Amy Shuler Goodwin,
Mayor, Charleston, W. Va.
Charleston continues
to shine as a city where
responsive and
community-focused
government is a priority.
An Op-Ed by Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin
As I reflect on the past years, I am proud of the work we have done, our successes, and our path forward. Through collaboration, strategic investment, and a shared commitment to our community, we’ve tackled challenges, leveraged opportunities, and laid the groundwork for continued progress.
Among our greatest achievements, over the last six years, is our work with our United States Senators to secure over $60M in federal grant funding to fuel transformative projects like the Capital Connector Project and the LIFT Center which will convert the former Kanawha Valley Manufacturing plant into a hub for workforce development, renewable energy, and a commercial food operation. Like our Senators, I share the same vision for ensuring our cities and towns thrive.
Central to that vision is the need to prioritize public safety infrastructure – ensuring that our residents feel secure and supported in every neighborhood. We purchased the site for the Charleston Police Department’s future home and continued working on the much-needed renovations to our fire stations. At the same time, we’re enhancing our neighborhoods by removing unsafe structures (625+ since January 2019), and leveraged $1.1M to build 25 new homes in Charleston – a goal outlined in my 2023 State of the City Address. Together, these efforts are making Charleston a safer, more vibrant place to live.
We have also embraced the growing sports tourism industry—a $52B market. The city—in partnership with Kanawha County—continues to make progress toward creating a sports complex, a premier destination designed to elevate sports tourism and drive economic growth in our Capital City and region. In collaboration with the Charleston Convention and Visitors Bureau, we hosted the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships for the first time in 2024, bringing in 435 athletes from 46 states to compete and generating $4.6M in economic impact. We were also thrilled to bring the WVSSAC State High School Football Championship back to West Virginia’s Capital City after nearly 30 years, along with hosting the WVSSAC Cheerleading, Volleyball, Basketball, Baseball, and Track championships.
Charleston continues to shine as a city where responsive and community-focused government is a priority. We believe good government is about making systems and processes work better for our citizens and our businesses. I am expanding the Charleston Walks door-to-door outreach program and will continue the Here to Serve community forum style meetings, connecting city leaders directly with residents. We’ve also streamlined city operations-implementing in-house CDL training for employees who want to advance their careers, improving customer service through the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system which will allow residents and businesses to manage payments and permits online when fully implemented, and establishing the Development Services Department.
As we move into 2025, our focus remains clear. We will continue to invest in the spaces that bring our community members together through programs like Hearts of Our Neighborhoods, improve public spaces like Danner Meadow Park, and reimagine venues like the Municipal Auditorium to meet current and future needs. Our city’s success is a collective effort, made possible by the hard work of our city employees, community leaders, local business owners, and most importantly our residents. Because of you—Charleston has seen real progress, and I’m excited to see what we achieve in the years ahead.