Bob Turner Looks Back On His Short Term In Congress

It seems like a million years ago when Anthony Weiner’s scandalous Twitter post forced him out of Congress, creating circumstances for a special election, which found Republican Bob Turner replacing the disgraced lawmaker.

The reality is, with only a little more than a year on the job, Turner has been one of the shortest serving Congressmen in recent memory. Turner’s district, the 9th C.D., has been redistricted and Turner has decided not to run again.

Turner looked back on his year of service during an interview with the Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

“There are two parts to [being a congressman],” he said. “One is constituent services. You have to have a good responsive staff to solve numerous problems, including Social Security and veterans’ affairs. Servicing the community is a big part of the job.” In this area, he said, Weiner did a good job.

“The other part is legislative,” he said, “and there’s a pretty large philosophical divide between Republicans and Democrats about how we respond to issues like the national debt.”

Turner also reflected on his life before politics, recalling his cab driving father and his career in television advertising  promoting shows like “The Price is Right,” “Baywatch,” “Fame” and “The Jerry Springer Show.”

Turner’s special duties in Congress included serving on committees from Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security to Veterans Affairs. He recalled his proudest accomplishment as being the co-sponsor of legislation that seized $1.8 billion in laundered Iranian assets, which was then rewarded to families of American personal killed in the 1983 Beirut Barracks Bombing. Two-hundred and forty-one American servicemen and 60 American civilians perished in the double suicide bombing.

Turner, whose Breezy Point home burned down during Superstorm Sandy, was also very active in securing as much funds as possible for fellow Sandy victims.

Once Turner’s term ends on January 2, 2013, he plans to return to civilian life.