The mayor of Las Vegas, former mob attorney Oscar Goodman, has been a proponent of a mob museum since he was elected in 1999.

Never one to shy away from his past -- he's been quoted as saying about his former mob clients, if I knew who they were I'd have charged them a lot more -- Goodman told USA Today "If we didn't have the mob in our background, we'd be like El Paso with gambling." [link]

El Paso has a history with Las Vegas, and with Goodman.

Jimmy Chagra, perhaps one of the most famous outlaws in El Paso's recent history, was a regular there, dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars in the 1970s. (See this March 2, 2008 article in the Las Vegas Sun.)

When he was accused of plotting the hit on federal Judge John "Maximum" Woods, Goodman was his lawyer. Chagra was not convicted of that crime, although he was later convicted of money laundering and drug charges.

Goodman also laughs it up about his gin drinking. At one time, while he was mayor, he was spokesman for Bombay Sapphire. In spring, while talking to a group of fourth-graders, he was asked what he'd bring if stranded on a desert island. Show girls and gin, he replied. In response to the predictable outrage, he called himself the George Washington of mayors -- I can't tell a lie, he said.

I should mention that I covered Goodman for almost two years for the Las Vegas Sun, starting in late 2003. He was almost always gentlemanly, courteous, and fierce when crossed. Only once did he lose his composure with me, and it was not about himself; I wrote a story about a real estate deal involving one of his sons in an area of Downtown the city actively was involved in redeveloping. He was, like I stated, fierce in protecting his family.

He's also fierce in his promotion of Las Vegas. He's perfect for the city, which is about chance -- the chance to re-invent yourself as one of the most successful mob lawyers in the country, for example.

If chance is a coin, one side is gain and the other is loss. Las Vegas is based on more people losing than winning, and it caters to desire with a smile. And why not? Capitalism is all about giving the people what they want. And what do people want more than to gamble, be entertained and titillated, to lose themselves in bright lights and alcohol.

Las Vegas is unashamed, and now, even proud. So is Goodman. He is the mayor in the moment of time when Las Vegas has reshaped itself into the perfect reflection of America, from its divided politics to its growing multiples of religions, ethnicities, aesthetics and economic classes. Las Vegas is booming in the desert (even though the housing bust has not passed the city by) while it sucks water from the ground and river and uses enough electricity to power a small country (hell, each one of the mega-casinos on the Strip probably uses enough electricity to power a small country).

Goodman is tirelessly working to reinvent Las Vegas' Downtown, while bringing in big city amenities like a medical school, urban parks, and even ... transit.

Hmm, maybe we could use a mayor like Oscar Goodman. And a little gambling.