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Oscar Goodman |
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Oscar Goodman
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20th Mayor of Las Vegas
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office June 8, 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Jan Laverty Jones |
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| Born | June 26, 1939 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Carolyn Goodman |
| Alma mater | Haverford College, University of Pennsylvania Law School |
| Occupation | Attorney |
Oscar Baylin Goodman (born on June 26, 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an attorney and the Mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayor Goodman is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Goodman was born to a Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Haverford School in Haverford, PA in 1957 and then matriculated across the street to Haverford College, where he graduated in 1961. He received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1964. He was admitted to the Nevada Bar Association in 1965 and he served as Chief Deputy Public Defender in Clark County, Nevada from 1966 to 1967. He and his wife Carolyn have four children.
During his career as a defense attorney he represented defendants accused of being some of the leading organized crime figures in Las Vegas, such as Meyer Lansky, Nicky Scarfo, Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein, Phil Leonetti, former Stardust Casino boss Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal, and Jamiel "Jimmy" Chagra a 1970s drug trafficker who was acquitted of ordering the murder of Federal Judge John Wood. His most notorious clients was reputed Chicago mobster Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro, who was known to have a short and violent temper. In the semi-factual 1995 movie Casino, the character of Nicky Santoro was based on Spilotro and was portrayed by actor Joe Pesci. Goodman had a cameo appearance in the film as himself. Goodman also represented former San Diego Mayor Roger Hedgecock, who was convicted of accepting illegal campaign contributions and eventually forced to resign.
Goodman is a senior partner in the law firm of Goodman, Chesnoff & Keach. He was elected mayor of Las Vegas on June 8, 1999, receiving 32,765 (63.76%) votes while his opponent, then-Las Vegas City Councilman Arnie Adamsen, received 18,620 (36.24 percent). Goodman was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2003, defeating five opponents and receiving 29,356 (85.72 percent) of the votes. On April 3, 2007, he was re-elected to a third and final term with 26,845 votes (83.69 percent), again defeating five opponents. Las Vegas law prevents the mayor, who has been called the town's "most popular mayor"[2], from serving more than three terms.
Goodman was a member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority before being elected mayor.
1995 Goodman appears as himself in the Martin Scorsese film Casino. Later on, he also made another brief appearance in the film Looney Toons: Back in Action on the DVD extras.
On June 8, 1999, he was elected Mayor of Las Vegas
On June 28, 1999, Goodman was the first mayor of Las Vegas to have his image placed on $5 and $25 casino chips issued by a Las Vegas casino. The two chips were issued by the Four Queens Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. In 2006, the Four Queens put out a $200 Silver Strike with the likeness of Oscar on it.
In 2000, a bobblehead doll was issued as a promotion during a Las Vegas 51s baseball game. These items are very sought after by locals and even by the tourists. Because of their limited quantity both the casino chips and the bobblehead dolls are very hard to find. Occasionally they have shown up on the Internet auction service eBay.
In 2002, he became a spokesman for Bombay Sapphire Gin, receiving a $100,000 salary which was donated to charity, including $50,000 donated to The Meadows School, a private school in Las Vegas founded by his wife Carolyn.
In 2003, Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist John L. Smith wrote a book titled Of Rats and Men: Oscar Goodman's Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas, which chronicles Goodman's life, including 35 years spent defending notorious U.S. crime figures, including, among others, Meyer Lansky, Anthony "Tony The Ant" Spilotro and Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal (The last two were portrayed respectively, and under different names, in the film Casino by Joe Pesci and Robert DeNiro).
In 2003, Goodman was voted the Least Effective Public Official in the Review-Journal's annual reader's poll.1
Goodman has been vocal about having a Major League Baseball team relocate to Las Vegas. In 2004 the city failed to secure a move by the Montreal Expos to the city. Instead, the team relocated to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. Later that year, Goodman met with officials of the Florida Marlins. The Chicago White Sox were considering a move but talks fell through after Chicago officials provided incentives for the team to stay.
