Exclusive Interview with the Mayor of Las Vegas

The iGaming Post, sister publication the Infinity Gaming Magazine recently interviewed the current Mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman. The surname sound familiar?  That is because the name “Mayor Goodman” was also the previous Mayor of Las Vegas. Confused? Read on and all will be explained:

Q: Mayor Goodman thank you for taking the time to speak to us at Infinity Gaming Magazine, firstly you were elected Mayor in June 2011. What has the first nine months been like as Mayor?

A: It really has been wonderful. We are seeing some of the major projects that the city has been working on for years open their doors for the first time. The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, the Mob Museum and the new City Hall have all recently opened, and they continue to build the momentum for a revitalized and resurgent downtown Las Vegas.

Q: You actually replaced your husband as Mayor (Oscar Goodman), was that decided while he was still Mayor or how did that happen?

A: I actually had no intention of running, but as filing started to close in its last week, I became concerned that none of the candidates would be better suited to complete the vision and projects that my husband had begun than I – for I was side-by-side with him those 12 years of his tenure and wanted to ensure that what was started was finished. I told him as we were going to bed one night that I was considering it. In the morning he woke up and said, “Don’t do it,” and I said, “I’m running.”

Q: We guess that some would say the Las Vegas Mayor’s office is now a family Goodman affair, what would you say?

A: Well it is unique that a sitting mayor swears in his/her spouse, but I really think that the citizens saw the direction that the city was moving under my husband and wanted to continue down that path. I wouldn’t really call us a dynasty or anything, but we do have four very successful children and six grandchildren, so you never know.

 

Q: Is having a former Mayor of Las Vegas at home, helpful when there are problems or not?

A: He is a great resource. He is someone I can use as a sounding board and learn from his advice and mistakes. But he makes sure that he waits for me to ask. He is very busy with his new life as the ambassador of Las Vegas for the Convention and Visitors Authority and the face of the Mob Museum and a new restaurant at the Plaza Hotel in the downtown area, “Oscar’s.”

Q: What are your plans for Las Vegas as Mayor?

A: I really want to continue to push the city towards new levels of greatness. My husband and I have always thought that to be a truly world-class city that city should have the best in culture, top quality medicine, medical research and medical tourism and be a site for professional sports. We now have the Smith Center for Performing Arts and the unique medicine with the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health Institute, and we are working very hard to get a world-class arena built downtown to host a major league team from the NBA and/or the NHL.

Q: Of course as Las Vegas is known as the Capital of Gambling or some say “Sin City” how do you feel about those labels?

A: You know Las Vegas is really two stories, one is the tourism aspect and that’s where catchy monikers like “Sin City” and “What Happens Here Stays Here,” come in. Those are ways to advertise that we are the tourism capital of the world with the best in entertainment, hotels, boutique shopping, five-star restaurants and gaming. What people sometimes do not realize is that there is another Las Vegas beyond the neon and that is a great city where people want to live, work, play and enjoy a fine quality of life with all of the amenities.

Q: How much of your work or time is taken up with the Gambling Industry?

A: I’m often out speaking and welcoming various organizations and groups to Las Vegas for their conventions. These are held in various property locations, so I’m often stopping by in my capacity as an ambassador of Las Vegas. Gaming and tourism is our number one industry followed closely by a being mecca for convention gatherings. I don’t see any of that changing.

Q: Las Vegas over the last few years has had a hard time, both gambling and for residents, do both go hand in hand with fortunes?

A: We have actually seen a rebound, and Las Vegas is on its way back. The casino win is up, the visitation numbers have increased steadily for 23 months, and the average daily rates at the hotels are up. Las Vegas’ demise is always greatly exaggerated in the press whenever there is a slowdown with the economy, but we aren’t going anywhere. Certainly since tourism is our number one industry, the city “feels it” when the economy is down, and that is one reason why we are working hard to diversify our economy. For example, by moving into a new City Hall, the city has freed up the old City Hall to serve as a campus and headquarters for Zappos.com, and I. T. and telemarketing merchandising corporation.

Q: How do you see the future of Las Vegas in 2012 and beyond?

A: Our future is very bright. In 2012 I know we will continue to see the economy rebound as people continue to look [omit] to Las Vegas to visit,  have some fun, to live, to hold a meeting, a solid place in which to invest, start a business and to see us thrive. Beyond I see the world-class city we are working to become continuing to evolve with a diversified economy offering the best in medicine, a rich culture and a home to professional sports.

Q: Do you think the LV Gambling Industry has to change to survive or do they keep on doing what they are now?

A: No one can touch Las Vegas when it comes to gaming and tourism. The only constraint on Las Vegas’ evolution is the bounds of the human imagination. Las Vegas has always changed with the times, and I have no doubt that we’ll continue to do so. For an example of the ongoing ingenuity, we are adding world-class museums offering a uniqueness in a Mob Museum and the soon –to-open Neon Museum that will draw hundreds of thousands of people.

Q: There has been so much excitement about Online Gambling coming back to the US and indeed Las Vegas seems to be leading the charge for this, how do you see online gambling?

A: Once again, the people who run our casinos are much more knowledgeable than I am in this area. I know that they are leading the charge and making sure that Las Vegas is in the best possible position when it comes to online gambling. One thing to remember is that no matter what advances are made online, there is only one Las Vegas, and the live experiences here are amazing, exciting, and unique.

 

Q: Macau has now overtaken Las Vegas in revenues in gambling, is there anything Las Vegas can learn from this new upstart?

A: Las Vegas is very healthy, but there may be things we can learn about serving the international markets that Macau targets. I know that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority works very hard to promote the city globally and is always reaching out to engage new markets and new direct international flights to the city.

Q: What will Mayor Goodman be focusing on this year specifically for Las Vegas?

A: As I mentioned previously, one of the focuses will be on getting a state-of-the-art arena in downtown Las Vegas, but another focus will be to continue to encourage businesses to open in our city. We have become quite sophisticated in being more business friendly, yet there is still more that we can accomplish to become even more attractive. We recently transferred all of our development services to one location and building and have made great strides in slashing the time it takes to get approvals for business-related issues. Additionally, we are providing more and more of our services online.

Q: Finally Mayor, will Las Vegas be the hustling, bustling, exciting town it is now in twenty years time or will it be something different?

A: Las Vegas will always be Las Vegas. In 20 years I am confident that we will have some new and exciting hotel-casinos, wonderful and unique new restaurants, the tops in entertainment and shopping, but we’ll still be the Las Vegas that the world knows and loves. Our downtown will be a completely different place in that time and will be the place in the city for the vintage Vegas vibe, the arts, culture and sports and a rewarding lifestyle.