CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Former Clarksburg Police Chief Marshall Goff is ready to return to public life, and he plans to do that by winning a seat on Clarksburg City Council next month.
The 34-year veteran of law enforcement, who retired in 2013 in response to a federal investigation, said Wednesday morning on “The Gary Bowden Show” that he’s ready to put the past behind him and serve the city again.
“Number one, I’ve got a lot to give,” Goff said. “I’ve got a lot of energy. I’ve got a lot of knowledge of this city and how it works.”
Goff and Lt. Timmy Smith left the Clarksburg Police Department during an investigation by then U.S. Attorney for the Northern District William Ihlenfeld into actions taken by Goff and Smith during the investigation of current council member Samuel “Zeke” Lopez, who was involved in a domestic battery incident in 2013.
“It was a set up from the word go,” Goff said. “It is what it is. I think the citizens out there from Clarksburg and the surrounding areas know what the deal was there.”
Lopez is not running for re-election in June.
So, Goff retired. He retained his pension, but agreed to never serve in law enforcement again. But, after four years away from public life, he’s hoping to bring his experience and mindset as a former police officer and chief into the Council’s own future actions dealing with the opioid epidemic.
“I miss dealing with the people,” he said. “I think I’ve got a lot to give, and I want to help the city out as much as possible.”
“My main priority in that is–and it should be everybody’s main priority–the drug problem in this county. Not just the city, but I believe the county.”
He said he alone can’t fix anything, but believes he can help be part of a multi-pronged solution.
“As a councilman, I can’t fix it,” Goff said. “But I think it takes three phases. I think it takes the public, it takes council, and it takes the police department. The police department cannot do it on it’s own.”
One question voters may ask regarding Goff is whether or not they can trust his judgment following the abrupt retirement in 2013 and the reasons for it.
He had a simple answer: “Absolutely.”
This is part of an ongoing series powered by “The Gary Bowden Show” to highlight the ten candidates in the upcoming Clarksburg City Council elections.
Read our first piece on incumbent Bob Caplan here.
Former councilwoman, mayor, and 2017 challenger Margaret Bailey and newcomer Thomas Saunders join “The Gary Bowden Show” on Thursday, May 18. You can listen at 9:06 a.m. on 103.3-FM, 93.5-FM, 95.7-FM, or at wajr.com.
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