Oscar for Governor

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Sun Oct 13, 2002 at 11:27:05 AM EST
Tags: Oscar Goodman (all tags)

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I have always thought that Las Vegas got a huge gift when it elected Oscar Goodman, one of my heroes and a great criminal defense attorney, as its Mayor a few years ago.

Today's LA Times captures Oscar perfectly in Las Vegas Mayor Gins Up Support:

"He is the mayor, after all, who invites residents to meet him for a drink at a local bar to discuss civic issues. "Martinis With the Mayor," the sessions are called. And they've become so popular, bars clamor to host the next one. And gin martinis have been Oscar Goodman's companion for 38 years, which has helped endear him with constituents as a regular fellow who lives life with gusto."

"All this is to say that, in Vegas, the mayor and martinis go together like Siegfried and Roy. So when Goodman agreed to switch from his favorite gin to a brand sold by the state's largest liquor distributor in exchange for $100,000 (donated to charity, of course), there was barely a stir (which is not how he prefers his drink)."

"Goodman, who encourages only responsible drinking and designated-driver programs, has never let convention stand in the way of promotion."

"The Democrat once urged the city to endorse an Internet gambling Web site in exchange for a piece of the action. The idea was withdrawn on a technicality: Internet gambling is banned by federal law. Elected mayor in 1999 largely on his popularity as a defense attorney for mobsters, he wants to convert an old downtown post office into a mob museum."

"So Friday night, when Goodman accepted the $100,000 check at a downtown street party attended by several thousand revelers, showroom entertainers sang and showgirls swished, their towering feather headdresses swaying back and forth."

"Goodman danced with "cuchi-cuchi" performer Charo, posed with a Playboy playmate starring in a new Strip strip show and was serenaded by Dean Martin and Marilyn Monroe impersonators. All the while, Goodman sipped a martini or three from an oversize glass and told everyone -- surely without exaggerating -- that he's the happiest mayor in the world. "Isn't this the greatest thing in the world?" Goodman gushed. "This is the only place in the world that can have a party like this," he shouted to the crowd. "In all the other cities, people just mope around."

"The gin endorsement was part gimmick, part fund-raiser for the mayor, in cahoots with Southern Nevada Wine and Spirits." "The company is philanthropically active in Las Vegas and its managing director, Larry Ruvo, asked Goodman if he wo