Terry Goddard

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Samuel Pearson Goddard, III
Arizona Attorney General
Incumbent
Assumed office
2002
Current term ends
2010
Political party Democrat
Website Official Arizona Attorney General website

Contents

Samuel Pearson "Terry" Goddard, III (born January 29, 1947, in Tucson, Arizona) is the current Democratic Attorney General of Arizona. His father, Samuel Pearson Goddard, Jr., was the Governor of Arizona for two years starting in 1965. He officially became a candidate for the state's gubernatorial election on January 22, 2010. [1]

Education

  • Bachelor's degree, Harvard University (1969) in American history
  • Juris Doctorate degree, Arizona State University College of Law (1976)

Professional experience

Prior to receiving his law degree, Goddard joined the United States Navy and served a two-year active tour of duty term starting in 1970. Upon graduating from law school, he practiced private law as an assistant to the Arizona Attorney General's Office, targeting white collar crimes, until 1982.

Political career

Goddard first entered ventured onto the Arizona political stage in 1982, calling upon members of the Phoenix City Council, all of whom had been elected from districts, to convert to a new system by which they would be chosen by citywide voters. This, in turn, increased the representation of urban minorities within the council, allowing them to elect individuals from their home areas.

It is in large part to his tremendous efforts to get this measure passed that resulted in him being elected Mayor of Phoenix in 1984. Goddard remained in that position until 1990, being re-elected four times in the process.

Goddard has twice sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Arizona. His first attempt in 1990 was successful, but he ultimately defeated in a run-off election by Fife Symington. Symington eventually resigned from the governor’s office in 1997 in the midst of his second term following accusations of bank fraud. Goddard second gubernatorial attempt was less successful, losing the Democratic nomination to Eddie Basha, Jr. in 1994.

Following his failed gubernatorial attempt, Goddard served as the state director for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a role he maintained until 2002.

Goddard was successful in his campaign for Attorney General in 2002, receiving over fifty percent of the popular vote, a far greater margin then current Director of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano received when she ran for governor.

During his tenure as AG, Goddard’s office has focused primarily on cyber crimes, consumer protection efforts, predatory lending, and false advertising. Notable cases include prosecution of Property Tax Review Board, Inc., a California-based company Goddard claimed was attempting "to scam homeowners who were looking to reduce their property tax bill" [2] by suggesting their property was qualified for a property tax reduction review and a $5 million in restitution suit “alleging deceptive business and debt litigation practices against national payday lender Quik Cash.” [3] Goddard has also been a huge proponent of the Arizona Meth Project, a large-scale prevention program aimed at significantly reducing first-time meth use through the use of public service messaging, public policy initiatives, and community outreach. He claims that thanks to the program the state has successfully "cut the use by teenagers of methamphetamines in half in just two years." [4]

Other roles

  • President/Board Member, National League of Cities (1985-1990)
  • Board, United States Conference of Mayors (1985-1990)
  • Trustee, National Trust for Historic Preservation (1992-2001)
  • Board Member, Arizona Theater Company (1992-present)
  • Board Member, Benton Foundation (1999-present)
  • Board Member, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (1995-1999)
  • Board, Central Arizona Project (2001-2003)
  • Board Member, Arizona Housing, Incorporated
  • Board Member, Kronos Longevity Research Institute
  • Board Member, Meta Services

Controversies

ACORN

See also: Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now

The June 2008 Survey and Scorecard report published by the embattled liberal political organization, ACORN, gave Goddard an A letter grade. The report was published to shine the spotlight on state attorney generals "leading the fight to protect homeowners from joining the flood of Americans losing their homes to foreclosure," so says the group. [5] The grade distributed to the individual attorney generals "generally broke down along party lines," with the exception of Louisiana's Buddy Caldwell. [6]

Resign-To-Run violation

John Paul Mitchell, an independent candidate running for governor of Arizona in 2010, accused Attorney General Goddard of making "a severe violation" of the state's resign-to-run law when he filed paperwork to form an exploratory committee, the first step in an expected run for the governor's seat in November 2010. Arizona's resign-to-run law "prohibits statewide elected officials from declaring candidacy for other offices before the end of their term’s last year." [7] Goddard called the claim a 'political stunt' and argues the law does not apply to exploratory committees.

Campaign contributions

2006 Race for Attorney General - Campaign Contributions
Total Raised $261,479
Total Raised by Primary Opponent N/A
Total Raised by Gen. Election Opponent $263,302
Top 5 Contributors Public Fund $238,467 (91.20% of Total)
A. J. Pfister $120 (0.05%)
Tom Chauncey $120 (0.05%)
Paul Durham $120 (0.05%)
Allison Bertrand $120 (0.05%)
Individuals v. Institutions N/A
In v. Outside State $260,847 (99.3%)
$1,774 (0.7%)

Electoral history

2002

  • 2002 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary
    • Terry Goddard ran unopposed
2002 Race for Attorney General - General Election [8]
Candidates Percentage
Terry Goddard (D) 51.9%
Andrew P. Thomas (R) 45%
Ed Kahn (Libertarian) 3.1%
Total votes 1,201,343

2006

  • 2006 Race for Attorney General - Democratic Primary
    • Terry Goddard ran unopposed
2006 Race for Attorney General - General Election [9]
Candidates Percentage
Terry Goddard (D) 60.2%
Bill Montgomery (R) 39.8%
Total votes 1,494,324

Family life

Goddard currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife, Monica, and their son, Kevin. He is also a practicing Unitarian Universalist.

Contact Information

Attorney General Terry Goddard
Office of the Attorney General
1275 West Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Phone: 602.542.5025
Toll Free Phone: 800.352.8431 (toll free in State of Arizona, outside Maricopa and Pima Counties)
Fax: 602.542.4085
E-mail: ag.inquiries@ag.state.az.us

External links

References

  1. ↑ KGUN - Channel 9 "Terry Goddard officially a candidate for governor" 24 Jan. 2010
  2. ↑ Arizona RealEstateRama "Terry Goddard Files Lawsuit to Stop Alleged Property Tax Scam" 17 Aug. 2009
  3. ↑ KGUN 9 "Terry Goddard Sues Major Payday Lender for Deceptive Practices" 9 Dec. 2009
  4. ↑ Washington Post "A Conversation With Terry Goddard, Attorney General of Arizona" 5 April, 2009
  5. ↑ ACORN "Attorneys General Take Action: Real Leadership in Fighting Foreclosures" June 2008
  6. ↑ Majority in Mississippi "Jim Hood Received An “A” From ACORN In 2008" 17 Sept. 2009
  7. ↑ Freedom Arizona "Terry Goddard Violates Resign-To-Run Law" 6 Nov. 2009
  8. ↑ Secretary of State - Official Results 2002 General Election
  9. ↑ Secretary of State - Official Results 2006 General Election
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