Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman delivers his State of the City speech on Wednesday. Goodman was joined by members of the City Council as he gave his remarks at the top of the World Market Center's second building. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

During his State of the City address on Wednesday, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman staked his reputation on entering into "serious talks" to bring a professional team to Las Vegas this year.

Goodman wouldn't name the team or league but said it would be a franchise from the NBA, NHL, NFL or Major League Baseball.

"This will be more than 'Oscar wants a team,'" Goodman said.

He delivered his remarks to a room of about 400 people at the top of the World Market Center's second building, a significant milestone in the city's efforts to reinvigorate the downtown area.

As has been the case for several years, nearly his entire speech was devoted to rattling off downtown projects under construction, such as high-rise condominiums; the planned development for the Lou Ruvo Brain Center; and reinvestment that downtown casinos are making in their properties.

In his speech, Goodman said the progress that downtown has made hit him recently as he looked out from a top floor of the Regional Justice Center downtown. "We have begun to realize the dream that this is a place where you can live, you can work, and you can play," he said.

He reeled off a number of downtown high-rise condominiums under construction, like Streamline, SoHo Lofts, Newport Lofts and Allure and Juhl.

He also mentioned the World Jewelry Center, which is not under construction but whose backers have said they plan a 54-story office and retail outlet. Goodman said that like the World Market Center, it would help diversify the economy.

"We don't always give ourselves enough credit," Goodman said.

When he took office in 1999, "we were in a state of malaise. There was no energy. To see what's happening in a few short years is nothing short of amazing."

Left unmentioned by the mayor were the issues that have dominated the city's agenda over the past year, such as homelessness, an attorney general's investigation into the Royal Links land deal, and struggles with affordable housing and transportation that the region is dealing with.

"I'm a positive guy; only good things are happening," Goodman explained after his speech. "If I mentioned these projects when I took office, they would have laughed at me."

He told the crowd that there was a bet on whether his speech would last more than 20 1/2 minutes (he went over).

"There was an over-under bet going. I wanted to talk about good stuff. I'll let the newspapers talk about bad stuff," he said.

The only applause that interrupted Goodman's speech was when he promised further talks to bring a professional stadium to Las Vegas. He said an arena would not only help redevelop downtown, "it would give people of the community an opportunity to identify with something. It's something that will take us to a new level."

Goodman later clarified that he didn't limit the possibilities to an arena; it also could be a stadium.

Councilman Steve Wolfson said the speech was a reflection of the mayor's optimism.

"It's what he hopes to accomplish," he said. "The mayor chose to be upbeat and look to the future. He did a great job of that."

Dan Deegan, president of the Rancho Manor Homeowners Association and someone who frequently points out urban challenges to the City Council, said, "I think he's beginning to inspire people" about downtown.

"Is it wrong to be 100 percent positive?" he asked.

Deegan decided to go with the mayor's approach: "Once people leave the parking lot, they can see the problems," he said.