Goodman has his favorites

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, May 31, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.

The showgirls are a must. And Elvis, sure, bring him, too.

Whether taking his Las Vegas boosterism on the road, announcing the latest convention coup or throwing a party for visiting politicians and business leaders, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is always certain to bring along two or three living symbols of the city's entertainment tradition.

"They refresh me," the mayor said. "We celebrate our history here and they're part of it."

Although Goodman wouldn't admit to having any favorites, behind the makeup and under the headdress - or sporting the long sideburns - there's a special showgirl and one hunka-hunka Elvis who have caught most of the work with the mayor in recent years.

Porsha Revesz, a 26-year-old full-time model, has worn the headdress for nearly all of the mayor's magazine photo shoots. And Jesse Garon, a Dallas native who has been playing a slim version of the king of rock 'n' roll for 14 years, is usually the other glittery bookend flanking the mayor.

Both will be on display for the coming U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting Friday through Tuesday in Las Vegas .

"People now have come to expect that wherever he goes he'll have showgirls and Elvis with him," said Revesz, familiar to many Las Vegans as the blonde in a pink dress on Studio 54's eye-catching billboards.

Revesz has been working with the mayor for about two years, averaging about two events - either press conferences or photos - a month with Goodman.

Her job is to be tall - at 5-feet, 10-inches, an easy task - pretty - also easy, as anyone who has seen the billboards can attest - and sometimes, to make small talk.

Garon's duties also might include a little singing.

But if either has an embarrassing story to tell about the mayor, they aren't sharing.

"The man's a publicity genius," Garon said. "When you've got a showgirl and Elvis with you, they ain't going to miss you. Plus, he's fun to work with because he drinks, so he doesn't mind if you do, although it doesn't go with the pills."

"Just a little Elvis joke," he added.

Garon, 35, has been the mayor's Elvis for about four years, and averages about one gig a month with Goodman.

Revesz and Garon would not say how much they get paid to appear with the mayor. But according to city and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority figures, each event costs anywhere from about $550 to $1,600, depending on how long an event lasts, how many showgirls are brought in - there's always at least two, but sometimes a few more - and whether Garon/Elvis is summoned.

Goodman's showgirls' and Elvis' tab with the Las Vegas Centennial Committee was $22,873 for 15 events. The city also has spent $1,800 for two events, and is on the hook for another $1,125 for two nights of entertaining mayors and business leaders attending a shopping center convention.

The LVCVA also pitches in. During the last 11 months, it spent about $13,000 for showgirls and Elvis to accompany Goodman, who is chairman of the tourism agency.

"Obviously the showgirls and Elvis are icons of Las Vegas," LVCVA spokesman Vince Alberta said. "And we're going to have those marquees there with him because of our marketing strategy."

And it does seem to draw attention to the attention-loving mayor.

Revesz said that while some out-of-town politicians are hesitant to have their photo taken with a showgirl, it's usually a picture-taking and media frenzy when they hit a new city.

"For the baseball winter meetings we arrived in a limo," Revesz said about a late 2004 trip to Anaheim, Calif. "And as soon as we stepped out we were swarmed. We could barely walk.

"Everywhere we go it's something. I think it's just that we're Vegas icons. When you see showgirls and Elvis, people think Las Vegas without you even having to say anything."

Goodman said the showgirls and Elvis bring the crowds and the attention to him - and also to Las Vegas.

"The first thing they wanted to do was take pictures with me and the showgirls," Goodman said of the fellow mayors at a recent reception at his home.

But Goodman said he has one more twist in mind for the coming Conference of Mayors.

"I'm going to have Chippendales (dancers) for the female mayors," the mayor said.

$22,873

Goodman's showgirls' and Elvis' tab with the Las Vegas Centennial Committee for 15 events

$1,800

Amount city spent for two more events

$1,125

Amount city owes for two nights of entertaining mayors and business leaders attending a shopping center convention

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