Greg Goodnight was Mayor of the City of Kokomo from 2008 to 2020. During his tenure, Goodnight focused on establishing strong and sustainable economic development policies, improving quality of life, and lowering spending by promoting innovation and efficiency. Goodnight oversaw the establishment of the city’s free-to-the-rider, fixed-route bus system. He aggressively implemented new and innovative economic development programs and incentives, resulting in more than a dozen new businesses locating in downtown Kokomo. During his time in office, local employers announced nearly $2 billion in new investment. They also planned building expansions, purchased new equipment, and hired additional workers. The unemployment rate in Kokomo hit its lowest rate in more than 16 years under Goodnight’s leadership.
Responsibility to taxpayers was one of Goodnight’s top priorities. His economic leadership resulted in a Standard & Poor’s credit rating increase from A– to AA–, leading to Kokomo’s inclusion among the Indiana cities with the highest credit ratings. When Goodnight took office, Kokomo had a $5 million operating deficit. By streamlining city government and developing innovative saving solutions, the city reached an operating cash balance of more than $30 million and one of the lowest debts per capita of Indiana’s largest 35 cities.
Goodnight is regularly invited to participate in events that address the reinvention of the Midwestern economy. In 2019, he spoke at Aurora University in suburban Chicago on the Midwest’s economic future. He was one of two mayors invited to participate in a panel as part of the New America Heartland Symposium, sponsored by the Manhattan Institute and held in Indianapolis in 2018. Goodnight has been a guest lecturer at Yale University’s School of Management, and he was presented with Harvard University’s Bright Ideas Award for innovation in government. He has been interviewed by national and international media, including CNN, the BBC, and the Wall Street Journal. He served as president of Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (AIM) in 2017, having previously fulfilled roles as the organization’s vice president and legislative chair.
Goodnight’s leadership has been praised by his peers and by political observers, including syndicated economics columnist Morton Marcus, distinguished economist Michael Hicks, and Mitch Daniels, former governor of Indiana, who noted in 2009 that “there hasn’t been a more courageous voice in either party” than Goodnight. The mayor accompanied Daniels on a trade mission to China, and he is a former member of Indiana’s Working Group on China.
Previously, Goodnight served two terms on the Kokomo Common Council and as a member of the Kokomo–Howard County Planning Commission and the Center Township Trustee Board. He and his wife, Kelli, have four children.
