Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2002 | 11:06 a.m.
Our happy mayor has become a hit on the happy hour circuit.
"Martinis with the Mayor" is fun-loving Oscar Goodman's latest brainchild to attract attention to himself and the city of Las Vegas.
Locals, preferably those old enough to drink, and maybe vote, are being encouraged to join Goodman after work on selected nights of the week for a dry one or two and listen to whatever is on the mayor's mind. The gatherings have been taking place since August.
On Tuesday night, a smiling Goodman jumped out of a black stretch limousine with a Travel Channel film crew in tow to meet his latest group of martini lovers at the Tuscany Hotel & Casino just off the Strip on East Flamingo Road.
"I love this job," Goodman said for the umpteenth time in the glare of the camera lights, as he strolled into the hotel's lounge about 6:50 p.m. to drink with about 100 happy hour guests.
Within 10 minutes of working the room, the mayor had grabbed his first martini.
"No other mayor in the country lives the life I do," Goodman said at last week's martinifest at the Saloon Bar & Grill downtown. "This is what Las Vegas is all about. We're not teetotalers."
That we aren't. But some in Las Vegas have families with teenagers looking for role models with a more inspiring message than "drinking is fun." Others don't like the idea that the mayor may be encouraging people to drink and drive.
His carefree attitude carries over to his aides, who pump up the happy hour events like official city business.
Radio stations looking to boost ratings are quick to promote the functions as a community service.
Taverns selected to partake in martini madness gush over the rush of customers the mayor brings them.
And Goodman? Well he simply loves the attention. And the martinis.
Everyone is happy.
Goodman was his usual jovial self at the Saloon last week to celebrate the launching of a national magazine ad for the California Raisin Marketing Board. The Fremont Street Experience is the backdrop for the ad.
As the mayor sipped from his special 32-ounce martini glass, filled with 8 ounces of premium gin and vermouth (that's four regular martinis), he disputed claims that he was inviting irresponsible drinking and setting a bad example for the city's impressionable youth.
Then, with another sip and a grin on his face, he extolled the benefits of alcohol. Put a raisin in your martini, and you'll find the "ultimate" cure for gout, he laughed.
Soon Goodman's giant martini glass was nearly empty, and he looked a lot happier.
About 20 minutes later, after a photo op with one of the "California Dancing Raisins" and interviews with a couple of local television stations, Goodman was back at the bar with 8 more ounces of gin and vermouth perfectly blended in his glass.
When someone asked if that was his second humongous martini of the evening, the mayor smiled, set the glass on the bar and quipped, "I'm not telling," as he walked away to do a live radio interview.
He said his wife, Carolyn, had been given the assignment of driving him home that night.
Saloon Manager Todd Pellegrino believes people don't get upset with Goodman's image as a social drinker because they admire his candor.
"He's open about it," Pellegrino said. "We all like a drink after a long day at work, and we all know he has a long day."
They love Goodman so much at the Saloon that they've named a drink after him on the menu. It's called "The Oscar" -- a Bombay Sapphire Gin martini just the way the mayor likes it -- shaken, not stirred, with a splash of Cinzano Dry Vermouth and three anchovy-stuffed olives.
On Friday Bombay Sapphire is planning a celebration to kick off an advertising campaign with the mayor as the company's new pitchman. Half of the $100,000 Goodman receives to promote the premium gin goes to the city's coffers and the other half goes to the Meadows School, which his wife helped found.
How are Goodman and his new partner going to celebrate?
With more martinis at the Saloon, of course. It's expected to be the mayor's biggest booze bash yet, even pour onto Fremont Street. Goodman sent out invitations from City Hall this week with special T-shirts and miniature bottles of Bombay Sapphire Gin to get guests in a partying mood. The event is being billed by mayoral aides as the world's largest happy hour.
Anticipating a large turnout of friendly politicos, Goodman has made sure that designated drivers will be on hand to help those who soak up too much gin get home safely.
That has put a happy face on STOP DUI Director Sandy Heverly, a regular critic of such alcohol-fueled affairs.
"As long as he supports drinking responsibly and using designated drivers, we're not going to have heartburn over it," Heverly said.
But Heverly isn't convinced that martini madness is something the mayor should be pushing.
"Our concern is that these kinds of events turn into drunkfests, and that puts the rest of us who are on the roadways at risk," she said.
It doesn't seem to be a big enough risk, however, to wipe the smile off the happy mayor's face.
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