The Chattanooga area lacks the bold vision and collective leadership that sparked the city’s renaissance, former Republican Sen. and Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker told a packed house at the Tennessee Aquarium last week.
“I think we’ve come to accept mediocrity,” Corker said. “There was a period of time where excellence is what we strove for.”
Corker had been asked to speak to a group of community members Thursday about his historic role in supporting the once-famed community engagement nonprofit Chattanooga Venture, which decades ago spearheaded the creation of shared community goals, created a network of allied leaders and eventually led to the physical transformation of the city, as well as the later recruitment of Volkswagen.
The Chattanooga Venturing Study Group, which formed several months ago and includes business, philanthropic and community leaders, has been looking into the past effort and arranged talks with the architects.