Las Vegas swells turn out to tout Mayor Goodman’s re-election bid

Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman sent an undeniable message with her Tuesday re-election kickoff at Cili: Her popularity and powerful friends cross party lines.

With the theme, “Building a World Class City Together,” the “host committee” for the gathering read like a Who’s Who of Las Vegas politics and business. It’s probably easier to list the names not on the list, but among the notables: Former Sen. Richard Bryan, former Rep. Shelley Berkley, Rep. Joe Heck, former Gov. Bob List, juice attorney Jay Brown, Larry Ruvo and other executives from Southern Wine &Spirits, Sue and Paul Lowden, and former Las Vegas mayors Jan Jones Blackhurst and Ron Lurie. Among the entertainment legends: Wayne Newton and Phyllis McGuire. From law enforcement: former local FBI boss Ellen Knowlton and ex-Sheriff Ralph Lamb. Among the many attorneys: Ed Bernstein, Dominic Gentile, David Chesnoff, Robert Eglet and Frank Schreck.

I haven’t seen a list of supporters as long since, well, Oscar Goodman was mayor.

With that lineup of heavy hitters, will it be a re-election, or a coronation?

Who knows, maybe they’re all soccer fans.

SANTA FE STYLE: Santa Fe, N.M., officials continue to be intrigued by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s influence on redevelopment in downtown Las Vegas. Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales met with Mayor Goodman to discuss that topic this week. More on this in Sunday’s column.

KELLER’S FAREWELL: Longtime Metro Chief Financial Officer Karen Keller is closing out the books in January after 30 years in public service, including 17 with the department.

“We’ve had our share of tough times with the things that have gone on with the loss of officers, but all in all it’s been a great career,” she says.

No word yet on whether she’ll join her husband, ex-cop and novelist Tom Keller, in the P.I. business.

As you might have guessed, she believes strongly in the need for the “More Cops” initiative funding to one day be approved by the county.

“I hope it will go through,” Keller says, “and we’ll eventually be able to get some additional officers out on the street.”

LOCAL TALENT: After reading Tuesday’s column on the potential for UNLV’s football team to improve by using more homegrown players, veteran sportswriter W.G. Ramirez reminds me of some of the universities that have benefited from Southern Nevada’s rich athletic pool. There are plenty of them.

It may be an NAIA school, but Las Vegas players have helped lead Southern Oregon to the national championship game.

You would think they might have also been able to help UNLV’s program.

ON THE BOULEVARD: News this week of a thawing of relations between the U.S. and Cuba after more than a half-century briefly shined a spotlight on Southern Nevada’s proud Cuban-American community. ... Steve Wynn’s silly slander suit against stock market maven James Chanos has been dismissed.

BOULEVARD II: As a physician, Margaret Goodman served as a neurology consultant to the Nevada Athletic Commission. She uses some of her experiences to paint an intriguing picture in her novel, “Death in Vegas.” ... Meanwhile, former Metro veteran Randy Sutton is just coming out with his latest work of nonfiction. Sutton gathers inspiring stories in “The Power of Legacy.”

BOULEVARD III: I miss the late gaming attorney Bob Faiss, and I’m guessing his old friends and colleagues at Lionel Sawyer Collins do, too, now that they are making their own professional transition. ... The Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation brought Christmas early to the students of Antonello Elementary School on Thursday with a special delivery of presents.

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