Columnist Jeff German: Goodman conjures up images of old Las Vegas in national press

As predicted here two months ago, national news organizations are stepping over each other trying to interview Oscar Goodman, the city's most notorious mayoral candidate.

Newsweek and Time have been following up on last week's piece in the Los Angeles Times on the political future of the well-known mob attorney. And word is the New York Times isn't far behind.

Goodman has represented some of the biggest names in the underworld over more than three decades of practicing law here.

His reputation has yet to hurt him with the voters, where he's six points ahead of his nearest challenger, City Councilman Arnie Adamsen, in the latest Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce political poll.

But as the May 4 primary approaches, Goodman's high national profile has rattled casino industry leaders mindful of the stepped-up scrutiny the industry is receiving in Washington.

"All of our worst fears are coming to pass," says one gaming insider. "Decades of work putting to rest the organized crime stigma here is being undermined by a fit of ego."

The timing of all of this couldn't be worse.

It comes while the National Gambling Impact Study Commission is putting together its report on the spread of gambling in the United States. The report, the result of a series of hearings around the country the past two years, will be delivered to Congress and President Clinton on June 19.

The nine-member panel, which spent three days in Las Vegas in November, is expected to put in writing its belief that organized crime no longer has a foothold on the Las Vegas Strip.

Casino leaders are counting on the federal commission to point out what Wall Street has been saying for some time -- that Las Vegas has made the transition to corporate America.

But the national media now threatens to put a damper on the efforts to achieve that distinction. Goodman's candidacy is reviving unflattering images that many thought the city had shaken long ago.

"You can't underestimate how damaging this is," the casino insider says. "It's a fairly significant step backward."

Goodman, you might imagine, doesn't see things that way.

"I'm good for the image of the city," he says. "Who else could generate this much attention for Las Vegas? The convention authority spends millions a year to generate interest in Las Vegas, but I spent $100 to file for mayor and the whole world is looking at us."

Goodman, it seems, has struck a chord with the voters by promising to fix the tax inequity between the city and the county and force developers to pay more for growth.

His strength in the polls, he says, even has prompted casinos to start contributing money to his campaign.

So far, Adamsen and Goodman's other leading challenger, businessman Mark Fine, have been reluctant to publicly criticize the flamboyant attorney for his mob ties. But as the primary gets closer, you can expect his opponents to go on the offensive.

"He's been given a free ride pretty much," says another well-placed gaming source. "Nobody's fired their silver bullets yet."

The feeling is that once the voters see some of Goodman's personal beliefs and past professional associations, he won't appear as much of a populist.

Many observers expect bullets will be flying when the general election comes around if Goodman makes the cut. And that means Las Vegas is likely to get even more unwanted national publicity.

Goodman, meanwhile, seems prepared for the attacks. He's been running television commercials with endorsements from several of his former legal adversaries -- such as ex-U.S. Attorney Lamond Mills and former federal mob fighter Richard Crane.

One longtime Goodman friend, veteran political consultant Don Williams, is getting a kick out of Goodman's candidacy.

"This is much ado about nothing," Williams says of the concerns being raised. "I don't think anybody is going to stop coming to Las Vegas because Oscar Goodman is mayor."

Williams says Goodman is no more a threat to the image of this city than those advertisements now under fire that show the bare backsides of the Riviera's Crazy Girls.

"Oscar makes for good theater," Williams says. "He's giving Las Vegas an edge again."

It's an edge, however, that casino industry leaders say they can live without.

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