State Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45, Kirkland), Pro-Pot, Pro-Carr
Just got off the phone with state Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45), the former head of the King County Bar Association’s Drug Policy Project and a supporter of reducing penalties for minor drug offenses. City Attorney Tom Carr, a self-proclaimed decriminalization opponent who frequently opposed Goodman on drug-reform proposals (e.g. Initiative 75 ), surprised the PubliCola editorial board last week by saying that Goodman had endorsed him.
When I asked Goodman why he was backing Carr—especially given that Carr’s opponent, Pete Holmes, has been an avid supporter of decriminalization, including a bill Goodman backed in the legislature last year—he responded, “He worked with me on a lot of other issues [besides pot]. He tried to get a good community court model going. He’s a colleague and a friend [and] he has his heart in the right place.”
Goodman couldn’t remember exactly when he endorsed Carr, but thinks it was before Holmes entered the race.
But what about Carr’s opposition to reforming drug laws, long Goodman’s key issue? “Tom took the position [on pot] that someone in his position is supposed to take. … It just felt like it was a muted, almost embarrassed opposition on his part. [Carr's office] had no choice but to be against it.”
Goodman didn’t sound optimistic about the prospect of decriminalization legislation in Olympia; instead, he said, that issue would “more than likely be decided by a ballot initiative.”
