CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former West Virginia Tourism Commissioner and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Amy Shuler Goodwin wants to put Charleston on the map, create a better future for children and spur economic development in the city.
Goodwin, a Democrat, announced her run for Charleston Mayor Thursday afternoon.
“I have incredible passion and I know what we need to do to not only market Charleston, West Virginia on a statewide level, but on a national level,” Goodwin told a crowd of people at Charleston’s East End Community Park.
About a dozen children joined her with “Goodwin for Charleston” signs, along with her husband Booth Goodwin, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia. He ran against Governor Jim Justice in the May 2016 Primary Election.
“Much as what I said in my campaign — we want them to have the opportunity to stay here and we want them to want to stay here,” Goodwin said of why his wife brought kids to the big announcement. “She saw that time is running out.”
Goodwin announced her run nearly 14 months before the May 2018 Primary Election. Her husband said there’s a reason for that.
“You need a little bit of time to get out and talk with people and really build a true community coalition and that’s exactly what she wants to do,” he said.
Promoting tourism isn’t the only area Goodwin said she wants to focus on, if elected.
“We boast about being the best outdoor state in the country, but we don’t make our communities bikeable and walkable. We don’t connect them. It’s not just a tourism thing, by the way, that’s a health and community thing,” she said. “That’s our way out of poverty for many families.”
It’s also time to start using the Kanawha and Elk Rivers, Goodwin said.
“We’re a river city. We don’t use our river. We don’t have kayak ramps. We don’t have restaurants on the river. It has to be utilized. People want to be on the water,” she said.
Booth Goodwin told the crowd on Thursday his wife is a “protector” and knows she can get the job done.
“She is an advocate when she can be and she’s a fighter when she must be,” he said. “She will go through great lengths to protect the people in her charge and the people that she loves.”
Goodwin formerly worked as the communications director for both Governor Earl Ray Tomblin and Governor Bob Wise. She also served as chief spokesperson for a presidential candidate, a congressman and mayor of Charleston. Goodwin was also a news anchor and reporter for WCHS-TV in Charleston and WTRF-TV in Wheeling.