Ethics complaint targets mayor

Judy Odierna

Friday, March 14, 2003 | 11:14 a.m.

A Clark County resident has filed a complaint with the state Ethics Commission against Mayor Oscar Goodman, alleging that Goodman should have disclosed his relationship with the Crazy Horse Too strip club before a vote taken at a city meeting last October.

Robert Rose alleges that when Albert J. Rapuano came before the city seeking a tavern liquor license to be a manager for the Crazy Horse Too, Goodman should have disclosed his relationship with people who work at the club, including club owner Rick Rizzolo.

The complaint adds that Goodman should have disclosed his relationship with others associated with the establishment, such as Tom Letizia, one of Goodman's campaign managers who has done advertising work for the Crazy Horse Too.

The complaint does not suggest Goodman had a relationship with Rapuano. Rose instead alleges Eckley Keach, a former partner in Goodman's law firm, once represented a Crazy Horse Too manager named Vinny Falaci and former casino owner Fred Doumani, who Rose alleges is a business associate of Rizzolo.

Rapuano is a former Riviera president and chief operating officer who has been investigated by the state Gaming Control Board on allegations of connections to the mob. Councilman Michael McDonald did not vote on the item because of his longtime friendship with Rizzolo.

Jim Ferrence, Goodman's other campaign manager, said they are treating the complaint as an election issue.

"It is a baseless complaint written in gibberish by a total moron who has never filed a complaint that wasn't campaign related," Ferrence said. "We will not be dignifying the complaint with a response other than to say the Ethics Commission will dismiss the complaint out of hand."

Rose said that he decided to file the complaint following recent incidents involving the Crazy Horse, including a raid of the establishment by federal and local law enforcement in February.

"I decided too much has been going on and nobody is being held accountable for their actions," he said. "The associations that have been going on there should at least have been a disclosed by the mayor."

The state commission does not comment on whether complaints have been filed.

Craig Walton, professor and program coordinator of ethics and policy studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said disclosure by elected officials in Las Vegas should happen if there could be even a perception of impropriety.

"I think you should disclose when you know there is room for eyebrows to go up," Walton said. "There's always innuendo and cynicism out there and some bad cases that have happened. Some of the people in the community are really dubious about honesty of government. What do you do? Maybe disclose a little more just to make it obvious to everyone and put any doubts to rest."

This isn't the first ethics complaint Rose has filed. He has also made complaints against former Las Vegas Mayor Jan Jones, McDonald, and Clark County building officials.

One of his complaints that led to charges was against Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates over her involvement with McCarran International Airport concession contracts. The Ethics Commission found that Gates had violated the state ethics law.

Rose says he's not confident that his complaint against Goodman will prove a violation.

"If they figure he should have disclosed, they will tell him he should have disclosed," Rose said. "There will be no penalty, just government in the sunshine. When I feel something is not as it should be, I think they should answer to the public."

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