Councilman Steve Ross running for mayor

Las Vegas City Councilman Steve Ross announced plans to run for mayor Thursday, making him the second confirmed candidate in what is likely to be a crowded race.

The candidates will be competing to replace Mayor Oscar Goodman, who cannot run again because of term limits.

Goodman still will cast an influential shadow on the race because the popular three-term mayor wants his successor to continue efforts to revitalize downtown Las Vegas, including a new city hall that is being built, the Mob Museum that is being put together and building support for a sports arena.

"In the next five to 10 years, the face of downtown is going to change dramatically," said Ross, 48. "I've made a commitment to Oscar Goodman and to others in this community that we will continue to focus our efforts on downtown redevelopment."

Clark County Commissioner Larry Brown, who announced his mayoral candidacy in September, also said he would focus on downtown.

In an e-mail announcement to supporters Thursday, Ross identified three priorities as creating jobs, cracking down on fraudulent loan modification businesses and pressuring banks to avoid foreclosing on homes.

Downtown should become a center of medical research, culture and finance, he said, which would boost employment. The city also needs to continue efforts to make licensing and development applications more efficient.

"We've got to have the upper edge on every other city and every other state in the country when it comes to drawing businesses," Ross said. "The key to helping our economy is people working."

The city's role in the other two goals is murkier. The state attorney general's office prosecutes fraud, and the city can serve as their "eyes and ears," Ross said, forwarding complaints about bad businesses that constituents bring to the city.

As for how the city can pressure banks, "that's a good question," Ross said.

The city has organized a foreclosure forum with lenders, consumer advocates and other interested parties Nov. 12.

"This is where everybody's going to get together and brainstorm," Ross said. "What has been done? Where do we go today?"

Ross, an electrician, grew up in Nevada, was first elected to the City Council in 2005 and was re-elected last year.

He works in labor-management relations for the District Council 15 Labor Management Cooperative Committee, which oversees a trust for member unions. Previously, he was secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building Trades Council, which represents construction unions.

Brown is a former pro baseball player who went on to work for the Las Vegas Valley Water District. He joined the Las Vegas City Council in 1997 and then was elected to the County Commission in 2008.

Goodman said Thursday that he expects at least 10 candidates to file for the race to replace him. He didn't reveal any names.

Candidates can file for next year's city elections from Jan. 25 to Feb. 4.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.