Buyer reflects on past, future

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - January 29, 2010 was an emotional day for former Congressman Steve Buyer. He represented the Lafayette area and the rest of District 4 for 18 years, but after his wife Joni was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and doctors told her she had to de-stress her life, Buyer said he knew his next move was leaving office.

"The ones who really help keep it in a balance are the spouses,” said Buyer. “It was only fair and right to do that for Joni."

Buyer said his wife has been in remission for more than six months and she is doing well. The announcement of Buyer's resignation raised some eyebrows because of a story that aired on CBS two months earlier. Four days before his tearful announcement, the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint against Buyer. The complaint focused on the money donated to a fund Buyer started, called the Frontier Foundation.

Buyer said the foundation's goal was to provide scholarships. The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington alleged that Buyer: "used the charity to foot golf fundraisers at exclusive resorts where he hobnobs with corporate donors."

The complaint was thrown out by the Congressional ethics committee. The former Congressman said the story that aired on CBS was the idea of network anchor Katie Couric.

"If you think Katie Couric had an opportunity to stick me, would she? Absolutely," said Buyer.

Buyer said those two events are not related and he leaves office with a clear conscience. He said one regret was legislation he was working on that would change how drugs are tracked from the manufacturer to the retailer.

"Hopefully it would have saved lives, but I did not get it done before I left and it was probably my regret that I could not get it done," said Buyer.

While serving in office Buyer continued to serve his country for more than 29 years as part of the US Army Reserve. He retired September 16, 2010.

Gary Steinhardt is the Tippecanoe County Veterans Council President. He said Buyer used his military background to the advantage of vets.

"On balance, I think veterans did reasonably well,” said Steinhardt. “Did we get everything, absolutely not. Would I have done it differently? And how. But looking at it in terms of the actual things that were accomplished, we did reasonably well."

Former Congressman Buyer is leaving political office, but he will still be working. Buyer is opening up a private law practice in both Indianapolis and in Virginia. When asked about a possible return to office, he did not rule it out.

"I have learned by a lot of my colleagues never say never, but I leave with great satisfaction," said Buyer.

In part 2 of our series, "Out of Office, On the Record," Congressman Buyer tells us how he really feels about that CBS story highlighting his involvement with the Frontier Foundation. He pulled no punches when talking about anchor Katie Couric and the Lafayette Journal and Courier. The Journal & Courier is the paper that first published the story, taking a closer look at his role within the foundation.