Janet Goodman is running to retain the seat on the Covington City Council, that she first was elected to in 1978.
Who is Janet Goodman: Janet Goodman was first elected to the City Council in 1978. A graduate of Clark College in Atlanta and Lewis Business School in Detroit, Michigan, Goodman worked for The Covington News for 18 years, before taking a job with the Newton County Board of Education as Media Clerk at Newton High School. She still works at the high school.
Why does she want to run for office: Goodman wants to continue the work that’s been started to improve life in Covington. “We have a lot of things in the works and I’d love to see them materialize,” she said.
“In 2008, the economy went downhill, but now opportunity is knocking on the door and I want to take advantage of that opportunity so we can create jobs and offer young people opportunities,” she said. “We have a lot of schools here, but when students finish [graduate], they leave because there are no jobs. I want to keep them here.”
What she plans on bringing to the council: Goodman wants to continue the work the city has been doing attracting retail and industry to the area. “We’re trying to get our kids educated and prepare them for the future,” she said. “We’re trying to somewhere to live, to work, to eat, to shop. We need retail very badly because our downtown area is not alive enough.”
As a member of the Main Street Board, Goodman said there have been a lot of activities on the Square that have brought people downtown in the late afternoon or the evenings, but she wants to see some retail chains open downtown, stores where everyone can afford to shop, like a Marshalls, a Target or a Steinmart. “And restaurants,” she said. “We have another restaurant opening, which is good, and we have a lot of fast food places.
The council has begun to tear down dilapidated housing that owners have failed to repair as part of a campaign to improve the overall appearance and atmosphere of small town Covington. “
Family: Goodman, a life-long resident of Covington, is single.
