Former Montgomery Mayor On Capitol Hill

Alabama Congress Bobby Bright took the oath of office Tuesday as the new congressman for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.

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Published: Tue, January 06, 2009 - 5:52 pm CST Last Updated: Wed, January 07, 2009 - 1:59 pm CST

WASHINGTON – Former Montgomery mayor Bobby Bright took the oath of office Tuesday as the new congressman for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District and got a lesson in Capitol Hill clout.

As a House freshman, Bright finds himself in an office one-third the size of his mayoral office in Montgomery, where he served nine years. As for the new Washington apartment he and his wife, Lynn, are staying in, it’s less than one-fifth the size of their home in Alabama.

But Bright, 56, said it wouldn’t matter if he had to work out of the back of a car. He wants to get down to business.

“You work hard to get here and, quite frankly, I am ready to go to work,” he said.

Bright said his initial focus will be the economy and on the economic stimulus package that President-elect Barack Obama is expected to push once he takes office.

“I want us to get something done,” Bright said.

Any package, Bright said, should include the creation of new jobs that are protected for American workers.

The first bill he will co-sponsor, Bright said, would stop members of Congress from getting automatic pay raises in 2010. This year, members are expected to get a $4,700 raise, bumping the average lawmaker’s salary to $174,000.

“It’s ridiculous,” he said. “We get paid way too much as it is.”

On Monday, Bright was named to the Armed Services Committee. He hopes to also be placed on the Agriculture Committee. His predecessor, Terry Everett, a Republican who retired after 16 years in Congress, served on those committees.

On Tuesday, family and friends came to see him sworn in. For Bright, opening his Washington office was overwhelming.

“It was a very emotional feeling after a long, hard-fought campaign,” he said. “I’ve wanted to be in Congress ever since I was a young boy. To be able to call it home for a couple of years, that’s a great feeling.”

Bright defeated his Republican opponent, Jay Love, by less than one percentage point. It is the first time in 44 years the seat has been held by a Democrat.

That likely will make Bright’s seat a target for Republicans in 2010. But Bright said he’s not going to govern with the next election in mind. He has already met with Republican members of Alabama’s congressional delegation.

“Party and politics are not a priority,” he said. “I may be a one-term congressman, but I’m going to do what’s right.”

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