Goodman to back mayors’ resolutions

Monday, June 28, 2004 | 9:33 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is co-sponsoring several resolutions at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting that began Thursday in Boston, part of what he called a busy trip that also includes a presentation about downtown Las Vegas to Wall Street analysts and developers in New York.

Among the proposals at the Conference of Mayors meeting is the creation of a national registry for siblings separated in foster care.

"As a result of my law practice, I saw a lot of families over the years get separated, parents going to jail or becoming deceased, and kids becoming wards of the state and losing contact with their siblings," Goodman said. "I don't think that resolution will be hard to pass."

The mayors' conference is one of two annual meetings, although Goodman attends other group meetings throughout the year because of his position on the group's advisory board. He also is serving on the nominating committee, which recommends trustees and other advisory board members.

In addition to the foster care resolution expected to pass today, Goodman is co-sponsoring resolutions supporting universal standards for local radio systems that link emergency responders. Called interoperability, the idea is considered a key part of local emergency management and was brought to the fore after Sept. 11, 2001, when reviews of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York indicated that police and firefighters could not communicate properly.

He also is supporting a move to increase federal funding for after school programs.

"I'm a joint sponsor of that along with about 15 other mayors," Goodman said. "We need more money to have these after-school programs."

Over the weekend Goodman also was to speak to investors and developers in New York City, and not just to promote downtown redevelopment and the 61-acre site upon which the city hopes to create an urban village, performing arts center and medical complex.

Goodman said that it's important that Wall Street considers Las Vegas a good buy, so that when the city issues bonds it gets a better interest rate, which ultimately means taxpayers pay less for public works funded through bonds.

"When Moody's (the bond rating company) evaluates a city, they certainly are interested in seeing how Wall Street is feeling about the city," Goodman said.