Mayor’s bank account is millions away from being campaign ready

Dan Kulin

Friday, Jan. 20, 2006 | 8:25 a.m.

If Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is planning to run for higher office this year, his campaign bank account isn't showing it.

The "happiest mayor in the world" has been mentioned in the media and polls as a possible candidate for governor or senator. But while most of those already with their hats in those rings built campaign war chests of seven figures, Goodman's campaign account reported a total of $142,833 at the end of 2005.

Those in and around City Hall and politics do not believe Goodman would have trouble raising a lot of money if he did launch a bid for governor or the U.S. Senate. To date, the mayor has coyly not said yes or no to a run for either office.

But barring a significant influx of his personal wealth -- an unlikely scenario -- the mayor would need to launch a campaign with a few big-time fundraisers.

Former Councilman Michael Mack, executive director of the mayor's political action committee called OPAC, said fundraising would not be a problem if Goodman decided to run.

"Overnight we'd have a million bucks," he said.

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There was a rare Mack sighting at council chambers Wednesday.

Mack made his first return to a council meeting since leaving office in July -- this time as a spectator.

Mack sat through about an hour of the afternoon session of the meeting, catching the beginning of the discussion about a high-rise project that involved land being sold by Nevada Attorney General George Chanos.

The former councilman said he stopped by to check on a couple of land-use items involving a client of his, the Montecito Cos., and some other matters on the agenda he would not discuss.

Since deciding not to seek re-election and leaving the council, Mack has been working as a real estate agent for Dyson & Dyson.

All former elected officials are barred from lobbying the council for one year after leaving office. Even after his one-year anniversary, Mack said, he does not plan on taking on lobbying work.

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Four historic railroad cottages have been moved from downtown Las Vegas to their new home at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, the city announced earlier this week.

The cottages were built in the early 1900s when Las Vegas life centered around the railroad. The single-story, 700-square-foot houses were where the top railroad managers stationed here lived.

About 65 cottages once filled the oldest parts of downtown, but today only about a dozen remain, including those that have been moved.

Since last summer, four cottages have been moved to the Springs Preserve, where they will be renovated and prepared to be part of a historical display there.

Those cottages could be ready for the public in late 2007. The Springs Preserve, situated on 180 acres on Valley View Boulevard between U.S. 95 and Alta Drive, is expected to open in mid-2007. The area is considered the birthplace of Las Vegas because of the springs there that sustained early settlers.

Springs Preserve spokesman Jesse Davis said the four cottages could cost about $100,000 each to restore and prepare for exhibition. Federal dollars and other grants are being sought to fund the project.

It cost about $35,000 to move each of the cottages from downtown to the Springs Preserve. That money came from the city, the Las Vegas Centennial Committee, the Rotary Club of Las Vegas, the Cashman Foundation and the American Public Works Association.

Dan Kulin can be reached at 259-8826 or at dan@lasvegassun.com.