Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | 1:31 p.m.
Carolyn Goodman
Chris Giunchigliani
During the primary for Las Vegas mayor, candidates Steve Ross and George Harris never missed an opportunity to slam opponent Carolyn Goodman.
Ross accused her of riding her husband's coattails and misleading him for more than a year about her intention to run for mayor. He sent out a news release titled, "Goodman to Goodman: Your education record sucks," and said Las Vegas leads the nation in unemployment because the mayor isn’t focused on jobs.
Harris called out Carolyn Goodman for failing to hold developers to their promises and disagreed with her positions on school vouchers, prostitution and collective bargaining.
Two months later, Ross and Harris couldn't praise Goodman enough. Both endorsed her today.
"I've seen what a great mayor can do, and I see another great mayor standing next to me," Ross said from Goodman's campaign headquarters.
"Carolyn will be the better pick for voters because she has a stronger understanding of how bad our economy is," said Harris, who will officially endorse Goodman Thursday during a fundraiser he's hosting for her. "Her ability to sit with people and discuss issues is amazing."
Both Harris and Ross attribute their change of heart to the narrowed general election field. Goodman is in a head-to-head battle with Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani for the mayor's job.
Harris said he criticized Goodman while he was still in the race because he wanted to differentiate himself from the other candidates. He said he also thinks Giunchigliani should finish her Commission term before seeking a different office.
Ross simply said, "That was the primary."
Ross also refused to comment on whether he still thinks Mayor Oscar Goodman created "a mess" in the city.
In March, Ross wrote on his Twitter account: "Is Carolyn good with a mop? With 50,000 Las Vegans out of a job...Oscar is leaving a big mess to clean up."
Instead, Ross, a city Councilman, called Oscar Goodman's redevelopment and job creation efforts "incredible."
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