Marla Godette
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Marla Godette (independent) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Indiana's 2nd Congressional District. She lost as a write-in in the special general election on November 8, 2022.
Godette completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Marla Godette was born in Detroit, Michigan. Godette earned an associate degree from Wayne County Community College in 1997, a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan–Dearborn in 2004, and a graduate degree from Central Michigan University in 2007. Her career experience includes working as a consultant, adjunct professor at Bethel College, mental health professional, caseworker, counselor, therapist, clinical mentor, entrepreneur, global inclusivity leader, life purpose coach, educational advocate, grassroots leader, mentor, and sponsor. Godette has been affiliated with the International Leadership Association, Rotary Club International - South Bend, Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc., Epsilon Delta Chapter of South Bend, and the League of Women Voters.[1]
Elections
2022
See also: Indiana's 2nd Congressional District special election, 2022
General election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Marla Godette completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Godette's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I’m just Marla; a Midwest woman from the Metro-Detroit area now living in the Michiana area of Indiana. My hope of facilitating the execution of self-healing sustainable communities throughout ALL counties in Indiana’s congressional district two is my focus.
I’m a proven leader who has built successful teams in every industry I’ve worked; family (yes we are Team Godette), automotive, education, religious, and human services. I was even the Captain of a successful Service Squad team in elementary school!
For the past 7 years I’ve studied global leadership at the doctoral level. I have learned how to create sustainable communities from what some call nothing, but there is always something in someone else's nothing. Creating flourishing sustainable communities can be done right here in DISTRICT TWO and throughout INDIANA! I am the transformational leader to do just that. - I’m here for ALL District Two Hoosiers; not only a few. I’m common in that my lived experiences help me to understand the living dynamics of the 92% working class and lower socioeconomic demographics of district 2 Hoosiers. Coming from Detroit, MI I’m unique in that I understand union working, manufacturing, and automotive as well as the dynamics of working for private owners, non union industries, big sales and marketing firms, and high profit margin industries. I get it, AND that’s how I know everyone can win financially when we work together!
- It’s time for ALL District Two Hoosiers to experience a win. Teachers and Human Services workers must be paid wages that demonstrates they are valued and cared for.
- A community that cares for its most vulnerable populations is a community of compassion. I will work with community leaders to assist each county in creating sustainable self healing communities that gives back to others as they care for self.
Education and Social Determinants of Health have to be key factors in the consideration of almost all public policy. These factors and their outcomes effect every social dynamic, including socioeconomic factors, in our individual and collective lives. Ensuring that education at all levels is properly funded and managed is crucial to the outcomes of the social determinants of health. We have to always have a pulse of what’s going on in these areas.
King David in the Bible. He was always getting into trouble but he only did that thing once. He was no repeat offender! His character displayed a human who knew how to ask for forgiveness and then make real changes. He also never allowed anyone to defy his country, his beliefs, or his God. He stood firm on his values.
Good to Great by Collins
Giving Voice to Values by Gentle
Intelligent Disobedience by Chaleff Authenticity and genuine intentions. A fake person can be seen a mile away. No one needs another slick talking, self-serving political ladder climber. People are dying out here! People need to know that what you say is what you mean and if you can or can’t do something you will say that, it’s not difficult. People have no trust because the leaders lie or they don’t come back and say “I’m sorry” when they fail. The ability to apologize goes a long way. As leaders we have to be able to do that. Our followers know we are not perfect. They don’t expect it. They do expect humility and kindness and compassion. Those traits usually come with authentic people. We have to be authentic.
1. Know thyself and do no harm. If we have not discovered our own biases, negative belief systems, insecurities, and any self serving behaviors we are going to harm others. As public servants we have the power to harm others in great numbers when we have not worked to understand ourselves and know who we are and how and why we operate the way we do. It is our duty to be in a position to cause no intentional harm to our constituents. They all matter!
2. Have a personal support system in place prior to seeking election. We are responsible to be healthy so that we can care for our communities. We need to know who is truly in our corner when the tough times come and the nights are long with work and service. This type of work cannot be done alone. It is our duty to have a full plan before taking the responsibility.
3. Have your own career. Public service should not pay your bills for life. Once the season is over, we should have something that we fall back into that continues to care for us financially.
4. Study as much as you can about your constituents and have someone study what you missed and report out. Know your people! It is our job to know our people! Be curious about them. Visit them. Learn their culture and their history. This is how we will be able to help them with progress and innovation.
