Somebody like Ken Goodman.
Goodman is running for the state house seat being vacated by Rep. Melanie Wade Goodwin. Goodwin has done a fine job in Raleigh during her three terms, but has decided to step down.
Goodman is solid choice to replace her. There are a number of people who run for public office with a true desire to make government work better. Goodman is one of those that has the knowledge and experience to actually do something.
Goodman is the current chair of the Richmond County Board of Education, owner of R.W. Goodman Furniture in Rockingham and owns an interest in Richmond Yarns in Ellerbe.
His business experience gives him the knowledge that most times just throwing money at a problem doesn’t make it go away. His experience in education, and some recent success stories here in Richmond County, show he can get things done. As we evolve into a new economy, education will be the key. We must give our children the tools they need to learn as well as reach out to the adult population that needs assistance in learning new skills to find a good job.
Perhaps more than anything, Goodman knows Richmond County.
“I have lived and worked here all my life, and I feel that I understand the challenges of this region,” Goodman said.
“We’ve been left out of that to a certain degree, and I want to address that,” he said. “I think my experience running a small business for 40 years and being involved in a manufacturing company has given me some ideas that can be useful in that regard. We need to do a better job of educating our people so we can prepare them to be successful,” he said.
In his position on the school board, he’s making that possible. Richmond County has taken proactive efforts to reach out to students early on to keep them on track and in school. We’ve been able to embrace concepts and adapt our attitude. The result isn’t simply better test scores now, but teaching a new generation the skills they will need to thrive in the future. And as a businessman, Goodman knows that we can’t simply raise taxes to fix problems.
“The old manufacturing and agricultural base has changed, and I think the tax code needs to change with it - in a way that will bring in more tax base for the state, but lower it for a lot of people. I think reforming the tax code in this state is a real big issue that needs to be looked at.”
If elected, Goodman will be one of the 120 voices in the N.C. House of Representatives, and we believe he will be a strong one.
“I’m not a miracle worker,” he said. “Really, no one is a miracle worker, you get up there and you try to do the best you can, and I feel I can be effective and get a lot accomplished if I am elected.”
We believe Ken Goodman is the right man to represent us in Raleigh.
This is why James Parsons has my VOTE.
Richmond County is in worse shape than it was 20 years ago. What has she done for this county? Now we see her husband claiming to be a progressive bashing the republicans. How can one in the council of state think that is a good idea? The state is a middle of the road state, and doesn't like either the cooky liberals or the radical right. The Goodwins have proven to be cooky liberals, anyone who wants to disassemble the electoral college is a radical, and Wayne and Company want to gut the electoral college, that is radical.