Tuesday, March 09, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Mayor has no regrets

Goodman admits loaning tapes to son for business venture

Mayor Oscar Goodman said Monday that he loaned city-owned videotapes to his son's business venture, which the company then used to create a promotional CD.

The CD, featuring footage of several of the mayor's appearances on CNN, an interview with Robin Leach, a stint on "Last Call with Carson Daly" and the 2004 State of the City address, has been used to drum up business for IPolitix, a joint venture among mayoral son Ross Goodman, Councilman Michael Mack and IMedia International Inc.

Goodman said he provided tapes to the disc's creators from a stock kept in a closet in his 10th floor City Hall office. In exchange, the mayor said, he was promised a disc he could use as part of his media kit.

"They said they had this product and wondered whether or not ... they could use it as a demo. I said, `I have no problem with that,' " Goodman said. "I went to my closet. I handed them tapes. I told them I need them back as soon as possible. They took them overnight and sent them back."

Goodman pointed out to an office visitor Monday some of the tapes loaned to the company.

The city regularly buys for members of the City Council copies of their television appearances or issues affecting their districts. The tapes, purchased from television monitoring services, cost about $30 each.

In 2003, Goodman's office spent more than $5,000 on tapes chronicling his many appearances on local and national television.

Despite sparing IPolitix the expense of buying the tapes, the mayor said, he wasn't doing a favor for his son. Goodman said he considers the videos public record and would make them available to anyone.

IPolitix, which is marketing CDs as a means of publicizing candidates' positions on issues and tracking constituents' interests, was doing the mayor and city a favor by using the videos to create a CD he could use in his media kit, Goodman said.

Goodman said he gets hundreds of requests for speaking engagements and the media kit would help acquaint those making the requests with the mayor and the city's issues.

"If there's something untoward or unseemly about this, then so be it," the mayor said. "I don't feel like I've done anything wrong. I feel that I've saved the city money by getting the tape for my press kit."

Ross Goodman didn't return a call for comment.

The mayor has yet to receive the promised media kit.

Councilman Michael Mack said last week that IPolitix had obtained the videos on the CD from sources outside City Hall. The State of the City, for example, had been downloaded from the city's Web site, he said.

He added that he hadn't been involved in obtaining any of the footage.

On Monday, he said he had learned that the mayor had loaned tapes to IMedia, IPolitix' corporate partner.

"I never asked about it," the councilman said.

Mayor Goodman's efforts to promote a Washington, D.C., party benefitting IPolitix has already prompted one state ethics complaint.

While in Washington to attend a January meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Goodman distributed invitations bearing his name and title to other conference attendees and political officials. He also acted as host for the Jan. 22 gathering.

Retired Las Vegas auto mechanic and longtime ethics watchdog Bob Rose filed the complaint, alleging Goodman violated the state's code of ethical standards which, among other things, prohibits officials from using their "position in government to secure or grant unwarranted privileges, preferences, exemptions or advantages for ... any person to whom he has a commitment in a private capacity to the interests of that person."

UNLV ethics professor Craig Walton said the mayor's actions in loaning city property to IPolitix raises more questions.

"If he did this at home using home movies of family things and then sharing the tape with his son's company, it would be a family gift," Walton said. "But they're not family movies and not taped at home. The city's involved in this. It raises questions."

In addition, Walton said, the mayor's insistence that the tapes are public record and available to anyone doesn't seem plausible.

"What if a whole bunch of civic organizations in the valley wanted to use these tapes?" Walton asked. "Can we do it? Can we come down and plow through the closet?"

But Goodman insisted he had no regrets for anything he had done related to his son's company.

"I don't feel I've done anything wrong; I can't help myself," Goodman said. "I wish I had a guilty conscience over any of this. Then I'd say `I'm sorry.' I can't say I'm sorry."