RALEIGH — State Rep. Ken Goodman announced Monday that he will be seeking his fifth term in the N.C. House of Representatives.

“Over the past seven years, I have focused my attention on job creation, improving our public schools and investing in our local communities. I want to continue that work — making sure that Raleigh doesn’t forget the rural regions of our state and that we have business leaders in the State Legislature who can offer common-sense solutions for our people on Main Street,” he said in a statement.

Goodman, D-Richmond, is chairman of the Main Street Democrats, a pro-business legislative caucus formed in January 2015.

For more than 40 years, he was owner and operator of the R.W. Goodman Co., a furniture and appliance business in downtown Rockingham.

Before going to Raleigh, Goodman was a elected to the Richmond County Board of Education and served as chairman.

“I am a strong advocate for public schools because I know our public schools serve as the foundation to a better economy and an educated workforce,” he said in a statement. “It is imperative that we continue to make investments in our public education system — starting with our classroom teachers.”

“If we are going to be successful in job creation we must have a public education system that can provide the tools our children will need to compete in a global economy,” Goodman, who is married to Richmond County Schools Superintendent Dr. Cindy Goodman, added.

In the last legislative session, Goodman was the primary sponsor of 26 bills. Though some got caught up in committees, several made it into law.

One of those requires the state Division of Motor Vehicles to include in the state’s driver’s license handbook a “description of law enforcement procedures during traffic stops and the actions that a motorist should take during a traffic stop, including appropriate interaction with law enforcement officers.”

The son of longtime Richmond County Sheriff R.W. Goodman, the legislator said his goal with that bill was to keep traffic stops from escalating, which “could save the life of a (driver) or an officer.”

Goodman is also in favor of election reform, however an attempt to establish open primaries wound up in the House Rules Committee, which has been described as the place bills go to die.

His current district includes parts of Richmond, Hoke, Scotland and Robeson counties. Recently redrawn legislative maps — which are still tied up in court — would give Goodman all of Richmond and Montgomery counties and a sliver of eastern Stanly County.

“Throughout my service in the state legislature, my goal has been to advance public policy for the benefit of the citizens of my district,” he said. “I have accomplished this by eliminating partisan considerations when voting on issues and working across the aisle to get results. As a result of this approach, in a poll of House members, lobbyists and the Capitol Press Corps, I was rated as the most effective Democrat serving the House for that session.”

Records with the North Carolina State Board of Elections show Goodman has not had a Republican challenger in the past three races.

“I look forward to mounting a vigorous campaign,” he said. “I am reaching out to local officials and leaders across the district, and I look forward to meeting and talking with voters throughout the weeks and months ahead.”

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Staff report