Newsmakers: Exit Interview with Representative Robert Turner (D-Racine)
After 22 years of serving in the Wisconsin Assembly, Democratic Rep. Bob Turner of Racine decided to not seek re-election. In a Newsmakers exit interview taped in his Capitol office on April 19, Turner talked about his fascinating life journey: Born in the segregated society of Mississippi, forced to talk past two white schools to attend an all-black school, he followed family members and came to Racine and quickly found a job after graduating from high school in 1966. He then served four years in the Air Force, returned to Racine and was elected as an alderman in 1976. Turner lamented the "mean-spirited" and "personal" way the Assembly began operating about five years ago. He said he was proudest of his work on veterans issues in the Assembly.