After Primary Defeat, Goode Refuses To Fault Ward Leader Politics
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - This past week's primary spelled the apparent end to the political career of longtime City Councilman Wilson Goode, son of the former mayor.
Wilson Goode, Jr. failed to earn a Democratic nomination to run for re-election, and he fully admits that his defeat is due mainly to not playing the political game:
"Particularly since I was cut from some very important sample ballots."
(Reporter) "Why do you think you were cut?
(Goode) "Clearly its just politics."
But Goode -- who is finishing his fourth four-year term on council -- isn't faulting the political system, since he fully admits he benefited from it:
"At the end of the day, politics has enabled me to do the work that I've done, so I'm pleased with that. I've been successful in politics, so I've used it to my advantage for four terms and was able to implement a policy and legislative agenda. So I'm proud of the four terms I've been able to serve."
Goode first came in to office in January of 2000, and authored numerous bills related to issues like the living wage and benefits standards, fair lending practices and community re-investment. He often pilloried banks that the city uses to hold funds for their minority lending practices, and in recent years championed the cause of airport employees who work for subcontractors -- a fight that eventually led Mayor Nutter to extend fair wage requirements to subcontractors.
Goode says he is not worried that others on council will fail to carry that mantle once he leaves:
"You see a lot more activism out there on these types of issues. I believe that there's enough of a movement toward economic justice. And the politics are becoming more progressive on City Council. So I think I've made my mark, and that work will continue."
Goode's tenure on Council was also marked by a controversy in 2008 over his longtime legislative aide, Latrice Bryant, after a local television station questioned her work habits and the state of their relationship. That storm eventually passed and Goode was re-elected in 2011.
As for his future plans, Goode is uncertain:
"I don't know. I'm still think about it. At this point I'm still focused on doing my job for the rest of this session."