Giunchigliani, Carolyn Goodman running for Las Vegas mayor

Carolyn Goodman, wife of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, mulled over a mayoral run for about eight months as the clock ticked down on her husband's last term in office.

"It became more real for my husband to keep saying, 'I'm term-limited. I'm out. I'm finished,' " she said Wednesday. "And my asking him, 'What's next? Who's going to take this forward, this wonderful vision you have?' "

The idea that she might try to succeed him came to a head Wednesday morning.

"This morning he woke up and said, 'I've really been thinking about it. Don't do it,' " Carolyn Goodman said.

"I said, 'You know, it's interesting. I thought about it all last night, too. And I'm going to file.' He looked over at me and said, 'You go for it, girl.' "

And so she did, signing the paperwork Wednesday afternoon to run for mayor of Las Vegas.

Carolyn Goodman joins a crowded field. So far, 14 candidates have signed up or announced in the mayoral race, and filing continues through Friday.

The race first goes to a nonpartisan primary April 5. If a candidate wins 50 percent or more of the primary vote, that person is elected, but it's more likely that the top two finishers will head to the June 7 general election.

Goodman said she wants to continue to work on what her husband has been pushing during his three terms as mayor: downtown redevelopment and diversification of the local economy.

"My vision is just to follow along and continue the momentum that's already been created this last 12 years," she said.

But people shouldn't think of another Goodman mayorship as a fourth term for Oscar, she said.

"Everybody that knows both of us knows that the reason we have this wonderful relationship is because we share," she said. "But we each have our own lives, and our own brains, and our own thoughts about how we do things."

She acknowledged that entering the race puts her up against people she knows well, including Clark County Commissioners Larry Brown and Chris Giunchigliani. Brown has filed for the race, and Giunchigliani plans to sign up this morning.

"They are friends," Goodman said. "I don't think that's going to be a difficulty. I respect them. I respect the job that they would each do, or anybody else that's filed.

"I wish them the best. But ... I am going full force. I love this city, I have a passion for it, and I am so excited about the rich redevelopment that's going on."

Goodman was president and founder of the Meadows School and retired last year.

Giunchigliani indicated earlier that she planned to run, but she made it official Wednesday morning at a meeting of Hispanics in Politics.

She promised to continue efforts to revitalize downtown and the city's other older neighborhoods. She said that local governments need to keep getting leaner and that consolidation of government services, where appropriate, is needed.

"I want to do something about our schools," Giunchigliani added. "You can tell me that's not the job of the mayor. You're right. It's everybody's job."

She described an "adopt-a-school" approach in which community members and businesses would ensure that schools have what they need, be it supplies, equipment, money or student mentors.

Also filing Wednesday were residents Deborah Love and Angel Vasquez. They could not be reached for comment.

The mayor's salary is $65,247, but that will change for the next mayor. In 2007, the City Council approved raises for elected officials that take effect after the next election for the respective position.

The next mayor must be full-time, meaning he or she cannot accept outside employment. The position will pay 180 percent of a City Council salary, making the new mayor's salary about $130,000.

The Ward 3 City Council race, which also is an open seat, saw a lot of activity Wednesday as well. Taroub Montoya, Carlo Poliak and Lissette M. Ruiz signed up, bringing the number of candidates to six.

Montoya came to the United States from Jordan 13 years ago.

"I came from a country that has no rights," she said. "So I want to see if there's a way for me to help people get their rights."

Poliak previously campaigned for U.S. Senate and governor. He is a sanitation worker for Republic Services, though he said he is fine with the term "garbage man."

"You don't have to be a lawyer to have that exclusiveness as a candidate. You make decisions every day," Poliak said.

"I have always been concerned about integrity in representation. I don't see any representation for everyday folks. We don't have candidates who are everyday folks."

Ruiz could not be reached for comment.

There were no filings Wednesday in North Las Vegas.

Filing for municipal elections closes at the end of business today in Henderson and Boulder City and continues through Friday in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas.

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.