Columnist Jeff German: Wynn looking to stay neutral in three-way mayor’s race

Tuesday, March 23, 1999 | 11:59 a.m.

Mirage Resorts Chairman Steve Wynn is said to be hedging his bets in the mayor's race.

And who can blame him?

Wynn, whose company owns the Golden Nugget downtown, had been prepared to throw the weight of his political organization behind Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones. But she opted not to run for a third term.

Then the Mirage boss decided to back ex-County Commissioner Jay Bingham, but he bowed out because of health problems.

Now the race is shaping up as a three-way battle among City Councilman Arnie Adamsen, businessman Mark Fine and criminal defense attorney Oscar Goodman, and Wynn apparently can't decide who would be the better mayor.

So word is he has decided to give equally to the campaigns of all three.

With Adamsen considered the front-runner because of his experience as a three-term city councilman, Wynn's neutrality is good news for the two nonpoliticians in the race.

Goodman, who has traveled in Wynn's social circles over the years, had a strong turnout Friday afternoon at a block party to kick off his campaign. Among those on hand was Richard Schuetz, the husband of Mayor Jones, who isn't endorsing any of the candidates.

Fine, who helped develop Green Valley and Summerlin, two of the most successful master-planned communities in Southern Nevada, popped into the trendy House of Blues Foundation Room atop Mandalay Bay on Friday for some late-night campaigning.

Several prominent Fine supporters -- Joe Brown, Barry Becker and Todd Marshall -- were spotted unwinding at the exclusive club.

In its brief existence, the Foundation Room has become a popular watering hole for local politicians looking to be seen by the movers and shakers. City Councilmen Larry Brown and Michael McDonald, for example, were there Friday. So was County Commissioner Dario Herrera.

Adamsen, meanwhile, has gotten a boost of his own in the mayor's race.

Veteran political consultant Kent Oram has agreed to serve as a senior strategist for his campaign.

Oram, who has longtime ties to Adamsen, had been Bingham's campaign manager.

With Oram on board, two other high-powered political consultants, Sig Rogich and Billy Vassiliadis, can't be far behind.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., was noticeably absent last week when a group of House Republicans from the West endorsed Texas Gov. George W. Bush in the race for president.

That's because Bush didn't exactly endear himself to Nevada Republicans with recent tough anti-gambling talk. Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, who has agreed to be Bush's campaign chairman here, was among those embarrassed by the Texas governor's remarks.

Gibbons had been asked to serve on Bush's national campaign committee, but he backed off after hearing how the Texas governor had bashed gambling.

On the cover of a December task force report on illegal gambling in Texas, Bush was quoted as saying gambling has "ruined the lives of too many adults, and it can do the same thing to our children."

Gibbons now is undecided about whom he'll support for president.

Last week, Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash., who's on Bush's exploratory committee, wanted Gibbons to participate in her pro-Bush news conference on Capitol Hill, but the Nevadan politely declined.

Dunn is said to be working to put Bush and Gibbons together to resolve the congressman's concerns.

This is Bush's predicament: He wants Nevada Republicans on his side, but he also wants to placate the conservative wing of the party, which is anti-gaming.

What's a would-be president to do?

Running for re-election in 2000 isn't exactly on the mind of Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who's marrying her sweetheart, Dr. Larry Lehrner, this weekend at Bally's.

But after the couple's honeymoon, we can expect Berkley to focus on her political future, where state Sen. Mark James, R-Las Vegas, has come into the picture.

James, a two-term state senator with a flare for attaching himself to public issues, is zeroing in on Berkley's seat in 2000.

He's said to be putting together an exploratory committee and has been shopping for campaign consultants.

This comes amid word that House Republican leaders have been recruiting him heavily.

Recently, a top aide to Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., came to Las Vegas to talk to James about challenging Berkley, and Tom Davis, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has been wooing him as well.

James is expected to get strong casino industry support and could make a run at Berkley's stronghold within organized labor.

Berkley, however, demonstrated last year that she's a tough campaigner. That may be why James is getting an early start.