Bob Corker has an obsession with secrecy. He won't disclose his tax returns, saying they'll confuse Tennesseans. The records of his time in Chattanooga's mayor's office and as Don Sundquist's finance commissioner have gone missing. He tried to keep the public from learning the details of his shady land deal. He won't disclose how many people he imported from out of town to pretend they were from Chattanooga in his ads. Now, he's wrongly attacking Harold Ford Jr. for doing what a member of Congress should do: encouraging college students to get involved in their communities, speaking to church and non-profit groups on linking faith and public life, and growing Tennessee jobs. Congressman Ford has made information about these matters public for years.
But Bob Corker, obsessed with secrecy, won't disclose the details of privately funded trips he took as mayor of Chattanooga, including trips to Japan, California, and elsewhere.
And Bob Corker's attendance record as mayor? In 2005 alone, he was gone from the office 35 days campaigning for the U.S. Senate, instead of tending to public business.
What's more, barely halfway through his mayoral term, city records confirm he'd already asked the citizens of Chattanooga to fund 18 trips costing nearly $10,000 to such places as Tokyo, New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, and San Francisco.
STATEMENT FROM MICHAEL POWELL, SENIOR ADVISOR TO FORD FOR TENNESSEE
The Facts About Harold Ford Jr.'s Publicly Disclosed Travel
Fact: 21 of Rep. Ford's 69 privately funded trips were from to Tennessee.
Fact: 20 of Rep. Ford's trips were to churches, faith-based organizations and non-profit associations, including Warren Memorial United Methodist Church, Atlanta; Fourth Street Missionary Baptist Church, Atlanta; First Baptist Church of Indianapolis; and the Peoples Baptist Church of Boston.
Fact: 17 of Rep. Ford's trips were to colleges and universities, including Austin-East Magnet High School, Knoxville; the University of Tennessee-Knoxville; the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL; the University of Georgia, Athens, GA; Meharry Medical College, Nashville; Harvard University, Boston; the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN; and his alma maters, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, Ann Arbor, MI, and Philadelphia, PA;
Fact: 13 of Rep. Ford's trips were speaking engagements before Memphis and Tennessee businesses and associations, including Fed Ex, whose chief executive officer hosted a recent fundraiser for Mayor Corker; Dell Computer Corp.; Sparks Company.
The Bob Corker Double Standard
Bob Corker racked up ‘thousands of miles and thousands of dollars in travel expenses’ as Mayor of Chattanooga: “racking up thousands of miles and thousands of dollars in travel expenses, a review of travel and credit card records shows.” Chattanooga Times Free Press, 10/13/03
As Mayor, Corker traveled a lot more than reported or disclosed: “Mr. Corker has traveled far more than city records indicate. Some of his trips are paid for personally, while others, such as a recent trip to Japan, are paid for by other organizations.? "I make a number of day trips, where I am gone five or six hours to meet with the governor or other commissioners," he said. "Because I don't turn in mileage, they are not listed." Chattanooga Times Free Press, 10/13/03
Some of Corker’s Privately Funded, Non-Disclosed Destinations
Japan
Washington, D.C.,
California, Silicon Valley (twice).
California.
NASA's Ames Research Center
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press, 10/13/03
Bob Corker had a dismal 55% job attendance while simultaneously running for office and holding public office. Mayor Ron Littlefield was sworn into office on April 18, 2005. According to the Corker campaign between the dates of 02/01/2005 and 04/18/2005, while still Mayor, Bob Corker had 35 campaign events in cities outside of Hamilton County.? So that equates not performing his full-time duties as Mayor for 35 out of 77 days. That's just a 55% attendance rating. [Chattanooga.gov and Corker Website]
Chattanooga City Councilman Leamon Pierce said Corker Communications Director Todd Womack "basically was the mayor at the end of the term.?” Councilman Pierce said Bob Corker 'basically used the mayor's office as a stepping stone to run for the U.S. Senate.' He said in his last year 'he neglected the city because he was out campaigning for the Senate.' Councilman Pierce said Mr. Womack 'basically was the mayor at the end of the term. The other mayors we have had have served until the end of their terms.'” [Chattanoogan, 3/31/06]
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