MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer
Posted: Sunday, December 20, 2009 8:28 am

Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Murfreesboro) answers questions about health care during a telephone Town Hall for between 500-600 voters in August. Gordon announced he will retire in 2010.

Murfreesboro is “the town that Bart built,” the Rutherford County Democratic Party said after Rep. Bart Gordon announced his retirement at the end of his current term.

Gordon took office in January 1985 to serve 13 terms as the representative from Tennessee’s 6th congressional district. During his 25 years in office, he has done his best to provide for the people of Middle Tennessee and Rutherford County in particular.

“Every community should aspire to have a congressman from their hometown,” Murfreesboro Mayor Tommy Bragg said adding Murfreesboro has benefited greatly from Gordon’s connections because his focus was always on making his hometown a better place.

But not all feel as kindly toward Gordon.

“Like John Tanner, Bart Gordon can see the writing on the wall in 2010 and has chosen to step aside,” Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Chris Devaney said.

Devaney and 6th Congressional District challenger Lou Ann Zelenik credit Gordon’s decision to growing discontent in the mid-state.

“I applaud Congressman Gordon for his years of service to the people of Tennessee and for his willingness to accept the changes within our state,” Zelenik said. “When Congressman Gordon came to office, the Sixth District was a very different place than it is today.”

Along with Zelenik, an increasingly crowded field of Republicans is vying for the 6th District seat. So far State Sens. Jim Tracy and Diane Black have announced their candidacy as have small-business owners Kerry Roberts and Gary Mann. Putnam County native Maj. Gen. Dave Evans has also thrown his hat in the ring.

No Democratic candidates have officially announced but several names have been floating around, like education activist Andy Spears, Gallatin Mayor Joanne Graves, and State Reps. Hank Fincher and Mike McDonald.

As Tennessee’s senior representative Gordon has had a hand in some of the nation’s most important legislation.

From supporting the Family Medical Leave Act to regulating 1-800 and 1-900 telephone numbers, Gordon’s leadership has impacted the lives of every American.

But on the local level, Gordon has supported causes and ideas that have made Murfreesboro the city it has become.

“Imagine Murfreesboro without the Square, MTSU, Stone River Battlefield and that’s what happens when a community doesn’t have or loses a congressmen,” Bragg said about Gordon’s influence.

Education
Gordon’s hand can be seen most easily in local education.

He’s supported in particular science education at Murfreesboro City Schools, Rutherford County Schools and MTSU throughout his career.

“More and more of today's jobs are of the high-tech variety, and it is essential for students to obtain a strong foundation in math and science if they are going to compete for 21st Century jobs,” Gordon said.

Most recently, Gordon authored the America COMPETES Act, which will improve the United State’s ability to compete globally by supporting science and math education on all levels.

“Bart Gordon's leadership on science, technology, and education has been hugely important to the Tennessee Valley and to our country,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, who worked with Gordon to pass America COMPETES, which will help job creation nationwide.

At the local level, Gordon supported education in science and math by “helping Hobgood Elementary School gain national recognition as a NASA Explorer School,” former Murfreesboro City Schools Director Marilyn Mathis said.

Around 90 percent of Hobgood’s student population qualifies for the free and reduced lunch program and the NASA Explorer Program exposes these at-risk students to cutting-edge technology to give them a leg up in the future.

"I supported the partnership with NASA and Hobgood to ensure that students receive the education and understanding in math and science that they need to succeed in the future,” Gordon said. “I went to school at Hobgood, and it was important to me to help with the NASA partnership opportunity to a school that played an important part in my education.”

Even the Discovery Center has benefited from his largesse.

The Discovery Center began in 1986 in a small historic house on Maple Street that provided hands-on education opportunities for local children. With Gordon’s support, the Discovery House became the Discovery Center at Murfree Springs and more than 110,000 children and families explore its exhibits each year.

He said the museum’s focus on arts and science, especially environmental education, is important to education in Middle Tennessee.