5. Never be one sided and closed minded. It’s going to take all of us to build our counties and our states to where we want them to be. We have to lean on the ideas of each other. Growth does not happen in silos. The hostages being taken in Iran in 1979/80. I was 9 and I recall my mother saying “Why can’t he get them home”? It was very sad. I remember feeling very nervous about the situation even though I did not fully understand.
I’ve always had odd jobs as a child. Starting at 9 years old I was dusting furniture and my grandmother's China cabinet and cleaning baseboards. Cleaning with excellence was learned early in our family. I was also babysitting fairly young.
The Banana Split Heaven was my first job with a real paycheck! I went home screaming, "Who is FICA"? I had no idea I would be paying the government at 14 years old. I worked there for two summers. It was great! It also turned into my first leadership experience as I was made a team leader my second summer.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker was a great book for me. It was the first book I read in high school that helped me to understand some hard truths about the past lives of Black people in the United States. It also helped me to realize how my own family was connected to historical trauma.
Something Good - Anthony Brown
The House attempts to keep democracy alive where many other countries have leaders who are not going to allow certain people to have any vote.
No, representatives do not need government or politics prior to this position. They do need to have experience understanding people and the needs of their constituents.
We have 7 living generations now that the Post Zs are listed. The extreme differences in thoughts and beliefs are causing change fatigue that has not been considered in the risk management plan of the nation and definitely not for small businesses which is a reason why the turnover rate is so high in business right now.
We have current leaders who are very wealthy and working to maintain that wealthy status. These leaders are those born and raised into the America of Jim Crow South. No matter their political affiliation, that is still the era they were born into and the implicit biases they have are demonstrated in how they run the country and it’s businesses.
While the constituents and employees of America are of the eras of working for purpose and internal fulfillment and not only money and also that they are equal in all ways to the CEOs/Political Heads. They do not value the same traditions and standards as the current leaders and definitely do not appreciate the values of others being forced upon them through law making.
We have to have leaders, such as myself, who can bridge the gap between these generations and create balanced conversations that lead to acceptance of others without reducing one’s self and creating common grounds that benefit both parties. Sometimes one will win more than the other and the other way around. Ultimately we all can and will win which is what we need. If ALL socioeconomic groups of Americans do not start experiencing some wins we are going to continue with great internal turmoil over the next decade.
Birth Equity and Justice, Transportation, Education, Violence Reduction, Mental Health
No. It should be three to four. This position needs time to work diligently on what’s presented and experience some wins for their constituents. Everyone needs to experience those wins and know that they have done well to serve their constituents and their community. When they know this is not a life time opportunity they will work on their goals with diligence toward success and hopefully be preparing someone else to take their place who will have the same success. If the Representative has not faired the people well, then this time frame is not too long to get someone new prepared to run and remove the person who is not working well for the people. But two years is very short and time is needed either way to prepare for someone to continue or for someone to be replaced.
I believe as Public Servants we should have term limits. Positions should be staggering as to not have novice leaders all at once, but mixing onboarding leadership with current leadership may be helpful with getting opportunities for more innovation and diversity of thought within the policy making systems.
Shirley Chisholm herself available to her constituents at all times and started programs that still serve the nation’s vulnerable today. She was dynamic and unafraid. She took a risk to run during a time where women and Blacks were being heavily discriminated against. She did it anyway! She did it and she won for both demographics. Because of Shirley Chisholm during the time when they needed it most, both women and Blacks got a win. We ALL need a win sometime!
Being a mental health professional and community advocate I hear plenty of touching stories. I’m impacted to fight for causes because of the numerous stories I hear sometimes weekly. It still makes me cry to know we birthing rates in this great state that compare with those of underdeveloped countries and that our educators of our most vulnerable oftentimes have to take multiple jobs to make their monthly payments. Hearing stories of people losing their babies and women dying in child birth in this state, a state known for fiscal responsibility, brings me to tears every time. It’s heart breaking.
Absolutely compromise is necessary and it is desirable. The nation’s people can have nearly everything they want. If we learn to be humble and compromise now, when something comes up that requires a more rigid plan of structure with less input from all parties, it may not be perceived as dogmatic and more of a different way of business for that situation because trust has been established. If trust has been built and compromising measures have been practiced all along, when you need a quick shift due to urgency there should be minimal push back.
This would be power used with great responsibility to ensure that ALL of the counties in district two were funded appropriately in areas of need so that they could generate income within their counties. Many counties within district two need innovation and to reworked into the fabric of Indiana’s growth and development plan. Some seem to have been forgotten and require assistance so that they may become viable revenue generating communities again.
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See also
External links
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 26, 2022
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