In recent years, Goodman has tried to get National Football League teams to Las Vegas. On April 24, 2006, he called the San Diego Chargers and asked if they would be interested in moving. Because of a contract, the city could not talk about a possible move. On January 4, 2007 he called again, since the team was not allowed to talk to other cities about a possible move. Again, Goodman was turned down "for the time being." "2 According to Mark Fabiani, the Chargers general counsel, Goodman is a longtime season ticket holder of the Chargers and a fan. "3
Goodman had briefly entertained challenging Presidential son Jack Carter for the Democratic nomination to run against incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Ensign in 2006. However, on April 20 Goodman announced that he would not run but instead would run for a third and final term as Mayor of Las Vegas.
In February 2004, Robert Rose, a recognized ethics watchdog, filed a complaint with the Nevada Commission on Ethics claiming that during the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Goodman handed out to fellow Mayors, conference attendees and other political figures invitations to a cocktail party he was hosting. Rose alleged that this was nothing more than the Mayor abusing his power of office to help promote a business that is owned by his son Ross and Las Vegas Councilman Michael Mack. The Nevada Ethics Commission opened an investigation on April 14, 2004 and on May 13, 2004 the members of the commission found the mayor guilty of ethics violations though no fine was rendered. Goodman sued the commission, and won. Their ruling was reversed by the court.
On September 16, 2004 Rose again filed a complaint with the Nevada Commission on Ethics this time asking the commission to clarify Goodman's affiliation with his son Ross' law firm. In a statement the mayor explained his name on the letterhead is a way of informing out of state law firms that Ross Goodman is his son. However, a person serving as an elected public official in Nevada may not have his name listed on a law firm letterhead, and Goodman removed his name under protest after several newspaper articles noted the infraction. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2006/jul/19/566625454.html
On March 3, 2005, Goodman was speaking before a group of fourth-graders at Jo Mackey Elementary School. When asked what he would bring if marooned on a desert island, the mayor replied "a showgirl and a bottle of Bombay Sapphire Gin." Further, when asked about his hobbies, the mayor named drinking Bombay Sapphire Gin as a favorite. Later, when asked to comment, Goodman was unapologetic: "I'm the George Washington of mayors. I can't tell a lie. If they didn't want the answer, the kid shouldn't have asked the question." This caused an uproar from parents whose children heard the remark, and school officials said the remark was inappropriate. http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2005/mar/02/518378833.html
On November 3, 2005, Mayor Goodman suggested that those who deface freeways with graffiti should have their thumbs cut off on television. Goodman, appearing on the "Nevada Newsmakers" television show, said, "In the old days in France, they had beheading of people who commit heinous crimes", "You know, we have a beautiful highway landscaping redevelopment in our downtown. We have desert tortoises and beautiful paintings of flora and fauna. These punks come along and deface it", I'm saying maybe you put them on TV and cut off a thumb", and "That may be the right thing to do."
Goodman also suggested that whippings or canings should be brought back for children who get into trouble.
"I also believe in a little bit of corporal punishment going back to the days of yore, where examples have to be shown," Goodman said. "I'm dead serious. Some of these (children) don't learn. You have got to teach them a lesson, and this is coming from a criminal defense lawyer." But, he added, "they would get a trial first."
Mayor Goodman was an invited celebrity photographer for the Playboy Cyber Club. He shot a topless pictorial of Miss January 2001 Irina Voronina for the website.
In July 2006 the mayor criticized the Ubisoft game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas for its premise of terrorism in Las Vegas, because he thought it may tarnish the city's image. He stated, "It's based on a false premise.... It could be harmful economically, and it may be something that's not entitled to free speech (protection).... I will ask... whether or not we can stop it."4 Publication of the game has not been hindered.
Currently, prostitution is legal in Nevada in most rural counties, but not in Clark County, which contains Las Vegas (Nevada state law forbids prostitution in counties with more than 400,000 inhabitants). Mayor Goodman supports legalizing prostitution in the city's downtown area as part of a revitalization project 5, although a majority of Nevadans polled in 2003 opposed the mayor's position 6. Goodman's views on prostitution have been criticized by New York Times columnist Bob Herbert7 and Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston8.
| Preceded by Jan Laverty Jones |
Mayor of Las Vegas 1999 – present |
Incumbent |
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