Oscar B. Goodman
Oscar B. Goodman
Mayor of Las Vegas, NV
In April 2007, Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, the 19th mayor of Las Vegas, captured 84 percent of the vote in his reelection effort to a third 4-year term.
As mayor, he was successful in acquiring a large piece of urban real estate in the city without resorting to eminent domain. Symphony Park, a phenomenal 61-acre planned development, will include the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, a 350,000 square-foot The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, multiple high residential units, business and retail opportunities.
Downtown is undergoing a dramatic change, evolving into a vibrant place for living, working and enjoying entertainment and art venues. Bounding Symphony Park are the World Market Center and the Las Vegas Premium Outlets mall. The World Market Center is a state-of-the-art home furnishings trade show facility. When complete, the complex will exceed 12 million square feet with eight buildings. The outlet mall is the most successful of its kind for dollar-per-square-foot income. In addition, there are almost 18,000 living spaces being planned for construction in downtown. Also, for the first time in many years, multi-million dollar casino and hotel renovations and expansions are currently underway.
Mayor Goodman has been a champion of downtown revitalization, focusing his efforts on creating a downtown urban village filled with small businesses, boutiques, fine restaurants, bookstores and an art component where the public can have social dialogue and exchange ideas.
Mayor Goodman serves as the chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and feverishly works to promote the enticing destination of Las Vegas. Mayor Goodman has also started OPAC, Oscar’s Political Action Committee, to promote and protect the interests of Las Vegas. His first action was to donate $50,000 to the Keep Memory Alive Foundation, the “think tank” foundation for the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute.
The self-proclaimed “happiest mayor in the universe,” Goodman was born and raised in Philadelphia, graduating from Haverford College and receiving his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He has become one of the nation’s premier criminal defense attorneys, having been named one of the “15 Best Trial Lawyers in America” by the National Law Journal. He has also been featured in numerous publications such as “Of Rats and Men” and even portrayed himself in the movie “Casino.” Mayor Goodman also serves on the Advisory Board of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Goodman and his wife, Carolyn, have been married since 1962 and moved to Las Vegas two years later with $87 in their pockets. The couple raised four children in Las Vegas. All four currently make Las Vegas their home. All were educated in Las Vegas and went on to acquire college and graduate level degrees.
Mayor Oscar B. Goodman (Official City of Las Vegas Website