Friday, September 10, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Mayor denies son got help with deal

Downtown property owner target of lawsuit

Mayor Oscar Goodman denied Thursday that his name, position or access to information aided his son in a disputed downtown land deal.

Speaking at his weekly news conference, the mayor said the effort by his son, Ross Goodman, to purchase land at Las Vegas Boulevard and Clark Avenue, adjacent to a still-in-the-works redevelopment project on city land, was made without his knowledge or assistance.

"Ross is a young adult. He's on his own," Goodman said. "It's not my money. I'm not going to stop my son. All I do is talk about downtown. I guess my son is smarter than other people."

Goodman is prohibited by law from owning land in the city's redevelopment area. There is no such prohibition against family members.

Goodman said the deal prompted his chief of staff, Stephanie Boixo, to withdraw from discussions on the development of the neighboring city land. The land deal is the subject of a lawsuit by Ross Goodman and attorney Louis Palazzo against the property's owner, Christine Von Sturm.

Boixo is engaged to Eric Goodman, another of the mayor's sons.

Ross Goodman and Palazzo said they recently acquired the nearby Boulevard Hotel and were interested in other property in the area. They met Von Sturm, 85, who owns parcels at 511 and 515 Las Vegas Boulevard South, through the hotel's previous owner.

Von Sturm signed a contract in April to sell the property to Ross Goodman and Palazzo. A verbal agreement between the parties to extend escrow fell through, however, prompting the lawsuit, Palazzo said.

Von Sturm and her attorney couldn't be reached.

Goodman and Palazzo pointed out their deal was initiated months before the city solicited proposals for its site. They were no more privy to city plans for the land than anyone else, they said.

Proposals for the city property were due in July. Three are under consideration, one of which will be recommended to the City Council for approval in October.

A letter sent to Von Sturm by Ross Goodman bore his father's name on the letterhead as "of counsel," meaning he has a connection to his son's firm but is not involved in day-to-day operations.

Asked if he thought his father's name on the letterhead aided him in the suit, Ross Goodman said, "No more than there's a father-son relationship anyway. ... I'm a well-respected lawyer in town on my own standing."