Will next mayor be a veteran of politics or a newcomer?

By Delen Goldberg

Sunday, April 24, 2011 | 2 a.m.

Chris Giunchigliani is easy to judge as a politician. She has a 20-year record in government.

Las Vegas voters deciding whether she’s fit to be the next mayor can peruse her state Assembly or Clark County Commission record to see where she stands on issues, or visit the Clark County Government Center to watch her in action.

Voters trying to make an informed decision about Carolyn Goodman’s merits for mayor have less to go by, unless of course, her last name is all that matters.

Goodman spent the past two decades as an administrator at the private Meadows School in Summerlin. The mayoral race is her first attempt at public office, and she has no voting record or political history.

Goodman asks to be judged on “my life, how I’ve conducted myself, raised four children, built my business from the ground up.”

Her campaign manager, Bradley Mayer, calls the Meadows School a “microcosm of everything.”

“She took a dream on a piece of paper and made it a reality,” he says.

The Meadows School is a success, having grown into a $17 million operation with 150 employees. It has never laid off a worker or issued a pay cut. Its students head off to Ivy League universities.

As president and founder, Goodman certainly played a central role in the school’s achievements. But she was also aided by capable teachers, a finance director and board of trustees. Goodman says she’s smart enough to surround herself with people who know how to get things done.

The mayor’s job is largely ceremonial, so it’s up for debate how much political experience a candidate needs to be effective. The mayor does, at the least, run City Council meetings, so would benefit by being familiar with those various protocols and procedures.

Goodman points out that the past five Las Vegas mayors have come from the private sector.

She’s partially correct. Mayors Oscar Goodman and Jan Jones had no formal political experience before they took over City Hall. But their predecessors did.

Ron Lurie served 14 years on the council before becoming mayor. Bill Briare served in the Assembly and was a Clark County commissioner. To be fair, their government jobs were part time, and they did work in the private sector. But they were no political novices.

Giunchigliani argues it’s time for the city to return to those roots. Although Oscar Goodman was a natural fit during the boom years, Giunchigliani says Las Vegas needs a leader with experience in government to help the city rebound economically.

It’s an argument that could help Giunchigliani if it sticks. She trails Goodman by double digits in the polls.

“To the extent her opponent can make it about governing and not showmanship, that hurts Goodman,” UNLV political scientist David Damore said.

The question for voters: Do they want a politician who has long worked in public view as a state assemblywoman and Clark County commissioner or a political novice with a strong private-sector track record?

We’ll find out June 7.