Matthew Goodman played the part of a child on Christmas on Tuesday as it was announced that he won the at-large seat on the Ames City Council with an unofficial count of 2,291 to 2,141 over challenger Pat Brown.

During the time leading up to the announcement, Goodman, his family and close supporters waited in the tense atmosphere of the Goodman’s home in what Goodman himself said was a lot like a holiday.

“You can just feel it in the air,” Goodman said. “It’s a lot like Christmas.”

When the announcement finally came that he had won the seat, the Goodmans’ living room erupted in cheers and was full of smiles. Neysa Goodman, his wife, couldn’t have been happier that her husband won, for the second straight term, the chance to represent the city of Ames on the City Council.

“I guess this means he’s still going to be gone on Tuesday nights,” she said. “As a family we’re just very proud that Matthew is still going to be on the council.”

When it came down to it, Goodman realized that, as a former student at Iowa State, this win is going to make him a citizen of Ames for the rest of his life.

“It feels good; it feels really good,” Goodman said. “I see myself as a person that’s going to live in Ames for the rest of my life. I love Ames.”

The 150-vote margin between Goodman and Brown was a bit closer than some in attendance had anticipated.

Frank Montabon, associate professor of logistics operations and management information systems and supporter of Goodman, said he was anticipating an outcome similar to past elections in which Goodman also defeated Brown.

“I was anticipating more of a 60-40 percent margin, about the same ratio as the school board elections,” Montabon said.

Goodman said the narrow win allows him to get an idea of what the public thinks and that the next four years need to be used to solidify his political standing in Ames.

“It’s a close margin, and that means to me that I haven’t done a good enough job making sure people understand who I am and what I’m about,” Goodman said. “These next four years I’m going to make sure that happens.”

Goodman has held a position on the Ames City Council since Jan. 1, 2004. He graduated in 1991 from Iowa State with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and obtained his master’s degree in biochemistry in 2000.

Although his background is in sciences, Goodman is the owner of Smiles and Gyros and the Superdog stand and is co-owner of The Flying Burrito, 2712 Lincoln Way.

As a student, Goodman didn’t always look at the long-term aspect of living in Ames, but a financial pickle during his time at Iowa State landed him a job at the Campustown gyro stand, a job that eventually evolved into his ownership of the three popular student cuisine institutions.

“I had a goal of taking care of the financing of my education without loans or grants,” Goodman said. “To do that, I got scholarships and I saved some money, but that went more quickly than I had anticipated, so I had to get a job.”

After Goodman took a job at the gyro stand, the former owner needed to leave town, which left the future of the stand up in the air. Instead of letting the business flounder, Goodman embraced the opportunity with open arms and dreams of economic freedom.

“It was the beginning of my junior year when I needed to make the decision,” Goodman said. “I thought it was going to give me some economic freedom and some opportunities that I didn’t want to pass up. That’s really how it happened.”

Goodman has been married for two years to his wife Neysa and is the proud father of two daughters, Harmony, 12, and Greta, 6 months.

When it comes to the issues facing the city of Ames, Goodman has made his stance clear on three main issues: expansion and development, the future of Campustown and student involvement in the city.

When it comes to the development of Ames, Goodman said the equation is simple – big revenue and low cost.

“I think for Ames to be a successful community, we need to make sure we expand our citizenry and expand on commercial and industrial practices as well,” Goodman said.

On the topic of the future of Campustown, Goodman said although the entertainment factor is high, retail opportunities haven’t found a niche in the makeup of Campustown’s economic development.

“The things that Campustown does really well right now are entertainment and catering to the student market,” Goodman said. “Generally you see a lot of bars, restaurants, tanning salons and haircut places; all services that people don’t feel they need to go very long distances from their residences to use.”

Finally, Goodman said, as a small business owner and former student, he has the ability to help students get involved in citywide events and the future of Ames.

“I think I have an easier time of accessing students because a lot of them work for me, so in that relationship we can speak pretty frankly and they don’t have to worry about my perception of them,” Goodman said. “Being out there in Campustown helps too, although most students aren’t coming up to me to talk about city issues.”