Goodman makes his (public) entrance

Sam Morris

Mayor Oscar Goodman speaks to reporters after Wednesday’s state Supreme Court hearing in Las Vegas on the city-Culinary case. Last week, some criticized his special security treatment at court.

By Jeff German (contact)

Thursday, April 16, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman now has to use the public entrance at the Regional Justice Center, but he still enjoys some preferential treatment.

After stirring up debate over courthouse security and favoritism last week by accessing a restricted entrance, an elevator the public is not allowed to use and the Nevada Supreme Court’s private hallways, Goodman on Wednesday came in through a front door.

The mayor and his entourage — including City Councilman Steve Wolfson, City Attorney Brad Jerbic and City Manager Betsy Fretwell — were greeted outside the courthouse by Metro Police officers, who escorted them inside.

The city leaders were allowed to bypass the metal detectors — a professional courtesy courthouse marshals extend to elected and other well-known public officials. (Courthouse employees have security badges and also don’t have to go through the metal detectors.)

As the mayor’s group walked briskly through the lobby to the public elevators, Goodman refused to talk about the special treatment he got during last week’s visit to Nevada Supreme Court, on the 17th floor.

On April 6, Goodman and City Councilmen Gary Reese and David Steinman were allowed to enter the courthouse through a loading dock, walk through a back hallway and take an employee elevator to a hearing in the city’s legal fight with the Culinary Union over two ballot initiatives. Once there, they were escorted through a private hallway into a conference room closed to the public to wait for the hearing to start.

The involvement of Metro officers this time added a new twist to the mayor’s protected status at the courthouse.

Three Metro officers, a city marshal and Lt. George Glasper, who oversees the courthouse marshals, accompanied Goodman’s group to a public elevator for a hearing on the ballot fight in the 11th floor courtroom of District Judge David Barker.

Courthouse sources said police were summoned because city marshals, as they did last week, had put the word out that there might be trouble with the Culinary Union.

Metro Sgt. Ray Reyes, one of the officers escorting Goodman and company, said police were asked to be prepared to provide crowd control. Officers, he said, were told that as many as 200 people might be on hand.

But just like last week, no crowd was there.

In Barker’s courtroom, the city contingent far outnumbered the Culinary Union. It was standing room only on the city’s side.

Six union members sat quietly in the first row on the other side.

One of them, Culinary Research Director Chris Bohner, said the union had not planned a large turnout for the hearing. He noted that even the media outnumbered the union.

The number of lawyers for each side was also lopsided.

The Culinary Union brought one attorney, Richard McCracken.

The city had a battery of lawyers on hand, some well known, including Dan Polsenberg and Mark Ferrario.