Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is flamboyant, outspoken and an unabashed lover of fine cigars.
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.