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WHEELING – Booth Goodwin, a Democrat candidate for West Virginia governor, said his background as a U.S. attorney may seem a bit unusual for the office he seeks, but he believes his experience as a federal prosecutor will lend itself naturally to the position.
Goodwin is one of three Democrats vying for their party’s nomination in the May 10 primary election. He’s up against state Senate Minority Leader Jeff Kessler of Marshall County and billionaire businessman Jim Justice for the right to face off against state Senate President William Cole, R-Mercer, who is the only GOP candidate to file in the race.
Goodwin said his time as U.S. attorney for the southern district of West Virginia encouraged him to address crime at its points of origin. He described stepping outside the definition of his role to initiate programs that advocate for at-risk children and those suffering from drug addiction – issues he identifies as key ones facing residents of West Virginia.
“I wasn’t a case processor in my previous role,” Goodwin said, suggesting it wasn’t his sole intention to put people in prison. “I was a community problem-solver.”
He’s concerned with how addiction and school shootings manifest, and said the seeds for these problems are planted in children who lack stability and a sound education. He said access to quality mental health and recovery facilities could make a significant difference, as well as a comprehensive, analytical approach to education.
Goodwin feels the state focuses heavily on standardized tests he believes fail to prepare students as critical thinkers. He believes analytical students will also fare well when seeking jobs in a global economy, as well as be responsible for the next technological developments.
Goodwin sees the state’s budget deficit as the culmination of a number of factors, but largely the result of dwindling coal severance taxes. He said the state relied for far too long on a single industry, although he also understands that now is not the time to ditch what revenue is still being generated.
He sees opportunity of economic development in the state’s colleges and universities as they harbor hubs of business, youth and information. He said, though, that the cost of tuition cannot continue to rise because graduates, who may otherwise stay in state, will usually move to seek higher salaries to repay their debts.
Goodwin prosecuted the case against former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship that stemmed from a 2010 mine explosion that killed 29 workers. A jury convicted him in December on a single misdemeanor count of conspiring to violate mine safety standards, with sentencing set for next month.
Goodwin is a native of Ripley, W.Va. He served five years as southern West Virginia’s U.S. attorney, but stepped down late last year, little more than a week before announcing his run for governor.