>Los Angeles Times >Wednesday, April 7, 1999 > > Ex-Lawyer for Mob May Be Good Bet in Vegas Election > Politics: Gregarious and respected, Oscar Goodman is a > > front-runner for mayor. Critics worry about city's image. > By JAMES RAINEY, Times Staff Writer > > > >[L]AS VEGAS--The > >establishment in the > "new" >Las Vegas loves to > talk >about the explosion in > >family entertainment, the > >number of churches per > >capita ("Highest in the > >nation!") and the joys of > >living in suburbs that reach > ever-farther >into the > desert. > Oscar >B. Goodman loves > to >talk about the old days, > when >he busted up dozens of > >government attacks on > >reputed mobsters and kept > >Anthony "Tony the Ant" > >Spilotro out of jail despite > >suspicions that the feared > Mafia >enforcer had committed > >nearly two dozen murders. > > Now, the renowned > >criminal defense lawyer says > with >a smile: "I want to > make >Las Vegas my No. 1 > client." > > Goodman, purported > >mouthpiece for the mob, is > >running for mayor. > > It is a political > >contest that promises to be > >expensive, raucous and just > plain >fun to watch. > >Goodman's mercurial > >candidacy has both the > >59-year-old attorney and > >America's fastest-growing > city >struggling to reconcile > new >images with old ones. > > Frenetically skipping > about >the town he adopted 34 > years >ago, Goodman is the > >avuncular synagogue > >president, family man and > civil >rights defender. But > back >in his plush, > >marble-floored office, he > also >remains a snarling > >critic of "evil" FBI agents, > who >he says have tried to > hurt >his clients--charming > men >who merely "had > >disagreements with the > >government." > > Even his opponents put > >Goodman at or near the top > of a >field of nine > >candidates in the May 4 > >primary vying to make an > >expected June runoff. Just a > week >into the campaign, he > >demonstrated his seriousness > by >becoming the first > >candidate to launch TV ads. > With >a profile most of his > >opponents lack, he is > >already being heckled like > the >headliner. >[...] >
