Of Rats
and Men: Oscar Goodman's Life from Mob Mouthpiece to Mayor of Las Vegas by John L. Smith Hardcover: 419 pages
Publisher: Huntington Press (October 1, 2003)
ISBN: 0929712986
The 19th mayor of the city of Las Vegas, Oscar B.
Goodman was re-elected for a second four-year term in April 2003. His trademark
no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is style helped him capture 86 percent of the vote
during his re-election efforts.
Mayor Goodman has been a champion of downtown revitalization, focusing his efforts on
creating a downtown urban village filled with small businesses, boutiques, fine
restaurants, bookstores and an art component where the public can have social
dialogue and exchange ideas. “Like it or not, downtown is the core of our city,
the heart and soul of southern Nevada, and without a healthy inner core,
city will rot from the inside out,” Goodman has stated.
During his first term, Goodman was successful in acquiring a 61-acre parcel
in downtown Las Vegas without having to use eminent domain. In addition,
the mayor played an integral part in getting the first Class A office
building built in the downtown area in more than 20 years and he worked
to acquire the historic downtown post office, which will be used for a
downtown cultural center. Goodman has also led efforts to develop both
an Arts District and an Entertainment District.
The self-proclaimed “happiest mayor in the world,” Goodman was born
and raised in Philadelphia, graduating from Haverford College and
receiving his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
He has become one of the city’s premier criminal defense attorneys,
having been named one of the “15 Best Trial Lawyers in America” by
the National Law Journal. He has also been featured in numerous
publications such as Of Rats and Men and even portrayed himself
in the movie Casino. Mayor Goodman also serves on the Advisory
Board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Goodman and his wife of 42 years, Carolyn, moved to Las Vegas in
1964 with $87 in their pockets. The couple raised four children
in Las Vegas, with three of the four now calling Las Vegas their
home. All were educated in Las Vegas and went on to acquire college
and graduate level degrees. “When Carolyn and I came here, Las Vegas
was truly a land of opportunity,” the mayor says. “You could establish
a career, make something for yourself and enjoy a great quality of life.
I want to make sure that never changes.”
Oscar B. Goodman is best known for being Mayor of Las
Vegas, Nevada and attorney to some of Las Vegas' most famous 'Mob'
affiliates.
Born and Raised: Oscar Baylin Goodman
was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 26, 1939, to a city
prosecutor and his wife, a sculptor.
Education: He received an undergraduate
degree from Haverford College in 1961. Haverford College is an
undergraduate liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania.
Haverford is known for its academic excellence, which places it in
the top ranks of private liberal arts colleges. He received his law
degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1964.
Las Vegas Timeline: Oscar Goodman moved
to Las Vegas in 1964. Admitted to the Nevada Bar Association in
1965, he served as Chief Deputy Public Defender in Clark County from
1966 to 1967. As a defense attorney, Goodman represented several
organized crime affiliates such as Meyer Lansky, Tony 'The Ant'
Spilatro and Frank 'Lefty' Rosenthal. He is a senior partner in the
law firm of Goodman Chesnoff & Keach. He was elected mayor in 1999
and was re-elected for a second term in 2003.
Family: Goodman and Carolyn, his wife of 42
years, have raised four children in Las Vegas, three of whom
continue to call the city home.
His Honor The Mayor: 'If Oscar Goodman
handles the city as well as he has handled his law business, we will
have a well organized, highly prosperous city. Not having been
previously in city politics, or any politics, he has a good bit to
learn. But, who could be more up to the task? Remember, he don't
need this job, he 'wants this job'.
Goodman made no brash promises during his campaign. His web site
solicited advice on issues that he thought important. Based on his
background, one would think that he would be very good at
investigating city problems and excellent in negotiating to resolve
them.
The image? This is the post-Monica era in politics. What kind of
image does it take to get a person out of office or prevent one from
getting into office. Clinton congratulated Goodman in getting
elected. One is a president and lawyer who 'erred' morally. The
other is a darned good lawyer who happened to make a name for
himself defending Spilotro and Rosenthal. Defense lawyers defend
criminals. It's their job. Whether the criminals are famous or mob
members is not relevant
Our town has a reputation of being born of the Mafia, Sin City,
yada, yada, yada. Does any of that stop 30 million visitors a year?
Or, is that the reason they come?'
I wrote those lines in an article which I published online in
1999, when Oscar Goodman took office as Mayor. I believe that he has
proven to be a memorable Mayor of Las Vegas. There never seems to
have been a dull moment around the man, whether he is mouthing ideas
for rejuvenating downtown or representing the city at a function,
Goodman is a bulldog in his quest to make his beloved city a better
place to live and raise a family.
What
Happens in Vegas...
All
starts with its flamboyant mayor, Oscar
Goodman.
"An Incredible Booster for
the City" Only in Las Vegas could a
mass wedding be held right next door to a coroners
convention. "I call it 100 weddings and a funeral,"
jokes the mayor, toastmaster at the Once Upon 100
Weddings gala.
Welcome to the zany, never-boring world of
Oscar Goodman, the mob-lawyer-turned-mayor of Sin
City. "I don't take myself too seriously," he says.
"And I do everything to excess." He gambles daily,
downs premium gin and speaks his mind -- not exactly
the m.o. of a successful politician. Despite his
unorthodox ways, he gets results. Since his 1999
election, Goodman, 67, has brought life to Vegas's
seedy downtown. He hopes to "Manhattanize" the area
with residential and office towers, a performing
arts center, a new city hall, a medical research
center, and a Major League ballpark -- his very own
Jewel of the Desert. His critics don't bet against
him.
