Goodwin Plans Run For Mayor In Charleston
Wheeling Native, Former Tourism Commissioner, Announces Candidacy
With Staff, AP Dispatches
CHARLESTON — Former state tourism commissioner Amy Shuler Goodwin is running for mayor of Charleston.
Goodwin, a Wheeling native, announced her candidacy Thursday at Charleston’s East End Community Park.
Goodwin says she wants to build small businesses and promote Charleston on a state and national level.
“Booth and I have two teenage boys. We want them to have the ability and the desire to stay here in Charleston — or return here to enter the workforce,” she said, referencing her husband, former U.S. attorney Booth Goodwin. “Like many folks, I’m tired of hearing what we could do or what we should do. We need action. We have the foundation and the tools to build a truly great city, but we all must be singing from the same sheet of music. And we must face our challenges head-on.”
The Charleston mayor’s race will be decided in 2018. Current Mayor Danny Jones has said he won’t run for office again.
Goodwin said some of the issues facing Charleston are drugs, a declining population, and lack of trust in the water system. She said the city’s bright spots are its financial picture, a newly renovated civic center, and its riverfront.
A Democrat, Goodwin most recently served as deputy secretary of commerce and tourism commissioner from 2014 until last month.
She also has served as communications director in the governor’s office, was state director for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and headed communications for the city of Charleston.
COMMENTS