[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 62 (Thursday, April 7, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING TOM GOODKIND

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 7, 2022

  Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of Tom Goodkind, a true renaissance man and a beloved member of the 
Lower Manhattan community.
  Mr. Goodkind, who passed away from a chronic degenerative illness in 
February 2019 at the age of 65, will be honored by the Church Street 
School for Music and Art for his contributions to the school and 
community on April 8, 2022.
  An accountant by training, he moved to the Financial District in the 
late '80s and quickly became active in the Battery Park City community, 
Manhattan Community Board 1 (on which he served for decades) and local 
political clubs. Mr. Goodkind was a fierce advocate for expanding and 
retaining affordable housing in Lower Manhattan and produced 
comprehensive reports on rent stabilization and the neighborhood's 
affordable housing supply as the chair of Manhattan Community Board 1's 
Housing Task Force. He also advocated for the 5 World Trade Center site 
to include a fair number of affordable units, with set-asides for 
creative artists and September 11th survivors and responders.
  In addition to his dedication for community activism, his passion for 
music was a guiding force throughout his life. Mr. Goodkind had stints 
as a punk rocker and a music venue promoter before co-founding the 
acclaimed band The Washington Squares, a neo-folk trio that received a 
Grammy nomination. After the September 11th terrorist attacks, Mr. 
Goodkind looked to the healing power of music to help rebuild Lower 
Manhattan. He founded and conducted the TriBattery Pops, the first NYC 
downtown all-volunteer community band in a century, that became an 
ever-present, animated staple at local community events. Mr. Goodkind 
remained an ardent supporter of local institutions that celebrated 
musical arts and strived to share the joy of music with New Yorkers and 
beyond.
  Mr. Goodkind's chronic degenerative illness was linked to the 
exposure to toxic dust that hung over Manhattan in the aftermath of the 
September 11th attacks. The toll of the toxins and the subsequent 
illnesses they wrought to not only those who worked on the pile but 
also residents in my district like Mr. Goodkind who returned to their 
homes, cleaned up and revitalized this neighborhood laid bare the need 
for the federal government to provide survivors with quality health 
care and financial support. I was proud that after over a decade of 
fighting we passed the James Zadruga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act 
of 2010 and its reauthorization in 2015, and we created and fully 
funded the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund for survivors and 
responders.
  Mr. Goodkind is survived by his wife Jill, and daughters Olivia and 
Nicole who continue to further his legacy through their advocacy work 
for affordable housing, September llth survivor issues and support for 
the arts.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Tom Goodkind and his significant 
impacts on music and the lives of residents in Lower Manhattan that 
will be felt for years to come.

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