Goodman outspends Adamsen for month

Wednesday, June 2, 1999 | 11:24 a.m.

Attorney Oscar Goodman, tabbed the heavy favorite to become Las Vegas' next mayor by pundits and pollsters, raised almost twice as much money as opponent Arnie Adamsen during the past month.

In campaign financial reports due Tuesday for the period from April 22 to May 26, Goodman reported $566,302 in contributions and $544,083 in expenses. City Councilman Adamsen reported $282,715 in contributions and $334,271 in expenses for the same period. Overall, Goodman has raised $1.1 million compared to nearly $950,000 for Adamsen.

Ward 3 City Councilman Gary Reese, who is seeking re-election, also continued to outraise opponent Nevada Stupak. Bert Brown also remains well ahead of opponent Jessie Walsh in the money race for municipal court judge, Department 4.

The candidates will square off in next Tuesday's municipal election. The bout between Goodman and Adamsen came about because no one in the original nine-candidate mayoral field earned a majority in the May 4 primary. Goodman fell just 277 votes shy of a majority, however, in earning 49.44 percent of the vote. Adamsen made the runoff as a distant second with 29.3 percent.

Goodman's strong showing in the primary made it easier for him to raise more cash than Adamsen. The latest contributions to Goodman included big chunks of money from local casinos and lawyers. Notable among the lawyers was Robert Shapiro of Los Angeles, part of the famed defense team used by O.J. Simpson in his murder trial. Shapiro gave Goodman $1,500.

Goodman's large casino contributions last month included $15,000 from Circus Circus Enterprises and related properties, $11,224 from the Mirage and related properties, and $5,000 each from Arizona Charlie's, Bally's Las Vegas, Boyd Gaming Corp., Station Casinos, Tropicana, Stratosphere Corp., Coast Resorts and Lady Luck.

He also received $1,000 from Imperial Palace owner Ralph Engelstad, and $100 from former UNLV Rebels basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Goodman's other contributions included $9,900 from Republic Silver State Disposal Inc. and related companies, $5,000 each from KVBC (Channel 3)/Valley Broadcasting and Polo Resorts Inc., and $2,500 from the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors. Goodman also reported a $40,000 loan from his O.B.G. Investment company in Las Vegas.

Adamsen did not get nearly as much casino support as did Goodman after the primary, though the councilman did collect $10,000 from Coast Resorts, $10,000 from Circus Circus Enterprises and its Mandalay Bay resort, and $5,000 from Boyd Gaming Corp.

His other large contributions after the primary included $5,000 each from Jae Sup and Kyung Hee Choi of Harrington Park, N.J., and Jack and Laura Sommer of Las Vegas, $3,500 each from Joseph Heung Yu Chan of Torrance, Calif., and Paradise Development Ltd., and $3,000 each from Charleston Heights Shopping Center and G C Wallace Inc., an architecture and engineering firm. The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce also gave $1,500 to Adamsen.

Goodman's ability to out-raise Adamsen showed up on the expense side as well. Since late April Goodman has spent $182,973 to Adamsen's $87,000 for television advertising. Goodman also spent more than four times what his opponent spent on radio ads and consultants, and about triple the amount for printed signs and posters.

The only significant area where Adamsen has out-spent Goodman in the past month has been on direct mail.