Former Council Member and dedicated environmentalist Jackie Goodman has died

Jackie Goodman, 79, who served on the Austin City Council for 12 years starting in 1993, passed away on Tuesday. She had been hospitalized but had come home before her death. She served as Mayor Pro Tem for several years starting in 1998. She is survived by her sisters, Janis Morgan of Austin and Joann Morgan and nephew Chris Freid of Washington state.

Goodman, who was selected for Austin’s 2016 Women’s Hall of Fame, is remembered for her dedication to the environment, civil liberties and advocating for the less fortunate in the community.

Before her election to City Council, Goodman served on the Planning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Board. After leaving the Council in 2005, Goodman continued her service to the city through various community groups, including 30 years as a board member of the Save Barton Creek Association.

“Jackie was an institution in her own way,” Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea told the Austin Monitor. “I served with her for my one term on the City Council, and she was an indispensable source of knowledge and wisdom about zoning especially, and so many other issues. Because of her experience on the Planning Commission. she had deep knowledge of the city’s cryptic zoning process and I relied on her to understand it. Beyond that, she was incredibly sweet and kind and loyal. She had a deep commitment and passion for protecting Barton Creek, Barton Springs and the environment in general. She devoted her life to that purpose.

“I remember her and her late husband, Jack, in lively debates and discussions, as a group of us formed (the Save Our Springs Alliance) through the summer of 1991. The community owes her and Jack a deep debt of gratitude for their enormous work to protect and preserve our beautiful environment,” she continued.

Jack Goodman, also a strong environmentalist, died in 2022. He and Jackie moved in Austin from El Paso in the late 1960s. Jack served on the board of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District for 22 years.

“I am saddened to hear of the passing of former Mayor Pro Tem and Council Member Jackie Goodman,” Mayor Kirk Watson said via email. “Jackie and I served together during my first stint as mayor. More important, she was a friend and advisor. She was great to work with, and I always appreciated her heart for public service as well as her commitment to environmental conservation. She made a difference in the city she loved.”

Political advisor and friend Alfred Stanley told the Monitor, “Because of Jackie’s soft-spoken, gentle demeanor, many underestimated her. Yet through patience, knowledge, and her unflappable good nature, Jackie proved to be a great negotiator — always seeking a win-win that would maximize protection for neighborhoods and the environment. Time and again, she achieved more than others thought possible.”

Former Travis County Commissioner Karen Sonleitner remembered Goodman fondly. She said, “This truly is the end of an era. Jackie was elected under the old at-large system and her brand was synonymous with standing up for neighborhoods. But not just hers in South Austin. Everyone’s neighborhoods. She put her stamp on parks, saving the environment and childcare issues.”

“My time as Travis County Commissioner overlapped with Jackie’s service on the Council,” she continued. “I could always count on her to press for city/county cooperation. Jackie was part of a ground-breaking trip to Washington DC, trying off-budget cycle to secure federal funds to purchase land for the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP), when we were scrambling as a community for resources. Our united coalition of Democratic and Republican elected officials, landowners and representatives from the business community made our case to 14 key legislative offices over 2 days. It was a success, breaking the logjam on federal grant funds for the BCP. That’s an important part of her legacy. And, she was just fun to be around.”

Jerry Rusthoven, who served as Goodman’s chief of staff, wrote, “Working alongside Jackie for the last five years she was on Council was the most gratifying years I had working at the City. Of course, Jackie taught me how things really work at City Hall, the politics. But more importantly Jackie taught me the importance of empathy in government. Empathy for the environment, with her work on the SOS movement and with the Save Barton Creek Association. Empathy for neighborhood residents through her work with Austin Neighborhoods Council. And empathy for less-fortunate residents through her work with the Community Action Network.”

“Jackie spent her 12 years on Council providing a voice for those who often felt powerless at City Hall. She loved Austin and dedicated her professional life to making our city a better place and preserving those things that make us so unique (not weird, she didn’t like that). She will be dearly missed,” he said.

Her sister Janis said Jackie did not want a funeral to mark her passing. However, she added that someone from the Open Door Preschool, where Jackie worked at one time, might be planning an event. This story will be updated when we get more information.

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