Marco Rubio pays a visit to iconic Las Vegas pawn shop

Just call him Pawn Star for a day.

Give Sen. Marco Rubio credit for confidence. Not every politician would make a public appearance at a Las Vegas pawn shop.

The Republican presidential candidate from Florida, who once lived in Las Vegas, made a stop Thursday at Rick Harrison’s Gold and Silver Pawn Shop at 713 Las Vegas Boulevard South.

Gold and Silver Pawn, of course, is not your typical shop. It’s the setting for the popular “Pawn Stars” reality television show, which features Harrison as the boss and eagle-eyed deal-cutter.

Who knows, maybe Rubio will consider Harrison for a Cabinet post some day. He could negotiate with the Russians and pick up a bundle of Faberge eggs at a big discount.

Pundits are sure to wring gallons of irony from the Rubio-pawn shop photo-op, and it’s undoubtedly an invitation to become the butt of late-night TV jokes.

I can almost hear some smart aleck saying, “Rubio’s in the pawn shop now — we’ll be in the pawn shop if he’s elected.”

HAS TO HURT: Just-indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois was no stranger to the Las Vegas casino industry during his tenure in office. The pal of Gaming Inc. was credited (or blamed, depending on your perspective) with helping to kill Arizona Sen. John McCain’s anti-college betting bill. As Public Citizen puts it, Hastert “got a House Judiciary Committee vote on the bill postponed because he didn’t want to be embarrassed by an anti-gambling vote on an upcoming fundraising trip to Las Vegas.”

Hastert is charged in a federal indictment with illegally withdrawing nearly $1 million from a bank account and lying to the FBI.

LIFE SENTENCES: Las Vegas City Councilman Ricki Barlow says he has no intention of allowing some of his most vulnerable constituents to be steamrolled in September when the behemoth Life is Beautiful music and art festival hits downtown.

In an interview Wednesday, Barlow left no doubt about where his loyalties lie in the challenge to balance welcoming the festival to downtown without creating an overwhelming inconvenience for area residents and church goers. In the first two years of the festival’s residency, local clergy, residents and a few small business owners have complained about everything from noise levels to barrier fencing.

Recently re-elected, Barlow admits he’s heard from residents who “are being squeezed” by the concerts, which attracted an estimated 60,000 people last year. He called the predicament for some locals “a living hell” and plans to remedy it.

“We can’t displace residents from their homes and businesses where they’re struggling to live and work each and every day,” Barlow said.

A meeting between city officials, downtown neighbors and businesses, and festival officials was scheduled for Thursday afternoon at Metro’s Downtown Area Command.

“This is something that’s very concerning to me,” Barlow said.

ON THE BOULEVARD: Sources at High Desert State Prison confirm one of the corrections officers involved in a controversial inmate shooting last year has resigned ahead of an impending termination. … Attorney E. Brent Bryson, who represents the late B.B. King’s business manager LaVerne Toney and personal assistant Myron Johnson in an increasingly nasty end-of-life dispute, is receiving interview requests from worldwide media. … Speaking of local lawyers getting noticed, David Chesnoff scored a big pretrial victory in his defense of the federal illegal sports gambling case involving Malaysian businessman and suspected Triad associated Paul Phua. From the sound of things, Phua’s crew made more money at Caesars than the casino’s own professionals.

BOULEVARD II: Although casino billionaire and Republican Party mega-donor Sheldon Adelson continues to be a lightning rod in the press, his wife Miriam Adelson this past week received glowing profiles from BuzzFeed.com’s Rosie Gray and Rabbi Schmuley Boteach in the New York Observer.

BOULEVARD III: Although he grew up in Canton, Ohio, longtime Strip dealer Jim Sinay is a confirmed Vegas Guy. He’s just published an entertaining memoir with Wid Bastian, “When It Was Great.” Sinay worked from the Carousel Club and the Mint to the Dunes, Riviera, Sahara and more. You’ll never guess which era he likes best.

Have an item for the Bard of the Boulevard? Email comments and contributions to Smith@reviewjournal.com or call 702-383-0295. Find him on Twitter: @jlnevadasmith