Terry Goddard served as mayor of Phoenix from 1984 to 1990 and as Arizona’s attorney general from 2003 to 2011. Currently Goddard is a senior counsel with Dentons, an international law firm. Before participating in a panel on Phoenix’s survival, he answered a few questions about round-the-clock jobs, eating breakfast, and flying across Arizona.
It’s 10 p.m. in Phoenix and you haven’t eaten all day. Where would you go?
The Vig, right around the corner from my house.
What do you eat for breakfast?
Oatmeal, usually with blueberries or raisins.
Is there anything you miss about being mayor?
There are lots of things. Mayor is a 24-hour job, but it’s also a wonderful challenge in a city like Phoenix. The city is a living thing.
What’s the most fun thing about running for office statewide?
My dad had a saying that any political campaign was like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer. It felt so good when you stopped. But I’ll never forget the time when I went to a women’s basketball game [in northeast Arizona] and had a breakfast the next morning in Yuma. So a friend and I had to take off in a small plane at 4 a.m. and fly diagonally across the state of Arizona. It’s a broad, wonderful state, and people tend to get stuck where they work. In Arizona, you’re really cheating yourself when you do that.
What’s the biggest misconception non-Arizonans have about Arizona?
There are lots of them. I suppose the biggest is that we’re teetering on the brink and about to run out of water.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
As a public official, it was from Bruce Babbitt, who said very casually, “Terry, if you have a chance, try to do something every day that won’t have an impact for at least 20 years.” You need to spend time thinking about something other than the crisis. That’s great advice, and it’s also a challenge.
What’s your guilty TV-watching pleasure?
Castle, until very recently. Now it’s The Big Bang Theory.
What is your worst habit?
Probably procrastination. I get most of my work done at the last minute.