New mayor talks of Vegas past, future

So who is this new Mayor Carolyn Goodman -- as far as entertainment goes?

When she was a girl, growing up around 106th Street in New York, she rode up a trash elevator with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (the main elevator of the building was busted). She loved them.

"So when we got out here, they were the first ones I wanted to see," she says.

Carolyn and Oscar Goodman arrived in Vegas in 1964 as "relative newlyweds." They tried to see as many shows as they could, from Frankie Laine to the Rat Pack, Elvis, Judy Garland, Danny Kaye, "Folies Bergere," Martin and Lewis.

Oscar especially enjoyed Don Rickles, Shecky Green and other comedians.

"It was so exciting and so fabulous as young married people, coming from the staid back East," she says. "Showroom costs were, I think, at best a dollar, maybe less" in lounges.

The couple struggled to pay for cheap seats at bigger marquees "because we had no money," she says.

It took a couple of years until they figured out how to get good seats: tip the maitre d'.

Oscar's first client as a lawyer was the late comedian Breck Wall.

Then, famously, Oscar went into criminal law and "represented a very exciting group of people."

"So our seats got better," Carolyn says. She laughs and clarifies:

"Oscar was very sure he kept his law practice separate from the family. But when he was out of town, they were always just so courteous to call me and see if I needed anything."

Now, as mayor herself, she's counting on a revitalized downtown that happened on Oscar's watch.

Notably during his mayorship, entrepreneurs opened hipster bars on Fremont East: Beauty Bar, the Griffin, Downtown Cocktail Room, Insert Coins and Don't Tell Mama.

Carolyn says El Cortez, First Friday, restaurants and others accomplished a "huge job" of revitalizing and police have done a great job of "making it a safe place."

Coming soon: Zappos and the mob museum. The Smith Center opens in 2012 to stage opera, shows and Broadway plays.

Like Oscar, she thinks Vegas is in a good position to snare an NBA or NHL team, as long as an arena can get built.

I have two general suggestions for downtown's in-box. First: Stop charging for parking in Neonopolis. It turns off partyers spoiled by free valet and parking on the Strip.

The mayor responds with news: The city has hired a parking director to analyze paid parking and meters, then make recommendations.

During her campaign, she heard "loud and clear" a recurring theme -- paid parking is an encumbrance -- from business owners, workers and residents. Carolyn was sympathetic.

"When I used to come down here and visit my husband -- I'm telling you, I came with bags of quarters," she says.

One day, she forgot her quarters and tracked down a quarter dispenser, but "the machine was broken, so guess what? I got a ticket."

My other suggestion for downtown hotels: Splash more light up at hotel fronts, the way the Hard Rock Hotel and Bally's do, to make downtown stand out and feel safer. The mayor agrees, though this is an issue for hotels.

"Light brings safety," she says.

Unlike Oscar, Carolyn has no plans to endorse gin.

"No, that's my flamboyant, very modest, understated soul of a husband."

But she has considered continuing his tradition of showing up to public events with showgirls as bookends.

"Every female has said to me, 'It's now time for the men,' " such as Chippendale dancers, to be on her arm, she says.

But Chippendales aren't native to Vegas, showgirls are, she says.

Oscar would joke that his showgirls were "members of my city council."

"I said to Oscar: Maybe they could be 'my nieces' or 'my granddaughters' or 'my daughters' because they are indigenous to what Las Vegas is."

Although: "I've had a lot of offers from guys volunteering to be my showmen."

Doug Elfman's column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Contact him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.