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Lisa Goodman (politician)

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Lisa Goodman
Goodman in 2018
Member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 7th Ward
In office
1998 – January 1, 2024
Preceded byPat Scott
Succeeded byKatie Cashman
Personal details
Born
Lisa Ruth Goodman

(1966-01-27) January 27, 1966 (age 58)
Chicago, Illinois
Political partyDemocratic–Farmer–Labor
ResidenceBryn Mawr
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Lisa Ruth Goodman (born 1966) is an American politician who served as a member of the Minneapolis City Council from the 7th ward. First elected in 1997 and continuously re-elected for 26 years, she was the longest-serving member in council history. The 7th ward holds some of Minnesota's wealthiest neighborhoods, including Bryn Mawr, Cedar-Isles-Dean, Downtown West, East Isles, Elliot Park, Kenwood, Loring Park, Lowry Hill, and Stevens Square.

Goodman was born in Chicago and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She served as executive director of the Minnesota chapter of NARAL.

Early life and education

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Goodman is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and labor relations from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.[1] She interned at the Dane County AFL–CIO.[2]

Career

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Early career

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In 1989, Goodman moved to Minneapolis from Madison, Wisconsin where she had spent a year fundraising for Mayor Paul Soglin. She joined the 1990 United States Senate campaign of Paul Wellstone, serving as chief fundraiser.[3] She then worked for a year as development director of a college service-learning nonprofit before being hired as the executive director of the Minnesota chapter of NARAL in 1992.[3] Goodman formerly taught a course in community and economic development at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs.[1]

Minneapolis City Council

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Goodman was elected to the Minneapolis City Council in 1997, with 54% of the vote.[3][4] She is the longest-serving member of the Minneapolis City Council.[5] While city council seats are officially nonpartisan, Goodman is affiliated with the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party.[3] During her career, Goodman has voted for the preservation of historic buildings.[6] She is considered to be pro-development[7] and has consistently called for expansion of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).[8] Goodman chairs the Business, Inspections, Housing, and Zoning committee and the Minneapolis Community Development Agency.[1]

A 2007 article about Goodman in the City Pages detailed her close relationships with developers. She sat on the Community Development Committee that approved condo developments. After convincing developers to build the Grant Park luxury condos in a blighted area, she then purchased one of the units, later selling it in 2005 for $315,000.[3] Goodman's relationship with former Minneapolis DFL chair Michael Krause and former Empowerment Zone head Kim Havey came under scrutiny when their company, Kandiyohi Development Partners, began bidding for a wood-burning power plant.[9] Goodman had invested in the company in 2006.[3] She wrote a letter on campaign stationery urging the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to give Kandiyohi a permit, initially failing to disclose her status as an investor.[9][3]

In 2012, Goodman was among six council members who voted against funding the new Vikings stadium through redirected sales taxes.[10] In 2015, Goodman was the only member of the city council to vote against a study examining the impact of raising the minimum wage.[11] Later in 2017 she voted in support of the $15 minimum wage.[12]

Prior to a candidate's forum in 2017, Goodman asked challenger Teqen Zéa-Aida if he would hold her chewing gum. She then took the gum out of her mouth and placed it in his hand.[13][14][15] She later apologized, saying that it was an attempt at humor.[16]

Goodman has worked to fund the Cedar Lake Trail extension to the river. She has said "I don't believe that we should be using bike lanes as a way to get people out of their cars."[16] Goodman voted against municipal consent for the Southwest LRT.[17] In 2018, Goodman voted in favor of the 2040 comprehensive plan.[18] When announcing the city's planned renovation of Peavey Plaza, Goodwin commented of the downtown Minneapolis park, "like all 45-year-old women, sometimes you just need a face-lift."[19] Following concerns over her comments, she said she was sorry if anyone was offended.[20] Goodman also supported banning new drive-throughs for fast food restaurants and banks in 2019.[21] Governor Tim Walz appointed her to the Minnesota Racing Commission in 2019.[22]

Following a proposal from Mayor Jacob Frey to add 14 police officers including eight neighborhood officers in 2019, Goodman said it was a "drop in the bucket compared to what is needed at this point in time." She joined downtown business interests asking for more police officers[23] and went on to say that she could find budget items to cut that would fund the hiring of at least 24 neighborhood officers.[24]

After the murder of George Floyd and resulting protests in 2020, Goodman was one of three council members who refused to sign a pledge to work towards defunding the police department.[25][26] Later in the year, Goodman voted against a measure to shift management of police media from the MPD to city officials[27][28] and against a proposed amendment to the city charter that would have transferred some of the mayoral authority over the MPD to the council.[29] In August 2020, a downtown riot occurred following rumors that the MPD killed a black man. Goodman said she was "disgusted" by the rioters[30] and decried damage to the Lotus Restaurant, saying "none of this did anything to advance racial justice in our city."[31] In November 2020, Goodman voted in favor of a proposal to spend nearly $500,000 to hire police officers from outside the MPD to deal with shortages.[32]

Goodman, when asked about her few city council members' efforts to try to change the Kahn rule before the 2021 election, said it "seems a little bit self-serving."[33]

Goodman left office in 2023 as the longest serving Minneapolis city council member.[34] She was named the city's Director of Strategic Initiatives in September 2024.[35]

Personal life

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Goodman owns a hobby farm in Kandiyohi County that she initially purchased with Michael Krause and Kim Havey.[3]

Goodman lived in a condo in the Bellevue building in downtown Minneapolis before moving to the Bryn Mawr neighborhood. In 2012, Goodman married Ben Horn, who owns FinnStyle, a Finnish-design home store. The architectural style of their glass-walled home, situated on a wooded lot bordering the Theodore Wirth Parkway, was not to Goodman's taste, she added a green roof and has "slowly warmed" to the aesthetic.[36] They divorced in 2016.

