Bar Assn. Poll Recommends All Four Appointed Judges

The Memphis Bar Association poll of the most qualified candidates in the special judicial races on the Aug. 2 ballot recommends all four of the judges appointed to those positions in the interim.

Just over 1,000 attorneys participated in the poll, which asked respondents to pick who is the most qualified among the contenders in those races as well as court clerks on the August ballot.

The attorneys selected interim Circuit Court Division 7 Judge Mary Wagner as best qualified with 71.7 percent over Michael Floyd with 9.3 percent.

Interim Circuit Court Division 9 Judge David M. Rudolph was selected by 74.4 percent over judicial commissioner Yolanda Kight, who was selected by 15.3 percent.

Criminal Court Division 10 Judge Jennifer Smith Nichols was picked by 55.2 percent of attorneys compared to 15.7 percent for Jennifer Johnson Mitchell.

General Sessions Environmental Court Judge Patrick Dandridge was ranked as best qualified by 39.4 percent, compared to 25.4 percent for Robert “Price” Harris.

If attorneys had no opinion or weren’t familiar with any of the contenders, they were to indicate they had no opinion.

Wagner, Rudolph and Nichols were appointed to their positions by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. Dandridge was appointed by the Shelby County Commission.

All will serve until the election commission certifies the results of the Aug. 2 election. The winners of the races will serve through 2022, when the nonpartisan judicial positions are up for election for a full eight-year term.

In the races for the four elected court clerks, attorneys picked outgoing Register and Republican nominee Tom Leatherwood as best qualified in the race for Circuit Court clerk over Democratic nominee Temika Gipson.

Republican Court Clerk Richard DeSaussure polled at 45.5 percent, compared to 21.1 percent for Democratic challenger Heidi Kuhn.

In the race for Juvenile Court clerk, Republican nominee Bobby Simmons was ranked best qualified by 70.5 percent of those taking the poll. Democratic nominee Janis Fullilove was selected by 8.3 percent.

Former Probate Court Clerk and Republican Chris Thomas was rated as best qualified by 48 percent in his bid to return to the office, compared to 12.3 percent for Democrat Bill Morrison and 5 percent for independent Jennings Bernard.

– Bill Dries

GPAC Files $3.5M Permit For New Outdoor Venue

Germantown Performing Arts Center has filed a $3.5 million building permit application for a 1.5-acre open-air performance center. The Grove at GPAC will be located due north of its current location.

The permit cites outdoor performance set and site improvement additions for 1801 Exeter Road, and will include a covered stage with a high-definition, permanent video wall.

Local architectural firm archimania was tapped to handle the project’s design.

GPAC announced its plans for the outdoor venue last September, with the hopes of landing festivals, national and regional touring shows, local artist showcases, concert movies and films, simulcast concerts from inside GPAC, performances by other users, outdoor receptions and other events.

– Patrick Lantrip

MMDC to Host Boot Camp For Small Developers

The Memphis Medical District Collaborative will host a small developer boot camp July 21.

At the event, which will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Memphis Bioworks, 20 Dudley St., potential developers will be able to network and learn the steps to cultivating a successful project.

Topics of discussion will include the power of the incremental approach, market research and site selection, project pro formas and financing a project.

Interested parties can register and find more information at thinkbigbuildsmall.com.

– Patrick Lantrip

Cordova Village Sells For $5.2 Million

Cordova LLC has sold Cordova Village, a 30,000-square-foot shopping center at 1315 N. Germantown Parkway, to HAO Investment Co. for $5.2 million.

Tiktin Real Estate Investment Services president Adam J. Tiktin and senior associate Cliff Weisner represented the sellers in the transaction, which closed June 29.

Currently, the site is 92 percent leased and counts PPG Paints, Subway and Domino’s Pizza as its tenants.

Situated on the corner of North Germantown Parkway and Autumn Creek Drive, the 3.1-acre Cordova Village center experiences traffic counts in excess of 56,000 vehicles per day.

South Florida-based Tiktin Real Estate Investment Services was founded in 2001 by Adam J. Tiktin.

– Patrick Lantrip

Catholic Charities Helping With Refugee Relief Effort

Catholic Charities of West Tennessee is leading a delegation of Catholic Charities staff, community leaders and Catholic high school students to support the staff of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in its Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas. The center provides assistance to refugees who have crossed the border and have been processed by U.S. officials.

CCWTN is making the trip at the request of Catholic Charities USA. Catholic Charities staff will be serving in customer intake, volunteer services, media, logistics and donation processing.

Students are serving food and distributing clothing. This is a diocesan project in cooperation with CCWTN; the Memphis group arrived in Texas July 3 and 4 and will be returning July 11.

The Humanitarian Respite Center was started by CCRGV due to the influx of refugees crossing the border who didn’t have an adequate place to rest.

The center provides a place for the countless men, women, children and infants to rest, have a warm meal and a shower, and change into clean clothing as well as receive medicine and other supplies, before continuing their journey. It is a first stop for refugees after being released by U.S. authorities. Approximately 300 people are served at the respite center daily.

The Memphis delegation includes Catholic Charities executive director Dick Hackett and his wife, Kathy, as well as Catholic Charities chief operating officer Bill Brickhill, and Marie Gracia Boldrin, legal assistant in CCWTN’s Immigration Services program. Bill and Rene Platten, parishioners at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, also are traveling to assist with the effort.

Students on the trip represent St. Agnes Academy, Christian Brothers High School, St. Benedict at Auburndale High School and Immaculate Conception Cathedral School.

More information about CCRGV is available at the agency’s website, catholiccharitiesrgv.org.

– Don Wade

U of M Women’s Golfers Honored for Academics

Three members of the University of Memphis women’s golf team were named Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholars for having a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher through this past season. Memphis’ two All-Conference honorees from last season, Sydney Colwill and Emily Goldenstein, earned repeat honors on the list, while sophomore Abigail Herrmann was a first-time honoree.

Goldenstein’s fourth consecutive WGCA All-American Scholar athlete caps what was a record-setting senior season at Memphis. She earned her first career all-conference honors by setting a Memphis single-season record with a 73.45 scoring average and set additional records in rounds under par (16) and birdies (89).

She graduated in May with a degree in accounting and is the seventh women’s golfer at Memphis to earn a spot on the WGCA’s All-American Scholar list for four seasons.

Colwill, who recently advanced to the semifinal round of the Tennessee Women’s Amateur Championships, is also a multiple-time honoree on the WGCA list, having earned the award in each of her previous two seasons. The finance major grabbed her first career all-conference honor earlier this spring after posting seven top 20 finishes, including medalist honors at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in December.

Herrmann qualified for 10 of the Tigers’ 11 tournaments as a sophomore in 2017-18. She finished in a tie for first at the Magnolia Invitational and shaved a stroke off her scoring average from freshman to sophomore seasons. Her two top-20 finishes last season were the first of her collegiate career. This is the first career honor from the WGCA for Herrmann, who is majoring in marketing management.

– Don Wade