Saturday, May 20, 2006 | 7:30 a.m.
Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman might very well be the city's No. 1 cheerleader, but his civic rah-rahs were a little overzealous earlier this week, in the eyes of some members of a task force charged with evaluating the possibility of a new events arena.
The task force - composed of local business executives, event organizers, UNLV officials and local government staffers who were jointly appointed by the City Council and county commissioners - met for the first time Thursday.
The group's first order of business, it turned out, was to dodge one of the overly eager mayor's proverbial pompom thrusts - his attempt to introduce an arena builder before the task force had even decided whether a new arena was a good idea.
Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid kicked off the meeting by telling task force members how important it was to allow the process to be led by the public, unfettered by politics.
"When you have a difficult issue that involves public interest, the best thing to do is to involve the public in the dialogue," Reid said. "We don't have any preconceived notions about what the answers should be. And you shouldn't bring your preconceived notions with you when you come to these meetings. Leave them at the door."
But Goodman did just that when he took the podium.
He announced that he had received proposals from two groups interested in building a new arena in Las Vegas with private money and bringing an NHL hockey team to town.
"I have received two overtures from very substantial folks with all sorts of money," Goodman said. "These are serious, serious people. They've been involved with projects of a like nature."
He said he wanted the task force to begin discussions with the groups.
"I really feel there should be this screening process where you get involved," he told the task force.
But to members, Goodman's suggestions would have introduced an answer before the appropriate questions on the arena issue had even been asked.
"I would prefer they stay in the wings," Pat Christenson, chairman of the task force and president of Las Vegas Events, told Goodman.
Even after the rebuff, Goodman persisted.
"They are on the fast track," he said of the two parties. "I just don't want to lose them."
"At this point, we're not comfortable," Christenson said.
Such influence so early out of the gates is dangerous to the very process Goodman helped put in place, task force members said.
"That probably would contaminate the process with some preconceived ideas," said task force member Virginia Valentine, assistant Clark County manager. "That would be starting at the end."
Christenson elaborated after the meeting.
"There are a lot of cities that have franchises drop in their lap, but they are not armed with any of the facts," he said. "We want to understand before we are approached by anyone what the facts are and what the economic impact of a team would be. Otherwise, the team does the research and it becomes a situation where the approval process starts with that side's information."
Task force member Karlos LaSane II, regional vice president of government relations for Harrah's Entertainment Inc., agreed.
"I've always been a fan of the mayor being Las Vegas' No. 1 fan," he said. "He wants to close the deal. I know he's been getting phone calls daily. But we have to do our due diligence."
Reid, who left after his welcome message and did not hear Goodman's presentation, said he didn't think the mayor acted inappropriately.
"I don't think he undermined the process in any way," he said. "I think that Mayor Goodman has always been an excellent cheerleader for Las Vegas and (in) the past he has tried to bring people to town that wouldn't otherwise come here. He's going to continue to do it - he can't help himself."
Goodman said he would work on a "parallel basis" with the task force and continue discussions with parties interested in the project.
"I'm not going to let a live one get away," he said.
Goodman's attempt to influence the process isn't inappropriate because he ultimately allowed the task force to decide what to do with his suggestions, said E. Lee Bernick, a UNLV professor and chairman of the school's Public Administration Department.
"It sounds like he may be trying to influence the decisions," Bernick said. "They appropriately did not go for that."
After Goodman left, the task force established a scope for its work and authorized city staff to choose a consultant to advise the group.
The city and county have each committed $200,000 for that purpose.
Anyone interested in constructing an arena or bringing a team to town will be referred to the consultant, the task force decided.
City and county officials formed the group out of concern that Las Vegas might lose prestigious shows and events to other cities without a new cutting-edge facility, potentially losing millions of dollars for the local economy.
The first question the task force must answer is whether UNLV's 25-year-old Thomas & Mack Center should be renovated or whether a new arena should be constructed. Most officials, however, already support a new venue.
The task force will study the costs and benefits of different scenarios, including how to finance the project, where to build it and whether a professional sports franchise would blend well with the hundreds of other special events that the city hosts every year, such as rodeo and boxing events.
The task force plans to hire a consultant by mid-June and make recommendations to county, city and university officials by Sept. 14.
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