Goodman touts Vegas to mayors

By Timothy Pratt

Wednesday, May 21, 2003 | 9:30 a.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman took advantage of having the leaders of at least 30 other cities in town Monday to bask in the glow of being the self-described world's happiest mayor.

The occasion was an annual convention bringing mayors from many of the nation's largest cities together with members of a trade group representing companies that build shopping centers around the world.

Returning from an afternoon session at the Hilton event, Goodman said he was "optimistic about the future of Las Vegas."

A morning roundtable on redevelopment, which Goodman missed, turned into a sales pitch for many of the mayors participating, making it seem one of the main events of the four-day convention may be the fierce competition.

Goodman's absence from the roundtable didn't keep him from making his pitch, however.

"I keep telling everybody Las Vegas is the place to be, and it's a given," the mayor said. "Talking to these other mayors you can see they've got problems we don't."

Goodman cited the results of his efforts at bringing business downtown as proof of the bullish picture for his city, saying that the outlet mall coming in August will bring 8 million to 10 million people a year to the area.

"Hopefully, together with the furniture mart coming to the area, this will be all the business development we will need downtown," he said.

"Now the trick is to get them across the railroad tracks to the arts and entertainment district."

But perhaps on the theory that friends should be kept close and enemies closer, Goodman invited the whole group of mayors to his house for martinis Monday night.

He was to be briefed by his business and development staff at that event about how any deals for the city were shaping up, he said.