Oscar b goodman biography

Oscar Goodman has one of the most unusual pedigrees in American politics. For 30 years he was the lawyer of choice for some of the most notorious mobsters in Las Vegas and beyond. His list of clients was almost a who's who of organized crime: Meyer Lansky, Nicky Scarfo, Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and Anthony "Tony The Ant" Spilotro. As their lawyer, Goodman earned himself a reputation as a smart, tough, relentless combatant, a master of the law who would seize upon any loophole, any flaw in the search warrants or indictments, any missteps by the cops or prosecutors to keep his clients out of jail.

Then in 1998, Goodman made a stunning turn: he decided to run for mayor of Las Vegas. He was about to turn 60, he didn't have a drop of political experience and, given his baggage, no one—not even his family—thought he could win. But win he did, big, and right away he became a sensation. To the staid affairs of city government, he brought irreverence and panache. The mayor doesn't wear a signature carnation in his lapel; he keeps a signature Martini in his hand and a well-stocked humidor in his office. His unbridled tongue is legendary. Goodman regularly upbraids the homeless and he's suggested that graffiti artists who deface public property ought to have their thumbs removed. The local press lambastes him, but the voters of Las Vegas brush that aside. In 2003 and again in 2007, they reelected their mayor with slam-dunk majorities of 86 and 84 percent of the vote.

So what's his secret? How did a notorious mob lawyer transform himself into a revered community leader and a tireless rabble-rouser for the public good? Down at his core, who is Oscar B. Goodman and what makes him tick?

If you fly into Las Vegas and taxi straight to the action, you miss a central fact about this sprawling desert city of 600,000 people: it's not one city but two. There is, of course, the Las Vegas of world renown, the Strip, with its glittering casinos, palatial hotels, fine restaurants

Oscar Goodman with two women at a Jewish Federation event, 2000-2001

Oscar Baylin Goodman (1939- ) is the former mayor of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, serving 12 years until 2011, when he swore in his wife of 53 years, Carolyn Goodman. Oscar Goodman is the official ambassador of Las Vegas, and the chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Host Committee. He is also known as one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the United States, and spent 35 years defending alleged mob figures such as Meyer Lansky, Frank Rosenthal, and Anthony Spilotro. Goodman is the primary visionary and a member of the board of directors of The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas, which opened in 2012.

Goodman was born June 26, 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned his undergraduate degree from Haverford College in 1961 and his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1964. That same year he moved to Las Vegas and in 1965 he was admitted to the Nevada State Bar. He served as Clark County’s chief deputy public defender from 1966 to 1967.

Goodman was elected as mayor of Las Vegas for the first time in 1999. During his three terms (the legal limit), he contributed to the economic and cultural development of the downtown area by supporting projects such as the arts district and Union Park, a high-rise residential and business project he helped to secure 61 acres of land for. He helped to begin what he called the “Manhattanization” of downtown, which included the construction of taller buildings for better use of the area’s prime real estate.

Sources:

Koch, Ed. "The many colors of Mayor Oscar Goodman." Las Vegas Sun. May 15, 2008. http://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/15/many-colors-mayor-oscar-goodman/.

"Oscar B. Goodman." The Mob Museum. Accessed May 14, 2015. http://themobmuseum.org/oscar-b-goodman/.

American lawyer and politician (born 1939)

Not to be confused with Oscar Goldman or Oscar Goodman (basketball).

Oscar Baylin Goodman (born July 26, 1939) is an American attorney and politician. A Democrat-turned-independent, Goodman was the mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada from 1999 to 2011. His wife, Carolyn Goodman, succeeded him as mayor in 2011.

Early life and education

Goodman was born and raised in a Jewish family in Philadelphia. After attending Central High School for a time, he graduated from The Haverford School. He graduated from Haverford College in 1961, then received his J.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1964. He and his wife Carolyn have four children.

Career

Defense attorney

During his career as a defense attorney, Goodman represented defendants accused of being some of the leading organized crime figures in Las Vegas, such as: Meyer Lansky, Nicky Scarfo, Herbert "Fat Herbie" Blitzstein, Phil Leonetti, former Stardust Casino boss Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, and Jamiel "Jimmy" Chagra, a 1970s drug trafficker who was acquitted of ordering the murder of Federal Judge John H. Wood, Jr. One of his notorious clients was Chicago mobster Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro

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