Goodman says his clientele won’t be a problem

Robert Macy

Thursday, June 17, 1999 | 12:27 p.m.

The fact he's been the mouthpiece for the mob and is now Las Vegas' mayor-elect won't stop the flow of visitors to the city, Oscar Goodman believes.

"Nobody's going to worry," Goodman said Thursday, speaking at his first news conference since being elected in a landslide June 8. "The planes are not going to stop at the state line. The cars are not going to stop at the border. The world is very senstive that Las Vegas has a new mayor, and they're taking to it like a duck to water."

Goodman laughed when asked if he would face a conflict of interest problem if some of his clients appeared before the city council, which he will head.

Noting the caliber of his clientele the past 35 years, Goodman said "I don't think any of them are going to pop up there."

Goodman's clients over the years have included some top organized crime figures, including Tony "The Ant" Spilotro and Meyer Lansky.

Meanwhile, Goodman says he's working hard at getting acclimated to his new job. He will be sworn in as mayor June 28.

"I've spent every waking moment (since the election) at city hall, just seeing how the system works," Goodman said.

The mayor-elect said he has met with City Manager Virginia Valentine, Clark County Commission Chairman Bruce Woodbury, Clark County Sheriff Jerry Keller and a host of other officials.

He said he has also met with developers, a target in his campaign when he suggested they pay impact fees to help fund the city's infrastructure needs.

He said he told key developers "it's incumbent on them to pay back the city. They have to assist me in redeveloping downtown."

Goodman said he didn't discuss the controversial impact fee issue with the developers, but he planned to take up the matter with the Nevada Legislature in 2001.

The new mayor said he believed in redeveloping the downtown area while preserving its more historic buildings.

"I'm against implosions," he said. "I believe in history. If we have a problem in this valley, it's that we implode ourselves."

Goodman said he favored tougher state ethics laws and full disclosure by public officials.

On Wednesday, Goodman lived up to a pre-election promise by filing detailed information on partners in his land and property holdings.

Included among his partners in various ventures are former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, boxing promoter Bob Arum, Imperial Palace owner Ralph Engelstad, the widow of the late former Gov. Grant Sawyer and Gaming Commissioner Art Marshall.