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Sunday, March 13, 2011 | 3 a.m.
Carolyn Goodman speaks at a Las Vegas mayoral debate sponsored by various neighborhood associations Tuesday, February 22, 2011.
Sun archives
- Job creation Steve Ross' reason for running for mayor (3-11-2011)
- Mayoral candidates use debate to try to break from pack (3-10-2011)
- Larry Brown going grass-roots with mayoral campaign (3-9-2011)
- Carolyn Goodman: ‘I’m pretty good with a mop. I have four children’ (3-2-2011)
- Candidates for Las Vegas mayor debate behind closed doors (2-23-2011)
- Mayoral candidate Carolyn Goodman's motive — the spotlight or Las Vegas' future? (2-23-2011)
- Little disagreement among candidates at mayoral debate (2-22-2011)
- Carolyn Goodman leads by huge margin in first poll of race to succeed her husband (2-5-2011)
- Carolyn Goodman says she, not Oscar, would call shots if elected mayor (2-3-2011)
- Las Vegas mayoral race drawing a crowd (2-3-2011)
- Carolyn Goodman, wife of Oscar Goodman, enters Las Vegas mayor race (2-2-2011)
- Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani announces run for Las Vegas mayor (2-2-2011)
- Retired car salesman enters Las Vegas mayoral race (2-1-2011)
- Steve Ross, Larry Brown file in Las Vegas mayoral race (1-31-2011)
- Fifth candidate files in Las Vegas mayoral race (1-28-2011)
- Las Vegas mayoral race draws three candidates (1-25-2011)
For the past five years, Las Vegas Councilman Steve Ross was one of Mayor Oscar Goodman’s loyal foot soldiers — a consistent vote in support of the mayor’s agenda.
Even after Goodman walked into Ross’ office five weeks ago and dropped a bombshell — Goodman’s wife, Carolyn, would run for mayor despite promises to the contrary — Ross refused to denigrate his buddy.
“He was more concerned about how I feel,” Ross said of the mayor at the time.
Last week, the lovefest — or at least the feigned politeness — ended as Ross lobbed the first attack in what to that point had been a friendly race.
It was directed squarely at the Goodmans: “Is Carolyn good with a mop? With 50,000 Las Vegans out of a job ... Oscar is leaving a big mess to clean up,” Ross said via Twitter.
Carolyn Goodman took the jab in stride, noting that Ross had voted with her husband so often that their council records are, for all intents and purposes, identical.
The mayor declined to respond. “Water off a duck’s back,” he said.
Ross didn’t let up. On Wednesday, he accused Carolyn Goodman of saying her husband’s policies hurt the Clark County School District.
On Thursday, he said Las Vegas leads the nation in unemployment because the mayor isn’t focused on jobs.
The attacks foreshadow more of what is to come in the mayoral race. With 18 candidates vying for two spots in the general election, candidates are pulling out all the stops to secure a victory.
Early primary voting starts Saturday. The primary is April 5. Provided no candidate secures more than
50 percent of the vote, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the June general election.
Polls have consistently shown Ross in fourth place, behind Goodman and Clark County Commissioners Larry Brown and Chris Giunchigliani.
His pointed commentary reflects his standing. Ross needs to do something to change the dynamics if he wants to stay in the race.
Ross said he’s only trying to set the record straight.
“I don’t think I’ve done any negative ads. I think what I’ve done is brought out the facts,” he said. But he admitted, “the gloves are off.”
“I’m a fighter,” he said. “I have no problem getting my hands dirty. If that’s what it’s going to take, to go out into the parking lot and scuff a bit to teach someone the truth, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Ross has focused solely on the Goodmans. Carolyn Goodman is the candidate to beat, and Ross is likely still upset that she’s in the race.
“The best way to get attention is going after the front-runner,” UNLV political scientist Dave Damore said. “And she’s not going to attack back. It’s not her style, and she doesn’t need to acknowledge him. She’s got the money, she’s got the support. She wants to do nothing to change the dynamics of the race.”
Although voters say they don’t like negative campaigns, mudslinging does have an effect. In the mayoral race, the leading candidates sound similar, advocating downtown redevelopment and a need for economic diversification.
Ross’ jabs could set him apart.
“They are going to have to go after each other,” said political consultant Sig Rogich, who is not involved in the mayoral race. “They all know they are in a tough primary.”
Early on, all of the leading candidates said they would not start a war of words, but all vowed to respond if targeted.
Attacking early in a campaign is difficult with a field of 18, five or six of whom are contenders. Campaigns run the risk of attacking the wrong candidate, someone who wouldn’t advance anyway, or taking jabs at too many opponents and turning voters off.
That will likely change when the field is down to two and the free-for-all becomes a head-to-head battle. Then both candidates left standing will likely start throwing blows.
It's a shame Las Vegas voters, or the ones being polled by this newspaper and the RJ, place Carolyn Goodman as a front runner. The sad truth is, we have a pool of weak candidates running for mayor. It seems whoever is elected we are dome to have the same static situation going on at City Hall.
Longtimevegan,
The real shame is that those running will not produce facts and details about their "plans". That is the same tactic that Mr. Sandoval used and we now are seeing what good that did us voting him into office.
Mr. Ross stood by Mr. Goodman every step of the way so he really needs to step up and take just as much responsibility for the condition of the city as anyone else at this point.
Anyone that believes the Mayor is the reason for the high unemployment is not living int he real world. The Mayor has little control over real private sector jobs and we don't need any more government jobs at this point.
Why are the polls showing Ms. Goodman in the lead? Look at the other choices we have. ;-(
I equate Carolyns lead with the same logic Harry Reid was re-elected. It was either him, or that other crazy person.
Scumbag politics. Perhaps Mr. Ross should provide a plan for getting jobs and fixing the financial problem that every city in the nation is faced with instead of putting the blame on other poeple. To get my vote, you need to look to the future and not the past.
No doubt Steve wants jobs for Las Vegas. Only overpaid Union jobs.
The days of high pay, high rise work is over, Steve. We're looking at 10 years of stagnancy. At best. A vote for Steve is a vote for no change. Keep paying your dues, Union members, we need to keep Steve at his bulbous best. Time to move on, guys.
Want to see what the candidates are really like behind the scenes? http://chrisglive.com
It's unfortunate the press has ignored the candidates with business backgrounds, and focuses only on politicians in office running for Mayor. The press has been influencing public opinion by this emphasis. So if the public believes who the press wants them to vote for, there will be a continuation of "business as usual" here, which has been a failure. I am one of the only candidates to offer specific solutions, using a business background in real estate and finance, who is against using public funds, which is all they seem to do. Here' a recipe for more diastrous policies, cut and tax. Because politicians are not thinking in a business mode, which is to create new sources of revenue, and cut taxes, the opposite of what they are doing. This is what we need to stimulate our local economy, plus a sharp ordinance I proposed on www.knpr.org to stop the ocean of foreclosures. For more, see www.friendsofmarlene.com. You will be paying for this public funding for the next 20 years. We cannot afford to continue these policies, so how about out with the old, in with the new, as in ideas. Marlene Rogoff, Candidate for Mayor of Las Vegas.