In October 2017, Goodman purchased a house in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood for $480,000. Following an assessment of her property at over $500,000, she filed a petition with the Minnesota Tax Court and succeeded in securing a $40,000 reduction in its assessed value.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "About Lisa Goodman". City of Minneapolis. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  2. ^ Share, Steve (October 27, 2017). "Lisa Goodman: 'The economy in Minneapolis is strong'". Minneapolis Labor Review. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Carlyle, Erin (October 7, 2009). "City Councilwoman Lisa Goodman wants it her way". City Pages. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  4. ^ Nelson, Emma (November 8, 2017). "Night of change for Minneapolis City Council as first transgender candidate wins". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Belz, Adam (May 2, 2018). "Minneapolis Council Member Lisa Goodman appeals her home valuation, wins". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Tigue, Kristoffer (May 18, 2016). "Century-old artist haven succumbs to luxury apartment craze". City Pages. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  7. ^ Callaghan, Peter (November 16, 2017). "The diminishing power of being anti-development in Minneapolis and St. Paul". MinnPost. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Du, Susan (December 17, 2020). "Competitive City Council races in wards 7, 10 and 11". Southwest Journal. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Brandt, Steve (March 26, 2008). "Wood-burning plant embroiled in politics". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  10. ^ Roper, Eric (May 24, 2012). "Minneapolis Council approves Vikings stadium in preliminary vote". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  11. ^ Callaghan, Peter (September 22, 2015). "Minneapolis moving forward on new worker protections, will consider minimum-wage study". MinnPost. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Nelson, Emma (July 1, 2017). "Minneapolis vote for $15 minimum wage called 'victory for workers'". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  13. ^ Edwards, John (September 20, 2017). "Lisa Goodman puts gum from her mouth into opponent's hand at Ward 7 forum". The Wedge Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Council member gives opponent ABC (already been chewed) gum". Associated Press. September 21, 2017. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  15. ^ "Gum flap overshadows candidate forum". KARE 11. September 22, 2017. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  16. ^ a b Bruch, Michelle (October 2, 2017). "7th Ward council candidates appear at forum". Southwest Journal. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  17. ^ Callaghan, Peter (August 29, 2014). "Minneapolis City Council approves Southwest LRT". MinnPost. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  18. ^ Otárola, Miguel (December 7, 2018). "Minneapolis City Council approves 2040 comprehensive plan on 12-1 vote". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  19. ^ Belz, Adam (May 15, 2018). "Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis closes for a yearlong, $10 million "face-lift"". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020. And that is what's happening to our beautiful midcentury modern plaza. She's about to get her 45-year face-lift. And I would say it's pretty much overdue.
  20. ^ Jones, Hannah (May 15, 2018). "Minneapolis Twitter freaks over Lisa Goodman's Peavey Plaza 'face-lift' comment". City Pages. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  21. ^ Otárola, Miguel (August 1, 2019). "Minneapolis City Council committee votes to ban new drive-through facilities". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  22. ^ "Notice of Appointment: Lisa Goodman" (PDF). State of Minnesota. November 24, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  23. ^ Otárola, Miguel (October 3, 2019). "Business leaders call for more police in downtown Minneapolis". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  24. ^ Otárola, Miguel (September 12, 2019). "Minneapolis City Council warms to request for more police officers". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  25. ^ Navratil, Liz (June 8, 2020). "Most of Minneapolis City Council pledges to 'begin the process of ending' Police Department". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  26. ^ Diamond, Peter (June 8, 2020). "Minneapolis City Council Majority Announces Intent to Disband MPD". Mpls St Paul Magazine. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  27. ^ "Minneapolis City Council Votes 9-3 To Eliminate MPD Public Information Officer Role". WCCO-TV. July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  28. ^ "Minneapolis City Council Votes 9-3 To Eliminate MPD Public Information Officer Role". CBS Minnesota. July 24, 2020. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  29. ^ Thomas, Dylan (August 3, 2018). "Police charter amendment advances on council vote". Southwest Journal. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  30. ^ Halter, Nick; Thomas, Dylan (August 27, 2020). "Downtown Minneapolis cleans up, reopens after vandalism, looting (gallery)". Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  31. ^ Ferraro, Nick (August 27, 2020). "Minneapolis restaurant owner did the only thing he could think of to chase the looters away". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  32. ^ Turtinen, Melissa (November 11, 2020). "MPD chief asks for money to hire outside officers, spars with council members". Bring Me The News. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  33. ^ Lee, Jessica (January 28, 2020). "Minneapolis council split on how to deal with possibility of two-year terms". MinnPost. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  34. ^ Orrick, Dave (December 29, 2023). "Lisa Goodman leaves the Minneapolis City Council after record-setting run in office". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  35. ^ Winter, Deena (September 27, 2024). "Former Council Member Lisa Goodman is back at Minneapolis City Hall". Star Tribune. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  36. ^ Underwood, Lynn (July 21, 2014). "A Scandinavian-inspired home offers a taste of Finland in Bryn Mawr". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.