With 5,000 new residents and 1,500 homes built each
month, Clark County, where Las Vegas is situated, is
booming. Goodman will do almost anything to fuel
that growth. He travels the country touting the
allure of Vegas and helps arrange creative financing
for willing investors. His wheeling and dealing has
resulted in the development of a successful premium
outlet mall and huge furniture mart. And the city
signed a deal last December with Newland
Communities, a multibillion-dollar developer, to
convert 61 barren acres of the downtown area into
Goodman's Jewel. "It's my legacy," he says.
Behind the wheel of his silver Mercedes, Goodman,
acting as a tour guide, points to an art-deco condo
project and a block-long creek dubbed Oscar's River.
"There hadn't been a new office building downtown
for 25 years. Now they're popping up all over the
place," he says. Like a modern-day P. T. Barnum in a
pinstriped suit and a red show-girl-patterned tie,
he is a walking ad for the city -- and himself. He
hands out casino chips with his face on them, and
his office is lined with Oscar bobble-head dolls and
photos of himself with everyone from Robert De Niro
to Michael Jackson. He's had cameo roles in CSI
and Las Vegas.
"He may be the best actor in politics," comments
Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston. "He is an
incredible booster for the city, but he doesn't
always set the best example."
A True Showman
When Goodman announced his candidacy in 1999, the
Las Vegas Review-Journal declared, "Anybody but
Oscar," calling him "a barrister to butchers," a
reference to his days defending mobsters. Still,
voters gave him landslide victories in 1999 and
again in 2003. "Oscar is a great character who has
great character," says pal Donald Trump. "He cuts
others to ribbons in terms of personality."
"I'm not a phony," says Goodman. His biggest
nemesis, he admits, is his own mouth. Last year,
when a fourth-grader asked what he would take to a
deserted island, he created a furor by responding,
"A bottle of gin."
"The kid asked a question. I gave him an answer,"
Goodman explains. A few months later, he raised
eyebrows again by photographing and posing with
Playmate Irina Voronina for playboy.com. "My wife
says, 'As long as you're happy, that's all I want.'
She knows I would never cheat."
Carolyn Goodman, 67, advises her husband to keep his
mouth shut but knows better than to rein him in.
"The serious side of him is very serious," she says.
"He is well read and artistic, but he loves to push
the limits."
Goodman grew up in West Philadelphia, the son of a
prosecutor and a bohemian artist. In his early 20s,
he considered becoming a rabbi. He met Carolyn when
she was at Bryn Mawr and he was at Haverford
College; they married in 1962. After graduating from
the University of Pennsylvania law school, Goodman
worked for then-Philadelphia Assistant D.A. Arlen
Specter (now a U.S. Senator). While preparing a
case, he interviewed a pair of Las Vegas cops who
convinced him that Sin City held great promise for a
young lawyer. So in 1964, with $87 between them,
Oscar and Carolyn moved to the desert, where they
raised four adopted children, now grown. In their
new hometown one night, Oscar and Carolyn were at a
blackjack table when a call came into the pit. "Does
anybody know the best criminal lawyer in Vegas?" the
pit boss shouted.
"I don't know if he does criminal work, but Oscar
Goodman is a helluva nice kid," responded a dealer,
who was one of his bankruptcy clients.
Thus Goodman began representing a series of
mobsters, including Meyer Lansky, Natale "Big Chris"
Richichi, and Anthony "The Ant" Spilotro, an
"enforcer" suspected of some 25 murders. He was so
jittery during his first mob trial that he threw up
on the courthouse steps. He won acquittals for
Spilotro on numerous charges, including the
notorious M&M murders, in which a Chicago gangster's
head was clamped in a vise. Now, from his City Hall
office, Goodman looks out at the former courthouse
and talks of converting it into a mob museum.
Martin Scorsese cast Goodman as himself in Casino,
his 1995 film about Spilotro. Goodman got his SAG
card but couldn't memorize his lines. "Scorsese went
bonkers," Goodman recalls, so he ad-libbed. Now four
producers are vying to create a reality show about
the mayor's life.
The joy went out of Goodman's practice after
Spilotro and his brother were beaten to death in
1986. Still, he continued to represent some
notorious mobsters and take on what his biographer
calls "strange but lucrative cases." Then, on a 1998
Caribbean vacation, Goodman asked his family if he
should run for mayor. Carolyn abstained; the four
children were opposed. That didn't stop him.
Now Mayor Goodman, a one-time germophobe, shakes
every hand and kisses every baby. He rarely turns
down an appearance -- or a bet. Last year, he placed
a large wager that the Detroit Pistons would upset
the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. They
didn't. "It's not a gamble if it doesn't hurt a
little if you lose, and you don't smile a little if
you win," he says.
He doesn't drink before 5 p.m., but claims to
regularly knock back a couple of gins before his 9
p.m. bedtime. In 2002, he signed an endorsement deal
with Bombay Sapphire. And this year he donated his
$50,000 fee to a think tank for Alzheimer's disease
research. "He loves to have a drink," Carolyn says,
"but overstates it when he says he drinks as much as
he does. Everything is to sell Vegas."
Even Goodman has trouble separating glitz from
reality. As he puts it, "I couldn't be mayor
anyplace else."
The 19th mayor of the city of Las Vegas, Oscar B.
Goodman was re-elected for a second four-year term in April 2003. His trademark
no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is style helped him capture 86 percent of the vote
during his re-election efforts.