Goodman pushes message despite D.C. scare

Diana Sahagun

Friday, Oct. 19, 2001 | 9:29 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman roamed the halls of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, even as congressional staffers waited in line to be tested for exposure to a potent form of anthrax, traces of which had been found in the building.

Goodman, though, said he refused to join in the panic and urged Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., to conduct an afternoon press conference, which included mayors from other U.S. cities, to discuss an economic package to help bolster the ailing economy.

There was some discussion about whether to go forward with the press conference, Goodman said, because of news that more than two dozen people in Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's office tested positive for exposure to a highly concentrated form of anthrax. The House shut down in the wake of the anthrax scare, although the Senate continued about its business.

Staff members from Reid's Hart Building office on Capitol Hill were also tested after traces of the bacteria were reported to be in the building's ventilation system.

Reid held the press conference, nevertheless.

"The mayors really felt that the message had to be that, 'Yes, we are coming back, and we're going to make a difference, and there will be jobs and there will be reinvestment in the country,' " Goodman said.

During his weekly press conference in Las Vegas on Thursday, Goodman talked of his time in Washington.

"I certainly didn't fear anything," Goodman said. "I was walking through the hallways where the anthrax was present, and didn't give it a second thought. I just am not going to allow these acts of nuts to affect my quality of life."

Goodman, who said he wouldn't be tested for anthrax even if asked, has faced at least one scare in his own city since Sept. 11.

On Monday, as Goodman was racing home to watch Monday Night Football, he noticed some type of white powder near his car. Thinking nothing of it, Goodman stepped through the substance. Later, he decided to call city marshals, just to be sure the substance was not anthrax.

"I am not asking for their help," he said. "I can't see anyone in the world that would want to hurt me. I used to represent the mob, a little anthrax doesn't concern me."

As a precaution, Goodman said he has had the marshals increase security during events in which large crowds were expected.