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A GOOD MAN “I’m an under-the-radar type person. I’m not one to enjoy what he does, that flamboyance—that’s not me.” One of the challenges in economic development is that Las Vegas is perceived as Sin City and probably some executives don’t want to bring their kids here and raise them here. How far are you willing to take the Sin City image? I very much favor a quality of life to help people achieve their highest potential. It means educate everybody. Give them opportunities to get jobs and develop their own businesses and have pride. The hotel industry in Nevada, when it was the lone ranger, which it no longer is, it’s all over the world— it was selling, “Come here for excitement, for great entertainment, for great food, for great shopping.” Anything to sell tourism—that was our industry. My husband and I have always talked about diversifying the economy. We need to establish an identity. Coming from my background, we moved here specifically to fulfill our dreams raising a family and helping to develop this community. It needs culture, it needs a quality of class. The hotel industry and tourism are pieces. We need our identity and it only comes from diversification. My entire life has been about raising my children with quality and understanding. It is about teaching them, “What is quality, what is culture, what is truth?” I carry as my husband carries from our upbringings the core values of goodness and truth and putting in a long day’s work and not blaming the world for problems and doing something about it. I believe the role of the mayor is to continue what’s been started, which is adding a new identity to our community. Diversity. To promote and bring some class and an identity when people say “Las Vegas,” they think, “Oh my gosh, that great symphony. Oh my gosh, you can get the best medical care there. You can go there, they are the center of technology in the world.” Tourism has to be here, it’s what this whole place grew out of. We should market the city for some other things, for instance the wonderful 12-months- of-the-year great weather. Think of all of the people shoveling snow and the floods and the catastrophes | 23 MAY 2011 | happening around the world. What a great place we have. You wake up every day, the sun is shining. Out of every bad comes good—the foreclosures because of the economy. What a great time to buy! Come here and start your business! Senior citizens should move here, it’s beautiful. We have hundreds of golf courses, the best food, the best shopping. Let’s clarify what if anything you want to do for a red light district downtown. It’s illegal and I’m certainly opposed to prostitution. I’m a mother and a grandmother. I am horrified at the teenage prostitution. I am horrified at the human trafficking. I would want greater Metro Police presence to do something about that. The health issues are absolutely critical. I was out at the country club the other day, on Joe W. Brown Drive behind the Hilton, and no question there were three prostitutes trying to hail people down. If the Legislature decided to pass legislation (allowing prostitution in Las Vegas), I think you’d have everybody in the city up in arms. If it did come up in the Legislature, and you’re the mayor and the spokeswoman for the city, what are you going to tell the Legislature? I would tell them I’m opposed to it. I’m trying to bring culture, quality education and a family lifestyle. Keep them (legal prostitutes) wherever they are, people can drive there. That’s a nonissue (for me). How could I be for that? What differences over public policy have you had with your husband? He always says we’ve been married nearly 49 years and I never listen to him. I remember one argument at the time the City Council was discussing closing F Street (as part of the I-15 widening) and I worked in West Las Vegas and I said to my husband several times, “It’s not the actual closure, it’s the psychological barrier you’re putting up in people’s minds. It’s a terrible idea, don’t do it. You need to feel people, they’re part of the city.” Our personalities are different. Our core values are the same. Do you see your husband playing a role in a Carolyn Goodman administration? It’s something I would sort of have to walk through. I respect him. He respects me. We’re both fairly intelligent. Our parents gave us great educations. Where it would be helpful—he has 12 years of meeting people and being in the heart of it all—of course (I’d talk him about helping). This is about Las Vegas. It’s not a question of pride for me: I want what’s best for this city. You may not want to speak for Oscar, but what’s he going to do after his term? He hasn’t decided. I held off retiring for the longest time waiting for him to make up his mind. The thought of him running for governor (in 2010)—the governor in this economy has spent so much of his time on just budget, budget, budget. That’s not Oscar. Oscar’s out there trying to get business and create things, not numbers. I asked him, “Are you going to teach at the law school? Are you going to write a book? Are you going to go into movies and TV?” Because he loved the time in Casino (where he played himself) and he did some vignettes in some series. He loves that. He couldn’t make up his mind, so I took the leadership and said “I’m going to retire.” He said, “What are you going to do?” I said, “Until you make up your mind, I can’t.” Then I began to think because people said, “Why don’t you run for mayor?” Even federal judges said, “Why don’t you run for mayor?” And people said, “We need you to run for mayor. You’ve been side by side with him. You know what’s going on.” I kept saying, “I’ve been working for 26 years.” Then we woke up one morning and he said, “Don’t do it.” And I said, “I have to do it. You’ve created so much and I know I’m the right person to take it forward.” 23