Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, is making public service his life’s work, and he says it is his source of greatest accomplishment.
A practicing attorney since 1998, Goodman joined lathrop & Gage LLP in 2008. He began his legislative career in 2003 with his election to the Missouri House of Representatives.
He is now in his second term as state senator for Missouri District 29.
“My wife and I have based most of the significant decisions in our adult life together on the shared goal of making life better for the people in our community, our state and our nation,” he says. “While public service involves personal and financial sacrifice, it provides a unique opportunity to improve the quality of life and business in our state.”
He has twice been elected to the third-ranking leadership position in the Senate majority.
“I believe I was elected to these leadership positions as a result of the considerable time I spent helping colleagues accomplish their legislative priorities … and using my knowledge of the rules to help with technical motions and objections throughout the legislative process,” he says.
Goodman is most proud of the difference he was able to make in his hometown of Pierce City following a tornado in 2003 that leveled the downtown. Goodman was just five months into his first legislative term when the disaster occurred, but he had the wherewithal to leverage much-needed assistance.
“I was very grateful to be in a position to help when so many others felt powerless to improve the situation,” Goodman says. “I was able to help bring in various government, philanthropic and private resources to aid the townspeople in rescue efforts and rebuilding infrastructure, homes, buildings, and active businesses.”
Goodman’s accomplishments and leadership in the House and Senate have impacted citizens and business across the state, from co-authoring and co-sponsoring anti-methamphetamine legislation to working to improve the state’s business climate.
“When I was elected to the Missouri General Assembly, Missouri led the nation in job losses, bankruptcy filings and methamphetamine-related crimes,” Goodman says. “By leading on legislative and regulatory reform that allowed the people of Missouri to keep more of what they earned and allowed those providing jobs in our community to use more of their own judgment, I helped transform Missouri into a job-creation leader in the nation,” he adds.[[In-content Ad]]
