Columnist Jeff German: LV news befits its tourism slogan

Friday, Dec. 19, 2003 | 5:30 a.m.

Jeff German's column appears Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the Sun. Reach him at german@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4067.

WEEKEND EDITION Dec. 20 - 21, 2003

IT WAS A wild year for news in Las Vegas, and much of it complemented our new national marketing campaign that incorporates the attributes of Sin City.

There has been mounting criticism of the $58 million "Vegas Stories" campaign, but tourism officials continue to defend it as something that is based in reality and luring visitors here in record numbers.

I've been reminded by the campaign's proponents that its slogan, "what happens here, stays here," has caught on and become part of the country's vernacular, repeated on late-night talk shows, morning network news programs and even prime time dramas.

It's an impressive accomplishment that leaves me with no choice but to jump on the bandwagon and wish the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority all the best in this campaign as it gears up to spend millions of dollars more in 2004 urging Americans to come here and fulfill their fantasies.

In the interest of the campaign's continued success, let me offer my friends at the LVCVA some suggestions for additional "Vegas Stories" that came to light this year.

Michael Burdick. As the man behind "Hunting for Bambi," he hoodwinked the local and national media into believing he was organizing paintball hunts of naked women in the Southern Nevada desert. In truth it was all a stunt to promote the sale of his videos depicting the make-believe jaunts. Why did the media bite? Because this could only happen in Las Vegas, or as Burdick himself put it, "Where (else) can you get the press I've generated?"

Erin Kenny. The former county commissioner lowered the bar of propriety for local politicians in a way that ashamed even Las Vegas. FBI agents secretly recorded her telling a lobbyist for former strip club operator Michael Galardi that she was desperate for cash in her failing campaign for lieutenant governor in 2002. "I'm begging now ... I'm on my knees begging," she said. Is there a better sound bite than that to illustrate how politics is conducted in Sin City?

Michael Galardi. He has pleaded guilty to bribing elected officials in Las Vegas and San Diego and, as a government witness, has admitted to spreading hundreds of thousands of dollars around town for political favors involving his topless clubs. I can already picture Galardi dressed in a dark pinstriped suit, with a half-naked female dancer on each arm and a cigar in his mouth, doing an LVCVA-approved infomercial explaining the art of the bribe, Las Vegas style.

Bobbie Wilkie. At his sentencing he claimed he had no idea that he and his buddies were doing something wrong when they dug up thousands of valuable Native American artifacts in one of the largest cases of archaeological looting of all time. "Sometimes we'd go out and go camping and sometimes we'd go out and go artifact hunting," he told the judge. Now that's an adventure worthy of LVCVA hype.

Sandy Murphy. If District Judge Joseph Bonaventure springs her from the slammer on Monday to prepare for her retrial on charges of killing casino owner Ted Binion, she'll be free to make immediate public appearances on behalf of the LVCVA.

With her new demure look, she'll be able to tell visitors that, if they get into too much trouble here, they can always spend a little time in prison to cleanse their souls.

Franklyn Perry. He said he was an FBI informant, but in reality he was a big-time scam artist, defrauding people all over the world in a massive pyramid scheme. When Metro Police busted him, they found $23 million in cash in his Las Vegas home.

Perry pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges and, in return, a slew of sexual assault and child pornography charges were dropped. At his sentencing he reminded those he conned of a slogan the LVCVA also apparently forgot: "If it's too good to be true, it probably is."