Mayor taps trainer for key post

Dan Kulin

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2004 | 11 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman wants to hire his personal fitness trainer to run his City Hall office and replace his current chief of staff, who is engaged to one of the mayor's sons, city officials said Monday.

Frank Butterfield, 44, a Las Vegas native and the man who says he helped the mayor lose about 40 pounds, said his qualifications for the position include "25 years of business experience, marketing, managing and running my own business."

From 1985 to 1990 Butterfield was executive director of the Las Vegas Athletic Clubs where he oversaw 120 employees as well as the hiring and employee training for the fitness clubs. Then Butterfield spent two years as an events manager for Nike, organizing a marketing program to boost sales of sneakers.

He was also self-employed as a traveling motivational speaker from 1990 to 1998, giving talks on workplace and personal motivation, according to Butterfield and his city job application.

"He's done special events, management, and supervised individuals," Deputy City Manager Betsy Fretwell said. "Plus, one of the key things, he has a relationship with the person he's going to work with. That relationship is important as well."

Goodman was not available for comment Monday afternoon, city spokeswoman Diana Paul said.

The City Council is expected to vote on ratifying Butterfield's hiring during its Dec. 15 meeting. The mayor and each council member have personal staff they essentially handpick with the consent of city management and their fellow elected officials. Those city employees -- three for each council member and four for the mayor -- are all required to apply for those positions and pass background and drug tests, Fretwell said.

Butterfield would replace Stephanie Boixo, who is resigning effective Jan. 1. Boixo has said she's resigning because she is engaged to Goodman's son Eric. City rules forbid family members from supervising each other.

Boixo could not be reached for comment Monday. Her office said she was out of town.

Boixo, a former student body president at UNLV, was one of three people Goodman brought with him to the mayor's office after he was elected in 1999.

Boixo began working for the city on June 28, 1999, as an executive assistant to the mayor making $45,000 a year. Her salary now is $71,934 a year, according to city records.

Boixo announced her resignation about a month after she quit a city committee responsible for evaluating downtown redevelopment proposals, citing potential conflicts. At that time another Goodman son, Ross, was working to buy a piece of downtown property next to a city redevelopment project site. That purchase did not happen, and now Ross Goodman and his partner in the prospective purchase are suing the property owner.

Butterfield said he has spoken with Boixo about working for the mayor.

"I'll be there to make his office run as smooth as possible," he said.

Butterfield he expects to deal with constituent concerns and managing the mayor's office as supervisor to three other positions there. But ultimately, he said, "my job is to do what the mayor wants to have done."

For the past five years, Butterfield has organized special projects and events plus been a personal trainer and fitness instructor for the Las Vegas Athletic Clubs.

And since Oct. 2002, Butterfield has also been Goodman's personal trainer.

He accompanies Goodman on early morning walks Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and has put the mayor on a new diet -- "No bread, no pasta, no fried foods, but all the fruits, vegetables, meat and fish he wants," Butterfield said.

Butterfield expects to start his $60,000-a-year city job on Dec. 15, the same day the council is expected to vote on his hiring. Butterfield's official job title would be council liaison II, Riggleman said, adding that is also Boixo's title, although she and several of her predecessors have called themselves chief of staff.

Butterfield said he spoke with Goodman about the position several times.

"When I heard Stephanie was leaving I said I was interested. ... I think it will be a good fit," he said. "The opportunity to work for him is what is interesting to me.

"I know what his schedule and life is like from when I train with him. ... Now I get to see what his life is like from the other side."

Butterfield was called to City Hall on Friday where he met with Fretwell and filled out a job application. Butterfield was the only one who filled out an application for the position, Riggleman said.

Butterfield said he would continue training a few of his clients, including the mayor, if and when he comes to work for the city. He said that work would be done outside of his city hours, and he would not say who his other clients are.