25 Facts About Oscar Goodman

1.

Oscar Baylin Goodman was born on July 26,1939 and is an American attorney and politician.

2.

Oscar Goodman was born and raised in a Jewish family in Philadelphia.

3.

Oscar Goodman was a member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

4.

On June 28,1999, Oscar Goodman was the first mayor of Las Vegas to have his image placed on $5 and $25 casino chips issued by a Las Vegas casino.

5.

Oscar Goodman has been vocal about having a Major League Baseball team relocate to Las Vegas.

6.

Later that year, Oscar Goodman met with officials of the Florida Marlins.

7.

Oscar Goodman worked to get a National Football League team to relocate to Las Vegas.

8.

In July 2006 Oscar Goodman criticized the Ubisoft game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas for its premise of terrorism in Las Vegas, because he thought it may tarnish the city's image.

9.

Oscar Goodman ultimately did not pursue changes to Las Vegas law.

10.

Oscar Goodman supports legalizing prostitution in the city's downtown area as a revenue generator and tool for revitalization.

11.

In February 2004, Robert Rose, an ethics watchdog, filed a complaint with the Nevada Commission on Ethics claiming that during the US Conference of Mayors, Oscar Goodman handed out to fellow mayors, conference attendees and other political figures invitations to a cocktail party Oscar Goodman was hosting.

12.

Oscar Goodman sued the commission and won; the commission's ruling was reversed by the court.

13.

On September 11,2007, the Supreme Court of Nevada ruled that Goodman did not violate any ethics laws during the 2004 cocktail party that he hosted on behalf of his son Ross C Goodman.

14.

Oscar Goodman's memoir, Being Oscar: From Mob Lawyer to Mayor of Las Vegas, written with George Anastasia, was published in 2013.

15.

Oscar Goodman had entertained the idea of seeking the Democratic nomination in the 2006 United States Senate election in Nevada, in order to run against incumbent Republican Senator John Ensign.

16.

Oscar Goodman ultimately announced that he would not run for the nomination, which went to Jack Carter, the son of President Jimmy Carter.

17.

Oscar Goodman fueled speculation that he might run as an independent in the 2010 Nevada gubernatorial election against incumbent Republican Jim Gibbons and presumptive Democratic candidate Rory Reid.

18.

However, Oscar Goodman decided not to run for governor, citing his desire to stay close to his family, and objections to moving to Carson City.

19.

Las Vegas commentator Dayvid Figler wrote in 2009 that Oscar Goodman might become the first Jewish president of the United States.

20.

Oscar Goodman appeared as himself in the 1995 Martin Scorsese film Casino.

21.

In 2000, a bobblehead doll of Oscar Goodman was issued as a promotion during a Las Vegas 51s baseball game.

22.

In 2002, Oscar Goodman became a spokesman for Bombay Sapphire gin.

23.

Oscar Goodman donated his $100,000 salary to charity, including $50,000 to The Meadows School founded by his wife.

24.

Oscar Goodman guest-starred as himself three times on the CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

25.

Oscar Goodman was interviewed for the television programs The Making of the Mob: New York and The Making of the Mob: Chicago in 2015 and 2016, respectively.