Mayor finds way to fit through loophole

Dan Kulin

Thursday, March 9, 2006 | 7:18 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman has no plans to release any financial information related to his political action committee - and he might not have to.

OPAC, short for Oscar's Political Action Committee, has been billed as a nonpolitical PAC. The mayor has said the money it receives would primarily be spent promoting Las Vegas, paying expenses such as his trips to other cities.

Goodman, who is often mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate or governor, said while the PAC might eventually be used to support political candidates, there are no immediate plans to use the money that way.

And so long as OPAC refrains from contributing to any political campaigns, issues or candidates, it will not trigger financial disclosure rules.

By law, a PAC has to file financial reports only after it becomes involved in politics. So, by staying nonpolitical, the mayor's PAC can keep its donors and expenses a secret.

When OPAC was created, Goodman's representatives said the PAC's finances would be "transparent."

However, Goodman now says he does not want the information made public out of concern that some members of the media would try to misrepresent it if it was released.

A block of boarded-up houses in downtown Las Vegas is slightly less of an eyesore now that the city has demolished four of the buildings.

And while it is unclear exactly when the remaining buildings will come down, a representative for the owner said it could be soon.

The demolished buildings, in the 300 block of North Sixth Street, were purchased by the city to secure land for a possible expansion of City Hall, a plan now on hold.

The four remaining boarded-up buildings are owned by Tamares Las Vegas Partners, which bought the property from Barrick Gaming last summer. Tamares managing member Michael Treanor said the company has bids from demolition companies to tear down its buildings.

"I can't say if it will be two months or seven months," Treanor said. He added that while the company has not officially given the go-ahead for demolition, he expects it will happen "in short order."

It cannot happen soon enough for neighbors, who have complained that the vacant buildings attract the homeless and are eyesores.

The buildings, which are within roughly 200 yards of City Hall, are among 10 downtown buildings that the city is demolishing or already has razed.

Two of the buildings are on the 500 block of McWilliams Street next to the city's Neon Bone Yard Museum, and four are on Seventh Street.

The demolitions cost the city $120,950.

A ceremonial groundbreaking today will launch construction of the $38.9 million Centennial Hills Community Center.

The 98,000-square-foot complex in the growing northwest valley is to include two gymnasiums, three pools - one indoor and two outdoor - and teen and senior centers.

The center, near Deer Springs Way and Buffalo Drive, is scheduled to open in summer 2007.