When United States Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) took office less than a year ago, assuming the seat vacated by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, he was a newcomer to Washington, D.C. However, he brought from Tennessee a can-do attitude, a fresh perspective on major issues, boundless energy, and a history of success in business and state and local politics.
A proven leader, Corker’s record of public service is remarkable. In 2001, he was elected mayor of Chattanooga and guided the city during an unprecedented $2.1 billion revitalization project along its riverfront. He implemented a program of merit bonus pay for teachers and supported an effort by the leaders of local law enforcement agencies to cut violent crime by 50 percent. In 1994, he was named Commissioner of Finance and Administration for the State of Tennessee, serving two years in that capacity with responsibilities for the preparation and implementation of the state’s $13 billion budget, and ran for the U.S. Senate. More than 20 years ago, he was instrumental in the formation of Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, which has assisted many local citizens in the purchase of affordable housing.
As a businessman, Corker founded Bencor Corporation, a major commercial contractor, in 1978 with $8,000 in capital. Before the construction segment of his business was sold 12 years later, it had expanded to include operations in 18 states. In 1999, he acquired two of Chattanooga’s best known real estate companies, Osborne Building Corporation and the Stone Fort Land Company, becoming the largest private land owner in Hamilton County prior to selling much of his real estate holdings in 2006.
The only freshman Republican senator in the 110th Congress, Corker was sworn in on January 4, 2007. He is a member of the committees on Foreign Relations; Energy and Natural Resources; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Special Committee on Aging. He maintains his residence in North Chattanooga with his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters, Julia and Emily. He recently spoke with writer Mike Haskew concerning his first months in office, as well as issues which are of major importance not only to Chattanoogans but to our nation and the entire world as well.
CS: How would you describe the campaign during 2006 and your first weeks in the U.S. Senate?
BC: The campaign was a great experience. We were on the road across the state of Tennessee, and that was a challenge. We are very glad to be doing what we are doing now. Today is my 161st day in office, and we began the process by staffing up. We had to put together six offices around the state of Tennessee and one in Washington, D.C. Right now, our staff numbers about 40 people. During the first few weeks, we obviously had plenty of things going on.
CS: Could you describe some of the activities you have been involved in during these opening months of your term?
BC: What has been fortunate for me is that I enjoy the nexus between foreign relations and energy. I was with the chairman of the Energy Committee last week in Brussels trying to address energy issues and also discussing climate change. We will be debating a bill in the Senate very soon that deals with climate change and energy, and when it comes to these issues that have a major impact on our country there is a great deal of time spent in testimony and in committee. People also come in and brief us on the issues in our offices, but we feel it is also important to go out to where a central focus of the issue might be located and try to understand it in the fullest way we can. We use recesses for some of that, too. My first 161 days in the Senate have been vigorous. There have been quite a few debates, and I believe we have figured out how to have an impact.
CS: What specifics have you discussed relating to energy?
BC: During our trip to Brussels we met with European officials, discussing carbon emissions, and with bills coming to the floor later this year, I wanted to make sure I knew as much as I could on the pluses and minuses in Europe as well as in the United States.
CS: You traveled to Iraq in February as part of a delegation led by Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.). What were your impressions of the situation there?
BC: It was an eye opening experience in Iraq for several reasons. I looked forward to visiting with our troops who are serving so bravely and honorably there. We landed in Kuwait and met with the general who is handling the logistics of getting materials like trucks and humvees and such back and forth and in and out of Iraq and Kuwait. We flew into Baghdad with some troops in a C-130 transport and moved around with soldiers in armed helicopters and armored vehicles. This was just as the troop surge was beginning, and we met with the overall commander, General David Petraeus, and others on the ground.
CS: How would you assess the current situation in Iraq?
