By Beth Witham
Posted: 03.21.05
As a journalist, she wasn’t allowed to join a political party, donate 5 cents to a political candidate, or wear a button in support of a politician.
For 20 years, Jean Godden built her reputation as a Seattle columnist with her four-day-a-week column.
“It was 104 lines,” the veteran writer says with precision.
Nowadays, instead of honing her own journalistic skills, Seattle Councilwoman Godden is learning “to deal with reporters.”
“They will quote you accurately on the stupidest thing you say,” Godden said.
Growing up as a “service brat” with a father in the military, Godden knows what it’s like to be reported on inaccurately.
Godden, who visited Seattle for the first time just after graduating high school in Virginia at age 17, lived in 116 places growing up.
“Everybody thinks it’s a typographical error, but it’s not.”
That’s right—116 places.
“(I) lived in tents a lot of the time,” said the woman who, as a young girl often lived in locations temporarily, based on her father’s assignments with NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In high school, Godden was editor of her school’s newspaper, The Spectator.
After a stint at Northwestern University, Godden transferred to the University of Washington.
When it came to choosing a major at the UW, Godden had no doubts what she wanted to do.
“(Journalism) was my idea from year one.”
With her passion came persistence.
Shortly after arriving in Seattle, Godden pursued a job at The University District Herald.
“I said ‘I’d love to do anything around here at all, including sweep the floors.’”
Godden was hired on to the Herald’s staff.
After graduating from the UW with a bachelor’s degree in Communications in 1974, Godden gave herself two weeks off before looking for a job.
Once those two weeks of rest were up, Godden began her job search full-force.
“Each day I would apply in person for a job,” said Godden.
Godden was in a position at the time where she needed to be the breadwinner for her husband and two sons. Her husband had developed Multiple Sclerosis, which inhibited his work as a commercial artist.
Her persistence paid off when the Seattle Post-Intelligencer hired her only a few weeks into her job hunt.
Godden worked temporarily at first, putting out the Friday entertainment section for her first six weeks.
She soon became the assistant editorial page editor, which meant that when her boss was gone, Jean got to fill his editing shoes.
Working on the editorial page brought with it a variety of odd jobs, some which were apparently tailored for Godden, who as a woman was a staff minority.
“I think I wrote eight Mother’s Day editorials because I was the only woman on the page at the time,” she recalled.
From the editorial page Godden was moved to business editor.
Most notable from that experience was the section’s coverage of the 1981-82 failing of Seafirst Bank, which was the largest financial institution in the state at the time.
“We had a front page story almost every day of the week,” Godden said. Finally, after trying her hand in various departments at the P-I, Godden received a new proposal from her boss.
Godden remembers meeting with him, a man red in the face with a large vein popping from his forehead, telling her between puffs on a cigar, “I would like you to write a four-day-a-week column.”
Hence Godden’s now famous column was born at the P-I.
After jealously observing the success of Godden’s column in the P-I, The Seattle Times came knocking.
The Times, which unlike the P-I had a Sunday column, earned Godden’s consideration.
She decided to sign with the Times, but only on her terms: four weeks’ vacation, pay equal to male columnists and a seat in the newsroom.
“I figured I couldn’t ask for more than three things,” Godden said of the negotiation.
Mary Rothschild, a friend and former co-worker of Godden’s, described Godden’s column as “a chatty, folksy insider's look at the city.”
“What people may not know is that she worked her tail off to get all those breezily written, gossipy little items. She was constantly on the phone during her regular work day and then was out and about nearly every night, to arts events, charity fund raisers and the like,” said Rothschild.
The columnist’s “insider’s look at the city,” was what made her known, but also what led to some eventual frustration at the limits of her job as a columnist.
“I got very frustrated because I would research something and I would tell people what to do and they wouldn’t do it,” said Godden, tongue-in-cheek.
In 2003, after 20 years of her column, the journalist decided to run for city council, hoping it would give her the platform needed to implement change in the city.
Just 100 days before the election, on the last possible day to file, Godden did just that and entered her name in the race for city council.
“I can do a better job (than my opponent),” Godden remembers thinking.
Within just over three months, Godden worked on regarding her half a million readers as half a million constituents.
“No one ever called me ‘the honorable’ (as a columnist),” Godden joked.
“I had to learn to be a candidate.”
Godden describes this transition from journalist to city council candidate as challenging. As a journalist who was trained to be a part of the woodwork, she was now learning how to put herself in the spotlight as a politician.
Grueling days turned into weeks and months of campaigning in which Godden and her team rarely ate, and when they did sleep, it was still difficult to escape all the work that had to be done.
“We put together campaign signs in my garage,” she said.
“Once in a while you got to go to sleep….You were usually dreaming of your campaign,” Godden recalled.
Godden remembers election night as “pretty tense” as she watched the votes come in.
And then it was over—she had won.
As Chair of Energy and Environmental Policy on the Seattle City Council, Godden never stops learning.
“I have a very busy schedule, but it’s fascinating. I’ve learned a great deal,” she said.
As for her journalism skills, they’ve come in handy in more ways than one since she’s been on the council.
“Just like a journalist, I go out and I just research…I take notes!” Godden said.
“Sometimes you have to cram the night before to decide how to vote.”
Tom Van Bronkhorst, Godden’s campaign manager and legislative assistant, attests to the strengths her journalism background has brought to her seat on city council.
“She listens intently, takes good notes and then is thoughtful in her deliberations. She takes the time to hear all sides before coming to a conclusion about the best approach or action for the city to take,” said Van Bronkhorst.
“Jean’s strong sense of respect for fellow council members and her common sense attitude has brought new credibility to the council,” he added.
Since resigning from her column and beginning her new career as councilwoman, some people have asked Godden why she “stepped down” from her role as columnist.
“I don’t think of it that way,” she would reply.
To Godden, each new day and each new task is an adventure she seems to look forward to with gratitude.
“Learning is the most fun of all,” she said of her new role.
Godden’s passion and love of life shines in all she does. Just ask those who know her best.
“I can't think of another person who is as passionate as Jean about protecting and preserving all that is good about Seattle. Running for the city council was a brilliant move and a fitting way to cap an already illustrious career,” said Rothschild.
Journalism major Beth Witham wrote this article Winter Quarter for COM 460, Feature Writing.
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