Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman will run for a third term. She announced her plans last week.
If she wins, she and her husband, Oscar Goodman, will have served two dozen years representing Las Vegas to resident and tourists, alike.
Yet, State of Nevada contributor and long-time Nevada journalist John L. Smith says this time around, the mayor could be facing some stiff competition.
“Whoever runs against Carolyn Goodman should she even get any competition is going to have to bring a bankroll," he said, "The one thing that Carolyn and Oscar are very good - they are very good at working the room. They are very good at fundraising, really at all levels.”
Smith noted that the mayor's job isn't really very powerful in Las Vegas.
“It is essentially a glorified ribbon cutters job,” he said.
And he believes she has done a good job as mayor. She helped the city through the Great Recession.
“Having Carolyn Goodman out there leading the charge for a brighter Las Vegas, I think is all good news,” he said.
And Goodman was there after the horror of the October 1 shooting, even though the shooting happened in unincorporated Clark County and not in the city limits.
With those two incidents in mind and her efforts to continue to revitalize downtown, Smtih believes Goodman has done a good job.
“You look at the job description and you have to say ‘yes,’” he said.
However, he thinks Goodman will have to step up her efforts to stop any infighting on the city council as tensions rise over the Badlands Golf Course issue.
The golf course is owned by a developer who wants to put homes on the now-closed course, but people who have homes on the course are opposed to the idea.
Their opposition cost Bob Beers his seat on the council. Now, the issue is back and Smith believes it could "poison" the council.
“It has created an enormous amount of negativity on the council. I think that’s where Carolyn Goodman can and should show real leadership,” he said.
Smith says she needs to do more to find a compromise among council members.
STEVE SISOLAK'S AGENDA:
“It is interesting to see him come out and focus on a couple of issues," he said.
The two big issues he has already talked about is the state's involvement in the legal action against the Affordable Care Act and the background check law approved by voters but never implemented.
Smith said Sisolak and Attorney General-elect Aaron Ford are already talking about those two issues.
“It is rather refreshing to see adults talking at the highest levels of Nevada government when in the past, of course, Brian Sandoval the governor… and Adam Laxalt, the attorney general, were often at odds or seemingly so on major issues,” he said.
Smith said it will be interesting to see what the Democrats do on these issues in Carson City because not only is the ball in their court but "it will be hard to find a ripple of opposition."
“The state has a long way to go in public education, higher education. We’ve got a lot of improvements to make in our social strata and services,” he said.
Go Knights Go: The Holiday Edition
“I didn’t know that hockey fans read that much but apparently they do,” Smith said. If you have a Knights fan in your family, he has some suggestions of what to get them for the holidays:
"Born to Glory: The Vegas Golden Knights Historical Inaugural Season" by the Las Vegas Sun staff.
"Knights to Remember: The Western Conference Champion Vegas Golden Knights and the Most Improbable Inaugural Season of All Time" by the Las Vegas Review-Journal staff
"Vegas Born: The Remarkable Story of the Golden Knights" by Steve Carp
"Vegas Golden Knights: How a First Year Expansion Team Healed Las Vegas and Shocked the Hockey World" by Joe Pane and Deke Castleman
John L. Smith, contributor