Draft:Jackie Goodman

Before holding elected office, Jackie Goodman worked as an early childhood educator and served on several city boards, including the Planning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Board.^[3] Beginning in the 1970s, she became active in Austin’s growing environmental movement, participating in grassroots efforts to protect parks, creeks, and neighborhoods. She was a founder of Save Austin’s Neighborhoods and Environment (SANE). Later she became deeply involved with the Save Barton Creek Association, serving at its president at one point and remaining on its board for more than 30 years.^[4][5][6]

She taught at Open Door Preschool and at First United Methodist Preschool, impacting many children.^[7]

Although known as a neighborhood and environmental advocate, her positions could raise the ire of both communities.^[4]

Known as a neighborhood and environmental advocate, she rankled both communities on more than one occasion like when she voted for the Gotham condominium project on Town Lake in 2000.^[4]

After leaving the City Council in 2005, Goodman continued to serve Austin through nonprofit and community organizations. In later years, she worked with Go Austin/Vamos Austin (GAVA), where she advised and mentored younger community organizers on early childhood advocacy, land development policy, neighborhood planning, and the city’s activist history. She dedicated thousands of hours of service to the Austin community and remained active in environmental causes and neighborhood issues well into her seventies,^[1][7][5]

Goodman was elected to the Austin City Council in 1993 under the city’s former at-large system and served four consecutive three-year terms, from 1993 to 2005. Her initial election coincided with record voter turnout, reflecting the heightened civic engagement of the period. In 1998, her fellow council members elected her Mayor Pro Tem, a role she held for several years.^[8][3][1][5]

During her 12 years on the Council, Goodman developed a reputation as a subject-matter expert, particularly on zoning and land use. Colleagues frequently relied on her deep familiarity with Austin’s planning processes and regulatory framework. While soft-spoken, she was widely regarded as a determined negotiator who sought balanced outcomes that accounted for environmental protection, neighborhood stability, and the city’s economic needs.^[6][3]

Goodman’s policy interests were broad. She worked on land use planning, environmental stewardship, education, libraries, animal welfare, civil liberties, and neighborhood planning.^[7] In addition, Goodman focused on social equity and civil rights. She advocated for childcare, affordable housing, and services for low-income residents, drawing on her background in early childhood education.^[3][4]

She was a key participant in the development and passage of the Save Our Springs (SOS) Ordinance in 1992, which established stringent water quality protections for the Barton Springs watershed and remains a cornerstone of Austin’s environmental regulations.^[1] As a council member, she also supported efforts to secure federal funding for the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, contributing to the long-term conservation of sensitive Hill Country lands.^[3]

In 1995, Jackie Goodman and Gus Garcia provided the swing votes to defeat the "Son of PUD" Freeport-McMoRan deal for Barton Creek Estates. ^[2]

After 10 years on the Austin City Council, Goodman took a pass on what was probably her best chance ever become mayor, choosing instead to serve the remaining two years of her council member term.^[9]

Born in Lakeland, Florida, Goodman had two sisters, Janis Morgan and Joann Morgan. Her family moved frequently due to her father’s career as a U.S. Army officer. She graduated from high school in El Paso, Texas, and later attended the University of Texas at El Paso, as well as the El Paso Art Academy. In the late 1960s, she and her husband, Jack Goodman, relocated from El Paso to Austin, a city that would become the focus of her lifelong civic engagement. Jack Goodman, an environmentalist in his own right, later served for more than two decades on the board of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District. He died in 2022.^[7][1]

Goodman was an early-childhood educator.^[8]

Jackie Goodman died in June 2025 at the age of 79, while recovering from surgery earlier in the year.^[5][7] At her request Goodman no formal funeral was held.^[3]

In recognition of her contributions during her tenure at City Council, Goodman was inducted into the Austin Women’s Hall of Fame in 2016. The award noted her support for underserved and underrepresented points of view.^{[10][7][1][5]}