Goad wants to bring his experience to the City Commission
Tyler Goad, a retired Naval officer and Navy ROTC instructor at Daviess County High School, said he’s for running for Owensboro City Commission, in part, to inspire students to be active in community life.
“One of the reasons I’m doing this is to emphasize the idea to my students that citizenship is not a spectator sport, and you really have to be involved to live up the title of citizen,” Goad said.
But Goad said he does have things he hopes to accomplish if elected, and that city government needs new elected leaders.
“It’s not that things are going wrong with Owensboro. It’s that things are not going right enough,” Goad said. “We’ve gotten into a static position where there has been growth, but it’s not meaningful.”
There has also been a “recycling of political leaders” in the city, Goad said.
“That’s an important thing to address: We have been addressing our issues with the same people,” Goad said.
Goad, who lived in four other countries while in the Navy, said, “I understand how other people do things, and I think that perspective is needed to tackle problems.”
Goad said he would work to bring more headquarters to the city, such as when Big Rivers Electric Corp. decided to move headquarters to downtown.
“If we can bring businesses that legitimately attract talent and have high wages, we are giving people something to aspire to” in terms of education and success, Goad said.
Other cities are also looking to lure similar corporate jobs, Goad said. “It’s a highly competitive market, so we need to do what we can to incentivize and make Owensboro an attractive community to move into,” he said.
High-skilled corporate jobs encourage education, and “at the same time, you are increasing the tax base and the ability for (citizens) to be served even better,” Goad said.
Goad, who is a member of the current Leadership Owensboro class, said the city should provide more support to the Economic Development Corp. and work with officials on economic development.
“I’m a great listener, and I’m not going to rule anything off the table before I consider the options, but I do like the idea of economic incentives,” Goad said.
City commissioners need to be more open about the decisions they make, Goad said.
“It’s easy to see what decisions they made. It’s not easy to see why,” Goad said. “One of the things I’ve learned as I’ve campaigned is there is more to this job than being a decider. You’re also a communicator, an educator and, in some cases, a counselor to the people you serve. “I’m a high school teacher. I kind of do all of those things.”
Goud said the City Commission needs younger members.
“Three of us (running) are in our 40s, and the rest trend upward,” Goad said. “I think all of Owensboro needs to be represented.”
Local officials, Goad said, should be centered on local issues, not national politics.
“We need to keep our focus on the important stuff, and not get bogged down in name-calling and the noxious (politics) we see on the national level,” Goad said.
