Goodman loses ethics-law debate

Erin Neff

Thursday, Oct. 7, 1999 | 11:30 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman found himself on the losing end of an ethics-related debate Wednesday.

The council voted 4-1 with Goodman the lone dissenter on an ethics bill that requires additional financial disclosure requirements on real estate interests.

The new requirement -- which will take effect when the next official financial disclosure is due -- is designed to give voters a better understanding of elected officials, according to the bill's sponsor, Lynette Boggs McDonald.

The law requires public officials and candidates for office to include specific parcel numbers with real property description and to list all business partners.

Current City Council members file their next disclosure in March. Any new council members would have to file one immediately upon taking office. Two as-yet named council members are expected to take office Oct. 20.

But Goodman took exception to the requirement that candidates for office must comply with the measure within 10 days of filing for office.

"The bill is to preclude conflicts of interest," Goodman said. "The conflict of interest could only take place after they are elected."

Ironically, Goodman had argued for tougher ethics laws last spring when he was campaigning for mayor and asked for information about his business partners. He did not release the names of his partners prior to his election but immediately disclosed all of his partners after he won.

Boggs McDonald said she sponsored the bill because as an elected official she expects her life "to become an open book."

"I don't underestimate the intelligence and the common sense of the voters," Boggs McDonald said.