Posted: Sunday, December 20, 2009 8:26 am

Rep. Bart Gordon will end his tenure as U.S representative from the 6th District, Tennessee next year after his surprise announcement last week he will not run for re-election.

The state’s senior member of Congress and sole committee chairman has served 13 terms, seen massive changes in politics here and in Washington and ultimately served his district and home community well, with distinction and with honor.

In this ever more fractious political climate, some will rejoice gleefully at his leaving, but many in this community, including many who do not share his party or political philosophy, will recognize Gordon’s long service and integrity.

Gordon has consistently been among those few legislators who move beyond party politics and actively look for ways to help his constituents and the nation in general.

From the start he has been a congressman not just parroting a party line, or following a party agenda, but seeking ways to make federal programs work in a real way, seeking real life issues and addressing them.

This has been demonstrated time and time again through his career. Back when it was applicable he recognized the scams involving 1-900 phone numbers and helped stop them. He saw some private schools ripping off students receiving federal aid and helped pass legislation to thwart it. He saw abuses and incompetencies in VA services and facilities and acted to correct them. He discovered prison inmates abusing Pell Grants for higher education while struggling young people did without help and stopped it.

Gordon also had a special talent for looking at programs on the federal level and finding ways for them to work for his community.

Recognizing the possibilities in the 5 percent mandated set aside for alternative transportation in the federal highway budget, Gordon steered money to tourism travel projects in his district and closer to home the highly popular and beneficial greenways program.

Instead of a highway to nowhere, he found a meaningful way to use our federal money, which was going to be spent regardless, to provide real benefit.

Again, his record in that area is lengthy, including the Discovery Center at Murfree Springs, any number of education programs at MTSU, especially involving science, a critical area for improvement nationally, and the Smyrna Airport.

Unlike most in Congress, instead of just trying to divert funds from the federal level willy-nilly, Gordon constantly asked, “What are we doing at the federal level to help people that can help my district and its people?”

Gordon also provided an excellent level of constituent services, a function that should not be a representative’s only contribution but certainly one that should be a given.

And, despite claims from political opponents, Gordon did indeed stay in touch with the folks back home with regular open meetings and other avenues for those interested in communicating with him.

Since Gordon first won office some 25 years ago the political landscape has changed massively as has the composition of his once heavily Democratic district that now stands evenly divided or leaning Republican.

The bitter bipartisan struggles in Washington, making good governance virtually impossible, have finally pretty much flowed down into the 6th District.

A difficult election year and D.C.’s ongoing dysfunction undoubtedly played a large role in Gordon’s decision to bring his congressional career to an end.

He can leave knowing he served his district well and set an example that if followed by others would have made this country much better off that it is today.