“Children go to the Discovery Center because they are having a good time playing, but parents know they’re actually learning some important skills at the same time,” he said.

But Gordon didn’t stop at the elementary level.

“He has tirelessly worked with officials at Middle Tennessee State University and other institutions of higher education within his district to put federal dollars to work in improving science and mathematics education, an area of acute need,” Mathis said.

In particular, Mathis cited his role in reforming Federal financial aid programs to better serve college students.

In the 1990s, Gordon spearheaded an investigation into the federal student aid system that resulted in slashing the student loan default rate in half, which saves more than $3 billion annually and makes aid more accessible to more students.

“I also authored changes that include barring schools with high default rates from participating in the Pell Grant program, eliminating the Pell grant for prisoners program and cracking down on fly-by-night schools,” Gordon said.

Family
In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed the Gordon-authored Family Medical Leave Act into law, which guarantees workers jobs during family health crises.

“If a person becomes sick, has a child, or has a family member that becomes sick, they should be able to take time off from work and not fear that they may lose their job due to their temporary absence,” Gordon said about the legislation.

FMLA has played a role in the lives of all Americans by protecting their jobs and income in times of need, he said.

Gordon also helped families adopt orphans more easily from overseas by introducing legislation to block Romania’s “Most Favored Nation” trade status.

Because of the pressure Romania relaxed its adoption laws allowing more America families to adopt some of the country’s estimated 100,000 abandoned children.

Gordon has also supported many laws to encourage domestic adoption and encourage more families to give homes to needy children.

History
Stones River National Battlefield was once one of most endangered historic sites in the nation, but with Gordon’s help it has become one of Middle Tennessee’s most popular destinations.

“The battle at Stones River was one of the most important fights to take place during the Civil War. Historians conclude the battle was one of 45 – out of 10,500 armed battles and skirmishes – that had a significant effect on the outcome of the war,” Gordon said.

To continue the success of the park, Gordon secured $1.5 million in funding earlier this week for the Stones River National Battlefield to improve the historic site and make it more accessible to visitors.

But this isn’t the first federal money Gordon has directed at the Civil War battlefield.

“The battlefield has become one of the most popular attractions in Middle Tennessee. More than 200,000 people visit each year, which benefits Murfreesboro’s local economy. Further preserving the site is also important for Middle Tennessee’s history,” Gordon said.

Over his career, Gordon has sponsored legislation that has doubled the area protected by the national park, created the Tennessee Civil War Heritage Area and secured more than $20 million for the park.

The most recent funding will allow visitors to see new portions of the battlefield and improve the overall visitor experience.

“When the project is complete, it will enable us to attract many more people and help us better tell visitors the story of the Civil War battle that took place here in Murfreesboro,” said Gib Backlund, Chief of Operations at Stones River National Battlefield.

Everything else
Gordon has authored, sponsored or supported legislation throughout his 25-year career that has touched almost every aspect of American life.

In 2007, he wrote a bill to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign energy by expanding research and development of cutting-edge energy technology and promote renewable energy projects.

“To end our country’s dependency, a new, balanced energy policy is needed – one that is based on next-generation energy technologies, renewable energy sources, and domestic production of oil and gas …” Gordon said about the bill.

“Legislation that I wrote in 2007, which was incorporated into the Energy Independence and Security Act, provided funding for advanced battery storage systems,” he continued. “This and other bills I’ve authored will support the work that will be done at Nissan’s Smyrna plant, as well as the Clarksville and Cleveland solar plants, which will create thousands of jobs in the clean energy industry.”

He also crafted legislation to reduce the number of meth labs across Tennessee and the nation to give local governments the tools they need to battle production of the illicit drug and clean up the mess it makes.

In the early ’90s Gordon passed legislation that regulates the charges allowed for 1-800 and 1-900 telephone numbers after outraged citizens called him a complained of inflated bills.

“He was an open ear to every one and really a genuine person who understood politics and congress and investing for the future,” Bragg said.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.