Well-known defense attorney takes reins of city hall

Robert Macy

Tuesday, June 29, 1999 | 9:30 a.m.

Thirty-five years after he came here on a whim, Oscar Goodman completed a unique transformation Monday, shifting from mob mouthpiece to mayor of America's fastest-growing city.

"I'm ready to embark on a great adventure," Goodman said, trying to be heard above the din of an overflow crowd in the city council chambers.

Asked if he was nervous as he prepared to be sworn in for his four-year term, Goodman responded: "Every great race horse knows when the Kentucky Derby starts."

Goodman, 59, gained national attention representing notorious crime figures such as Meyer Lansky and Tony "The Ant" Spilotro. He won the city's top post in a landslide June 8.

Goodman and his wife, Carolyn, moved here from Philadelphia 35 years ago after hearing two deputy sheriffs talk about the town. He quickly gained a reputation as one of the country's top criminal defense attorneys - a fact he addressed to more than 400 supporters after being sworn in.

"For 35 years I've been fighting the system from the outside, to make sure that it's honest, that it's conflict free, that there's no corruption," Goodman said. "Now I have the opportunity to work with my colleagues from the inside to make sure the city of Las Vegas goes ahead like a speeding bullet into the next century and only good will be accomplished.

"I'm humbled and I'm in awe of the responsibility imposed on me," Goodman told the crowd after being sworn in by outgoing Mayor Jan Jones.

"Because we live in the greatest city in the world, we have to have the vision to keep it that way," Goodman told the crowd. "I know we're going to succeed."

Before his swearing in, Goodman worked the crowd, shaking hands and reveling in the attention.

"Can I get my photo taken with you?" one woman asked.

"Why not, everybody else does," he responded.

Las Vegan Johnny Ventura was on the front row for the ceremony and at one point chanted a cheer for the new mayor.

Asked about Goodman's role as a well-known defense attorney, he responded, "That doesn't bother me at all. He's smart; he's intelligent, well-versed and reasonable."

Tom Letizia, the man who shaped Goodman's successful populist campaign, said the attorney spent the weekend studying the council agenda and attending briefings at his office.

Carolyn Goodman said her husband was upbeat prior to the trip to city hall, but failed to notice a badly torn pocket on his suit until she called it to his attention.

"He was in a wonderful, upbeat mood," she said.

Also at the ceremony were three of Goodman's four children: Eric, a Philadelphia attorney; Ross, a Marine captain in the JAG corps, and Cara, a technology consultant in San Francisco. A third son, Oscar Jr., is taking his medical residency at Cornell University and was unable to attend.