Wheeling native Amy Shuler-Goodwin describes her successful run to become Charleston’s first mayor as “a marathon, not a sprint,” and that’s how she will approach her first term in office.

Shuler-Goodwin estimates she knocked on 11,200 doors over the course of her two-year campaign for mayor. In the Nov. 6 election, she defeated Republican J.B. Akers and Independent Andy Backus while receiving nearly 51 percent of the vote.

“It’s an incredible experience,” she said. “When we started the campaign over two years ago, I knew it would be a marathon and not a sprint. I’m honored to serve as the first female of Charleston of among 45 mayors.”

Shuler-Goodwin will be sworn in to office on Jan. 7.

Since being elected, the Democrat has been working with retiring Mayor Danny Jones, to assure a smooth transition.

“I called the mayor to set up meetings because I have been through transitions before, and I know it’s hard,” she said. “I don’t want to make it hard.

“I told him, ‘It’s not about us, it’s about the people we represent. Let’s write a new book on transition, and let’s share information for the greater good.'”

Shuler-Goodwin said over the past couple of weeks she has established a good working relationship with Jones, and that she speaks daily not just with him but with members of his staff.

She and her staff are looking at not just setting up their administration, but at how the office and city also can function more efficiently.

“We will be bringing in new folks, but we’ll also be trying to be deliberate about our decisions,” she said. “It’s not just replacing folks as we’re looking at doing some serious restructuring, and this will take time.

“Will we have this done before we take office? No we won’t. But like the campaign, this also a marathon and not a sprint.”

Shuler-Goodwin is the daughter of Floyd and Pat Shuler of Wheeling, and the granddaughter of the late state Sen. Thais Blatnik, D-Ohio. She is a graduate of Wheeling Park High School who went on to obtain a degree in journalism from West Virginia University. After graduating, she worked for a short time as a researcher for ABC news. She returned to West Virginia and worked for a number of news organizations throughout the state.

“I enjoy engaging in the community, and there’s nothing more grassroots than being local news reporter,” she said.

Her enthusiasm for working with the public wasn’t lost on former Charleston Mayor Kent Melton. During an interview with him, he asked her, “Do you like doing this?”

Melton went on to hire her as his communications director. The position led her to similar jobs with former governors Bob Wise and Earl Ray Tomblin. Shuler-Goodwin also served as tourism commissioner under Tomblin.

“Now this takes me full circle,” she said of returning to the Kanawha County courthouse as mayor.

Shuler-Goodwin isn’t the only member of her immediate family to have a background in political service. Her husband, Booth Goodwin, made a bid for West Virginia governor in 2016. Together they have two teenage sons, Sam and Joe.

As she prepares to take office, Shuler-Goodwin can’t help but think of her grandmother, Thais Blatnik.

“I thought about her so much during the campaign, on election night … and about (grandfather) Albert,” she said. “During the campaign, I could hear her voice say, ‘Get up, get moving and get going.’

“If she would find out that I was elected the first female mayor of Charleston, she would say, ‘It’s about damn time.'”