Seat B – Eric Gooden
By Quezia Salgado
During the 2012 presidential elections, Boca Raton residents got a small taste of the intensity that goes on live, when President Barack Obama and his opponent, Gov. Mitt Romney came to Lynn University for their final debate. As the school prepared to host this historical event, it is standard procedure to use people as stand-ins for the candidates, to make sure the stage, lighting, position of chairs, etc., are ready for the big day. For this reason, Eric Gooden was chosen to stand-in for Obama and A.J. Mercincavage for Romney during the rehearsal. For Gooden, this was only the beginning of his “political” journey.
Born in Detroit, to a Caucasian mother and African-American father, Gooden moved around quite a bit during his childhood. After his parents’ divorce when he was 5 years old, Gooden divided his time between living with his dad in Detroit and with his mother in New York City. Having the experience of living in such diverse environments, when asked about his most recent settlement Gooden says, “Boca definitely tops the other cities, with its beautiful weather, beaches and neighborhoods.”
The year 2007 was marked by change and maturing in Gooden’s life. One of his uncles, who was living with his grandmother at the time, lost his job due to the automobile crisis. Compelled by this situation, Gooden decided to move in with his grandmother and uncle and take a job at a local hospital, as a janitor, to provide for them. For a young man, this was a heavy burden to carry. Nonetheless, Gooden’s determination and integrity gave him the endurance to push forward. Besides giving him life experience and strength of character, “This was a life changing experience for me, to be able to be more connected with my grandma, and learn about her past, including the fact that her mother was the child of a slave,” he reflects. For some time Gooden was torn between staying with his grandmother and uncle, and leaving to pursue his education, but he soon decided to take his grandmother’s advice to move on and go make a difference somewhere else. And that is how Gooden ended up in Florida.
Gooden is a senior majoring in Criminal Justice at Lynn University’s College of Liberal Education, where he says: “I fell in love with the atmosphere at Lynn. You’re not just a number; every student builds a relationship with the professors.” Last summer, Gooden had the opportunity to work for a Michigan congressman. One of the tasks he took on was writing constituent letters, where he read and responded to different stories, and was able to become more involved with what happens in the community on a local level. This experience is what moved him to run for a seat in Boca’s City Council, as he said: “I decided to run for office so that I can help people on a local level and make a difference in the city.” In order to advance the city of Boca to reach its full potential, some of the issues Gooden plans to tackle are: economic development, education, public safety, and the city’s budget. When asked what makes Gooden a good candidate for the City Council, his manager Toni Rosenberg, says: “Boca is getting younger; we need a young person who can say: ‘I’m not leaving. I’m not quitting. I’m standing my ground and I am going to fight till the bitter end,’ and that’s Eric.”
Gooden aims at engaging college students and young professionals, as well as the community in general. Statistics show that only about 6,000 out of the nearly 60,000 registered voters in Boca, actually go out and vote during municipal elections. In order to change those numbers and to see more people engaged and exercising their right to vote, Gooden is going out and talking to everyone he meets, as well as reaching out to local schools, to create more awareness among young people about how important and powerful their vote is.
With his experience working with government officials, as a Student Government representative, and the passion to get more people engaged, Gooden is confident that he is the councilman Boca needs to bring more diversity to the community, and be the voice of the younger generation of voters. On a video posted on his website, as well as Facebook page, Gooden summarizes what he hopes for Boca Raton: “As I look ahead, I want Boca to be a place where young professionals can realize opportunities, build community, raise families, and start their own businesses and lead successful lives that contribute to Boca’s future.”
