Candidate Profile: Roger Goodman For District 45

SEATTLE — The 2020 election is heating up in Washington and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office. Eyes are primarily focused on the presidential election, but voters will also decide the occupants of several state representative and senate seats.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Roger Goodman, a Kirkland resident is running for State Representative District 45 Position 1.

Age: 59
Party affiliation: Democratic Party
Family: daughter, 17; son, 13
Occupation: attorney in private practice (since 1987)
Previous elected experience: Washington State Representative (since 2006)
Family members in government: no
Campaign website: www.rogergoodman.org

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Our state's revenue system is unstable and unfair, the most regressive in the nation and subject to wild swings during economic booms and busts. I support the long-term effort to reform our state's revenue structure, which has now begun through a legislative task force.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

With 14 years of experience and accomplishments in the State Legislature, I hope that my record of public service speaks for itself, as I have stood up and spoken up for the priorities and values expressed by the constituents of my legislative district; I have sought to remain as accessible and responsive as possible to my constituents' needs; and I have enacted dozens of significant legislative measures affecting the entire state, particularly to keep our communities safe and to support families and children.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Prior to serving in the State Legislature, I served as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to Members of Congress in Washington, D.C. and as a state agency director in Olympia, and I also ran a non-profit organization and continue to practice law. I believe that professional background, plus my 14-year legislative record, including serving as a committee chair for the past six years, qualifies me to perform this job with a high level of competence.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?

The speed of the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will depend first and foremost on how we keep the virus under control. Poor federal leadership has exacerbated the public health crisis and the economic fallout and provided no fiscal support to state and local governments. With no resources at the state level, we must depend on the federal government for more forgivable loans to businesses to keep them afloat, and for continued extended unemployment benefits. On the state level, the more successful we are in keeping the public health crisis in check, the faster our economy will be able to recover.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?

As Chair of the House Public Safety Committee, with jurisdiction of the criminal legal system, I am managing an intensive legislative effort to reform police policy and practice and also our criminal sentencing structure so as to mitigate and reverse the disproportionately adverse effect of law enforcement on people of color. A package of legislative will be ripe for action in the upcoming 2021 session, including measures to strengthen accountability for police misconduct, to prohibit certain tactics, to improve training, and to provide greater transparency about policing practices to the public.

How do you think Washington should address the threat posed by climate change?

We must continue our progress in moving away from a carbon-based economy, through mandates and incentives for electricity generation from sources other than fossil fuels, through increased energy efficiency measures in construction and transportation and through low-carbon transportation fuels. We must also put a price on carbon, most efficiently through a carbon tax-and-rebate system, whereby carbon taxes dis-incentivize the use of fossil fuels while some of the tax revenue is used to mitigate the adverse effects on vulnerable communities and certain energy-intensive industries. The move away from carbon is also an economic stimulus, as thousands of new job opportunities will arise in the "clean-energy" economy.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

The top priority for my district is to continue to support our great public schools, and also to continue support for post-secondary education, including our "workforce readiness" institutions in the community and technical college system.
The cost of housing in my district is beyond the reach of many middle- and lower-income families, so we must create more opportunities for affordable housing.
Another significant priority for my district is the need to focus on behavioral health care to address the crisis in mental health and substance use disorders.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

When approaching policy problems I have convened subject matter experts, interested citizens and other public officials around the table to find common ground and achieve consensus on workable solutions. Through this collaborative problem-solving approach I have been able to re-write our state's domestic violence laws and DUI laws to keep our communities safer; I have greatly expanded pre-school opportunities across the state so kids are better prepared for school; and I have enacted dozens of reforms to increase government efficiency, improve public education and protect our natural environment, among many other issues.