Thursday, March 03, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

REMARKS TO FOURTH-GRADERS: Mayor's talk of gin criticized

Parents, others not amused by comments

Oscar Goodman Propriety of mayor's remarks questioned

It was martinis with the mayor Monday at Mackey Elementary School, but Oscar Goodman's comments to fourth-graders about his fondness for gin now have him on the rocks.

The incident took place as part of Mackey's activities for Nevada Reading Week. The elementary school in North Las Vegas is a magnet school that emphasizes leadership and global communication.

Principal Kemala Washington said that when students asked Goodman what some of his hobbies are, one of Goodman's responses was "drinking." Moments later, a student asked the mayor to name the one item he would bring with him if he were to be stranded on an island. Washington said Goodman's response was "a bottle of gin."

Goodman and other public figures, she said, were invited to the school to promote its leadership theme.

The comments about liquor came during a question-and-answer session that followed Goodman's reading of three books to the school's entire fourth-grade class, a group of about 85 students.

Washington said that although the comments surprised her, the students displayed no response.

"It just went over their heads," she said. "It was inappropriate for his audience."

Kemala said no parents had contacted her regarding the comments. But she added that Goodman did an excellent job captivating her students and even met with some student council members before the event.

"In general, it was a very good day," she said.

Outside the school at 2726 Engelstad St. in North Las Vegas, parents said they were not impressed with Goodman's rapport with students.

"Maybe he was playing to his audience. ... Maybe because he was in the barrio, he thought that's what they wanted to hear," said Mary Francis, whose fourth-grade daughter attends the school. "My daughter looked up to him. He owes those kids an apology."

Bill Cooper, whose first-grade daughter attends Mackey, had similar criticisms.

"It tells me that gin must be a necessity for his survival," Cooper said, referring to Goodman's comment about his desert island drink of choice. "A child may want to do something because the mayor said it was OK."

Goodman's handlers said the mayor would not be answering any questions Wednesday. Officials escorted Goodman away from reporters as he finished a news conference to discuss a major architectural development downtown.

The mayor said he would answer questions about his comments at today's weekly news conference.

Goodman has been known to joke openly about his affinity for alcohol, but never before in a setting of young children.

Richard Ziser, vice chairman of the State Republican Party, viewed the remarks from the potential Democratic gubernatorial candidate as "highly inappropriate." He also noted that they are "classic Goodman."

"That's his style," Ziser said.

DJ Stutz, president of the Nevada PTA, said Goodman's candor is part of his charm. She added that although the mayor does joke a lot, she does not agree with Washington's assessment that students did not understand the references to alcohol.

"Fourth-grade students are just on that cusp where they might catch on," she said. "Especially in today's society, especially, in Las Vegas' society."

Stutz proposed that Nevada school districts might want to set up a standard of expectations for guest speakers on what is and isn't appropriate for children at all levels of public education.

Candice Kidd, director of the WestCare Women and Children's Campus, said the agency's treatment center receives clients from the area where the school is located.

"It's a very high-risk area," Kidd said, noting that her campus used to be on Martin Luther King Boulevard in the vicinity of Mackey. "Those are kids who need help, who need information and need to know that there are caring people out there who can help them."

Kidd said roughly one out of three children nationwide lives in a situation in which substance abuse is a problem.

"The sad thing is that a comment like that can tend to normalize behavior that shouldn't be normal," Kidd said.

WestCare treats clients as young as 12, although children as young as four come to the campus with their mothers who are undergoing treatment.

Although students from the magnet school come from all over the district, the school's 2003-04 accountability report shows that 41 percent of its population is on a federal free-lunch program. Another 8 percent are categorized by the district as having limited English skills.

In 2002, Goodman was tapped as official spokesman for Bombay Sapphire Gin, a role that generated $100,000. Half of the money went toward the city's funding of WestCare programs and the other $50,000 was donated to The Meadows, a private school in Summerlin founded by Goodman's wife.

Review-Journal writer Richard Lake contributed to this report.