on Roads, schools, businesses closed after heavy snow
  • Diana lively on Free community Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 25
  • Anne Garcia on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student
  • Raymond Dickover on Blockhouse Valley Recycling Center now open 6 days per week
  • Mike Mahathy on School bus driver arrested following alleged assault on elementary student

Copyright © 2025 Oak Ridge Today