Wayne Goodwin Files for NC Insurance Commissioner: Jim Long Endorses Wayne Goodwin

Please see the formal statement, below, issued by Wayne Goodwin immediately after he filed at the State Board of Elections yesterday morning. Joining the Assistant Commissioner of Insurance for the occasion were Insurance Commissioner Jim Long, State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin, and long-time DOI employees Ronnie Condrey and Lois Hall. Insurance Commissioner Jim Long wholeheartedly endorsed Wayne Goodwin at the State Board of Elections and during countless media interviews throughout the day.


Statement from Wayne Goodwin
Candidate for 2008 Democratic Nomination for Insurance Commissioner
February 29, 2008

I am honored to seek the challenging role of successor to Insurance Commissioner Jim Long. During his 23 years of service on the Council of State, Commissioner Long has day in and day out fulfilled the constitutional and statutory duties of that office in exemplary fashion. He has done so successfully, evidenced not only by his record of election six times to this statewide office, making him the longest-serving Insurance Commissioner in state history, but also by his $4.3 Billion in insurance rate savings for consumers and businesses alike. Moreover, Commissioner Long has diligently worked to maintain and expand the insurance market in North Carolina, a goal which promotes choice and competition while not detracting from his mutual mission of ensuring reasonable rates.

In seeking the office of Insurance Commissioner, it is necessary, fitting and proper for any candidate to recognize Jim Long's accomplishments and mission. With those accomplishments in mind and knowing that the public would expect no less:

I pledge to keep forever focused on the dual commitment of a Commissioner of Insurance: recognizing the need for low, fair and reasonable insurance rates for consumers and businesses alike, and the necessity of a competitive insurance market in North Carolina;

I pledge to be an impartial and hard-working member of the Council of State, fully committed to the duties of Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal;

I pledge to continue giving firefighters and all first responders a stronger voice in State government;

I pledge to strongly support the mission of the Safe Kids program;

and,

I pledge to protect the public and businesses by fighting insurance fraud.

My record of service to the State of North Carolina and my experiences in the private sector underscore my qualifications to be North Carolina's next Insurance Commissioner.

Most recently, my work as the Assistant Commissioner of Insurance for the last three years has given me a unique opportunity to understand what the scope and duties of Insurance Commissioner are. My previous eight years of service in the legislature provide additional experiences and relationships that will assist me in fulfilling the duties of Insurance Commissioner, if elected.

In closing, there is a saying: "We stand on the shoulders of giants." I stand on the shoulders of a true giant in State government and in Tar Heel politics, Jim Long. If voters choose to elect me Insurance Commissioner in 2008, it will be my honor to continue both the great work of this great man and of his dedicated, professional staff in the best Department of Insurance in the nation.

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The Honorable Wayne Goodwin, age 41, is a native of Hamlet, North Carolina. He was a Morehead Scholar at UNC-Chapel Hill, graduating with honors in Political Science in 1989 and from the School of Law in 1992. He received the Leadership in Government Award from North Carolina Common Cause and the A+ Legislator Award from the N.C. Association of Educators. The North Carolina Jaycees recognized him as one of the Top Five Young North Carolinians in the 1990s. Goodwin presently serves as Vice President of the N.C. Center for Voter Education, preceded by four terms as State Representative, two terms as President of the Young Democrats of North Carolina, and many leadership roles within the North Carolina Democratic Party over the last 25 years. Goodwin has been a Kiwanian since 1992. He has served in multiple roles at the Department of Insurance: Assistant Commissioner of Insurance, Assistant State Fire Marshal, and Assistant General Counsel. His wife is State Representative Melanie Wade Goodwin, his immediate successor in the legislature. They have one daughter, Madison, and expect their second child in early May 2008. The Goodwins live in Rockingham, the seat of Richmond County.

For more background information or to schedule an interview, please contact Peg O'Connell via email pegoconnell@nc.rr.com or (919) 832-9228, or email Wayne Goodwin at gwaynegoodwin@gmail.com or (910) 997-9790. The campaign mailing address for "The Goodwin Committee" is P.O. Box 1654, Hamlet NC 28345.

Editor's Note: The first photo above depicts Wayne Goodwin paying his filing fee to Gary Bartlett, Chairman of the State Board of Elections. The latter photo depicts Wayne Goodwin receiving the full endorsement from Jim Long.