BC: The situation in Iraq is very difficult, and that is something of an understatement. We are focusing on mid-September when General Patraeus comes back to Washington and gives us an assessment of where the new efforts in Baghdad have taken us. Obviously, things have not gone as well with the most recent security implementation as people would wish. We are seeing the administration there having more diplomatic relations and meetings with neighboring countries, which is a hopeful sign. At this point, I have a lot of concern about where we are, and I am looking forward to the testimony of General Petraeus and others in mid-September. All that will come with a meeting that takes place in the capitol. We will see where we are then and where we need to go from that point.
CS: Do you recall a particular experience during your visit to Iraq that made a lasting impression on you?
BC: I participated in a fascinating and moving meeting with several soldiers from Tennessee. I met privately with a group of six of them, and we talked about their experiences in Iraq and where we are there. I met with the deputy prime minister of Iraq and talked about a proposed oil sharing program. Again, on issues such as these, which are a central focus in our committees, what we are trying to do is make sure that we have the ability to see for ourselves what is happening. It is important to have that experience on the ground to understand things as they are there.
CS: What other issues do you see as being of primary importance at this time?
BC: We have been spending the first part of our time here heavily involved in the issue of Iraq, but to me a short term domestic issue which is very important is health care, and I have been working with other senators Secretary Leavitt (Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt) to put forth a health care policy to create opportunities for Americans to afford health care today. We have nibbled around the edges of making that occur in recent times, and we need a more radical approach to organizing how health care dollars are spent so that working Tennesseans and all working Americans can afford health care.
Immigration has been front and center, and we have just concluded some debate on that for a while. I think it will come up again in the near future, and we will continue working on that issue as well.
CS: What has been the most surprising or interesting aspect of your time in the U.S. Senate thus far?
BC: I really think I should have been writing a journal from day one because I will say that one of the things you realize while serving in the U.S. Senate is the tremendous access to information and resources that are available to you. You have almost anybody in the world wanting to talk to you about policy issues because they feel that in having conversations with you they are affecting public policy. Access to that information and to those resources is a benefit because you are able to dig into policy discussions and issues and make good decisions. It is simply phenomenal what is available to you. People around the world are anxious to talk to you about issues.
CS: If there is such a thing as a typical day for youas a senator, could you describe it?
BC: It is really very busy. Some things are scheduled in sporadic fashion, but we do have numerous meetings scheduled every day. This week, we finished voting two nights ago at 12:30, and last night we finished voting at 10 o’clock. Even if we are not voting, a lot of times I will get home at 10 o’clock after a meeting or something – but the days are obviously long. The other piece of it is that you have got to be flexible because you may be in a meeting and talking with someone and have a vote come up and that may require you to be called away. We also have a lot of committee meetings to attend, and along with those meetings are a number of briefings that take place beforehand.
CS: How are you maintaining contact with the people in your home state of Tennessee?
BC: I have been back in the state several times and visited 36 different counties, some of them a number of times. I am staying in touch with Tennesseans through discussions and town hall meetings. I enjoy talking to them and listening to them on the issues very much.
CS: Has your family adapted well to the changes since your election to the Senate?
BC: I do try to come home every weekend. My youngest daughter just graduated from high school, and my oldest is already in college. While it has not been a perfect time to be away and to be campaigning and running for office, we have really tried to be around for our children. The campaign put a strain on that, no question. I will continue to come home every weekend that I possibly can and to stay in touch with the people of the state of Tennessee.
CS: What is your perspective on the city of Chattanooga today?
BC: I am truly honored to serve in the Senate, and I love calling Chattanooga my home. Given all that is happening, there has been nothing more fulfilling in my life than serving as the mayor of Chattanooga, and I am so proud of our city. The people in Chattanooga are a real pleasure to come home to and to be with. There are so many of them who make our city great. Wherever I go and talk to people about where I am from, there are not many times that someone doesn’t talk about what a great city it is and how different it is today from some years ago.
One of Chattanooga’s leading citizens, Bob Corker has emerged on the national political scene during a pivotal time in the history of our country and the world. His dedication to public service and his record of success in building partnerships and consensus to achieve positive, common goals bode well for the future.