By Rep. Roger Goodman

This season I’ve spent my days visiting you at your doorsteps, listening to your most prominent concerns and learning about local neighborhood issues. I’ve personally visited more than 21,000 homes in the last two years. Your input has been critical for me to be an effective State Representative.

Listening carefully at home has allowed me to lead in Olympia. As Vice Chair of the House Judiciary Committee last session, I led the Legislature to enact a number of significant bills, including:

A drunk driving control measure (HB 3254) projected to save 100 lives a year in Washington, and for which I was recently selected as the first Washington legislator to receive the federal “Traffic Safety Champion” award.

A bill charting the course for a major expansion of early childhood education (HB 3168 – the “Washington Head Start” bill), ensuring that more kids will be ready to learn when they get to kindergarten.

Tax incentives for gas stations to install backup power (HB 2053) so we can get fuel during future power outages for our home generators and cars.

A court improvement bill (HB 2557) that gives crime victims better access to justice, makes the court system more efficient and will save taxpayer dollars.

Authorization and funding for a new, 4-year computer science program at Lake Washington Technical College (HB 1885), providing more opportunities for our local talented kids coming out of high school to get training for the high-tech, high-wage jobs in our area.

Of the 24 bills I introduced 13 were enacted into law. I also secured critical funding for: Totem Lake business redevelopment; the new Northeast Skills Center at Lake Washington Technical College; parks and recreation in Kirkland; and Kirkland’s future Public Safety Campus, among many other projects.

Looking forward to next session, my priorities reflect those of our district:

We will balance the budget without raising taxes or introducing any new form of tax. I will resist any cuts in basic education or public safety, however, but I will encourage cuts across the board in non-essential programs and rolling back tax breaks that have clearly proven not to stimulate economic growth or create jobs.

Jobs and the economy are urgent matters and I will support continued incentives, grants and loans for small businesses and entrepreneurs as well as continued promotion of “green jobs” in the energy, transportation and construction sectors.

We must continue to invest in basic education so we can retain quality teachers, reduce class sizes and fully support special education programs.

I will continue my close working relationship with the technical and community colleges to strengthen the professional-technical training for students to get the high-wage jobs in our region.

Leading the Judiciary Committee I will face the huge problem of domestic violence head-on and convene all interested parties to address this epidemic more effectively.

This year you are fortunate to have two highly-qualified candidates running for State Representative. Both I and my opponent have significant and relevant experience and we have each been accessible and responsive to constituents and pragmatic in our problem-solving approaches. A closer look gives my candidacy a clear edge, however, for three important reasons:

Having met thousands of voters at their doors I am more in touch with your priorities and your values and I can truly represent the district better.

In the majority party and likely to be a committee chair, I will be much better able to address the needs of our district.

I will support and vote for the measures you support, including health care for all children, increasing teacher pay and reducing class sizes, funding transportation projects, toughening renewable fuel standards and funding domestic violence programs. My opponent’s own prior record shows that he voted against all of these priorities and we should expect that he would vote against them again.

Now is the time for continued effective leadership in these unsettling times. Back in the Legislature I will continue the work I’ve begun tackling some of our toughest challenges.

I hope to count on your vote to re-elect me to a second term. Thanks for the opportunity to serve as your State Representative!