Oscar Goodman prepares for life after the mayor’s office

Oscar Goodman is still weighing his options for life after the mayor's office, but he's nailed down one job -- promoting Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"I have an agreement in principle that I'll be doing a part-time job as the 'brand' of Las Vegas," he said Thursday.

That means promoting tourism, complete with his showgirls and martini bit. It will be a paying gig, but a lot of the details are still being determined.

"It's not defined yet," Goodman said. "They're going to get a job description. They're working on that now."

Goodman is leaving office after 12 years because term limits prevented him from running for the office again. His wife, Carolyn, won the June 7 election to succeed him and will be sworn in July 6.

He already is moving out. His 10th-floor office at City Hall has been stripped of almost all the pictures, plaques, cartoons and memorabilia that once covered walls and shelves. Much of it will be auctioned for the benefit of a to-be-determined charity.

Scott Adams, the city's chief urban redevelopment officer, bought the throne that sat behind Goodman's desk on loan from the World Market Center as a farewell gift. That, too, has been moved out, and on Thursday Goodman presided over his office in the chair from his old law practice.

"I don't have to die now. It's a wonderful thing," he said. "I've seen what happens when people die. This is what happens -- they go up in the house and throw everything away.

"That's what they've done to me, so I'm looking forward to my next life."

Goodman said he has options.

"I'm going to have a lot of different salaries. I'm not going to do any one thing," he said. "I'll be very busy, which is good. That was the only thing I was fearful of."

As mayor, "I've been very busy. I start off every day at 7 o'clock in the morning, and I'm rarely home before 7 at night. ... I just don't want the busy-ness to end."

He mentioned several possibilities for his next chapter, including a book and a documentary about his life, a reality show focusing on the transition from his administration to his wife's, and providing national representation for a law firm.

Goodman has long talked about opening a speakeasy bar, perhaps next to or near the Mob Museum, and on Thursday, he said a downtown hotel wants to talk to him about partnering in a steakhouse.

"I understand that there's a 'CSI' part that's being written for me which will be filmed in August," the mayor added, referring to the television show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

He said the part would be a "one-shot deal."

"I think I get killed."

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