Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008 | 5:31 p.m.
Longtime Las Vegas resident, political candidate and citizen advocate Tom McGowan died today.
He was 76.
McGowan was defeated in the Ward D Clark County Commission County race by incumbent Lawrence Weekly in November. He also ran for mayor of Las Vegas in 2007 and finished second to Mayor Oscar Goodman, with less than 7 percent of the vote.
McGowan, a resident of downtown Las Vegas, was known for his frequent appearances at Las Vegas City Council and Clark County Commission meetings.
A former lounge singer, McGowan had the Las Vegas City Council Agenda mailed to his home and pored over it for hours in preparation for the council meetings.
His gravelly voice often rose to a wavering crescendo in challenge of elected officials during the public comment portion of the meetings.
Goodman praised the spirit of the advocate who was often the lone voice of public opposition on council matters.
“He spent sleepless nights preparing his critiques of how the city does business,” Goodman said. “Even though at times contentious, his suggestions were constructive and meaningful. I’ll miss the old fella.”
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