Las Vegas Weekly

April 16, 2009 · 8:16 AM

Mayor believes Las Vegas is ‘coming back’ from economic downturn

By Robin Leach

Mayor Oscar Goodman speaks at NASCAR's Shelby 427 while his showgirls stand by.

Photo: Courtesy

Our Mayor Oscar Goodman was very upset when President Obama badmouthed our city as a convention destination for companies who received federal bailout money during the economic stimulus drama. More than 300 companies canceled Las Vegas meetings, as a result heavily impacting our economy and causing layoffs. Ironically, some of the companies who moved to San Francisco discovered that the cost of meeting there was far more expensive!

After cutting the ribbon to open The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Tuesday, I asked Oscar for his observations about the current economic situation. He told me: “I think the town is coming back. I think people are coming back. The buzz is out there. Even the traffic on the Strip is a lot different than two months ago.

“There’s a buzz and a vibe returning, and I say that after several weeks of going out from hotel to hotel and from casino to casino. I’m noticing that each weekend now has more and more events happening, and they are bringing in crowds.

“We had a two-hour presentation this morning (Tuesday) at our Visitors and Convention Authority. This summer is going to be phenomenal. We have lots of comedy acts coming in, and Vegas will appeal to people to get away and escape from the economic horror show that’s out there in the rest of the world. They’ll want to be here to relax and have a good time.

“We’re going back to that ‘what happens here stays here’ attitude. We let it lapse a little! The truth is businesses will come for meetings here. We’re proud of that brand, and that slogan is a good thing.

“We now know that President Obama is coming to Vegas. I said this morning that I would greet him if he’s in a position to rectify the record. He owes it to us -- I say that respectfully. I was told today that a meeting will be set up, and it’s not going to be for social purposes.

“It’s intended to get him to say Vegas is a great place to come and do business and more economically viable than the other cities he chased people away to. We have so much more to offer in convention services. In San Francisco, all you can do is try and see a bridge.”

Oscar confirmed that he is still suffering pain from his two rehearsals for his “Las Vegas Dancing With the Stars” performance he plans as part of a children’s cancer charity fundraiser this Sunday at Rain in the Palms. He wants to try for at least another 10-minute rehearsal tomorrow and a quick one before the actual dancing.

“I’ll dance through the pain and discomfort,” he told me “so long as my body doesn’t totally freeze up. My right side is still one big Charlie horse from top to toe. You’d have thought it would have gone down by now, but it’s still there every time I move!”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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