Wilson Goode Jr.

After serving nearly a decade in Council, W. Wilson Goode Jr. can boast of more than 50 pieces of legislation "that have — or will — become law."

But attention has focused instead on the antics of his controversial legislative assistant, Latrice Bryant.

Goode calls it "the nonsense from last fall," when Bryant held up signs in Council accusing Fox 29 News of being racist for reporting that she had run personal errands while logged in at work. The story intensified when the station aired photos of Goode and Bryant looking cozy during a 2005 island get-way in Jamaica.

Goode sent reporters an e-mail last week, titled "Goode pushes forward," laying out some of his recent accomplishments.

His diversity-track-record ordinance requires contractors and developers to lay out not only economic-opportunity plans for "disadvantaged business enterprises" but also their history of dealing with such businesses. That applies to projects that cost more than $250,000, are not competitively bid by the city, require a city ordinance for development or receive city funding.

Goode also increased from $1,000 to $3,000 the business-privilege-tax credit for companies that create jobs in 2010 and 2011. The $1,000 tax credit had not lured many companies to participate in the program.

Goode today was to introduce legislation that would allow the city to bar companies from city work or financing if Council finds that they willfully don't comply with economic-opportunity plans.

Bryant still has a way of stealing headlines. A posting two weeks ago on a Facebook page that appears to belong to her asked: "Is it okay for your boss to ask you to marry him or her? What happens if you say no?"

Goode said he didn't want to know anything about that and follow-up posts. He also forbade Bryant from answering questions from reporters. *

— Chris Brennan