Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Mayor Goodman has plenty to tout about downtown Las Vegas in State of City address

Las Vegas State of City Address 2013

Leila Navidi

Mayor Carolyn Goodman gets a kiss from her husband Oscar Goodman after delivering the State of the City address at Las Vegas City Hall on Thursday, January 10, 2013.

Las Vegas State of City Address 2013

Mayor Carolyn Goodman delivers the State of the City address at Las Vegas City Hall on Thursday, January 10, 2013. Launch slideshow »

Mayor Caroyln Goodman reflected on a busy 2012 in Las Vegas and painted an optimistic picture for the city in 2013 in her annual State of the City address Thursday evening.

The opening of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a move to a new City Hall building and the launch of the Mob Museum and the Neon Museum in downtown Las Vegas all made for an eventful year for the city.

Goodman used her hourlong speech Thursday to celebrate the progress of downtown while also touching on other developments around the city, including positive signs for an economy still recovering from the recession.

“We are in a rebound here in Las Vegas, believe it or not,” Goodman said. “The city is alive and it is making a recovery. This is the State of the City but really it is the State of Celebration for 2012, for all the little domino effects that are happening.”

The coming year will see the continued growth of Las Vegas, especially downtown, Goodman said, highlighted by the opening of new businesses — including mega nightclub Krave Massive and several restaurants in the Fremont East district — and the move of Zappos to its new downtown headquarters.

Two nonprofit groups, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada and the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, also plan to open new buildings in downtown Las Vegas in 2013, she said.

Goodman used an array of props — including bobble head dolls, a kitchen timer and two baby dolls — during the speech to help lighten the mood in the packed council chambers and joked about the Prince Harry and General Services Administration scandals that put Las Vegas in the news this year.

She also hinted about a major announcement involving efforts to develop the fashion industry in Las Vegas and reiterated that she thinks an arena can still be built in downtown Las Vegas.

“Until the money’s in the bag and they sign on the dotted line, I’m not going to go further,” Goodman teased when asked about bringing the fashion industry to Las Vegas.

Goodman was quick to share the credit for all of the success Las Vegas had in 2012, thanking city staff for their hard work and praising each council member individually while she listed accomplishments made in their wards last year.

Among her goals for 2013, Goodman listed improving public safety, supporting continued redevelopment downtown and helping boost tourism in the city.

“We’ve come a long way together. We are coming out of these hard times,” she said. “Las Vegas’ name is out there. Come do business with Las Vegas.”

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