In what may be a historic first, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta and their rival Texas cousin Tilman Fertitta all agree upon something: Carolyn Goodman‘s mayoral candidacy. As in, they’re for it. Once you lump together Zuffa (parent of the UFC), a Station Casinos holding company, Station Casinos proper, Palace Station, Red Rock Resort, Santa Fe Station, Fertitta in-law Blake Sartini (CEO of Golden Gaming), ex-exec Scott Nielson, plus newly acquired sidekicks Tim Poster and Tom Breitling, the Vegas Fertittas have marshaled a veritable army behind Mrs. Oscar Goodman, plus a $60,000 purse … undoubtedly far exceeding whatever Sheldon Adelson has mustered on behalf of old buddy Victor Chaltiel.
Actually, the Goodman money train has been hopped by every major casino player who’s within Las Vegas‘ city limits — and a few who aren’t. Tilman’s Golden Nugget is on the passenger manifest, as is another major Downtown investor, Boyd Gaming. A notorious non-investor in the area, Tamares Barrick, has managed to find some spare change on the carpet to spend on Carolyn Goodman, if not on its tumbleweed casinos. The El Cortez chipped in, as did Michael Gaughan‘s South Point, even though it sits miles and miles outside of city lines. With the exception of Four Queens owner Terry Caudill and the consortium running the Golden Gate, anybody who’s anybody in Downtown gaming is in Mrs. Goodman’s corner. Fitzgeralds owner Don Barden doesn’t count, being basically AWOL from the city ever since buying in with great (and empty) fanfare.
Several industry alumni make the list, most notably Jack Binion, retired and by all accounts enjoying it greatly. Also to be found are William Richardson, the former vice chairman of the former Mandalay Resort Group, and Phyllis McGuire. She’s sort of an “honorary” casino-industry member, having been the longtime companion of the late, much-missed Bob Stupak. Throw in the owner of Las Vegas’ trash-pickup monopoly, an irascible car dealer and sleazy Hollywood billionaire Steve Bing, and you’ve got quite a crew. The bottom line is that the casinos that matter have put their chips on Mrs. Goodman … and that this doesn’t bode well for Adelson (above) if he really thinks he can get the rest of the industry to follow his lead in the 2012 election cycle. His Pied Piper skills must be a little rusty.
Oaf of Office II. During his ongoing media blitzkrieg, Donald Trump vouchasfed a fascinating insight into the ethics that made him what he is today:
That’s right; if somebody else has assets you “need,” just steal them. He’s already tried this (without success) in Atlantic City. Then again, pretty much everything Trump’s attempted in Atlantic City in the past 15 years could be described as “without success.” Maybe S&G should pass the hat on behalf of one of the various “draft Trump” entities out there. After all, wouldn’t it be a great spectator sport to watch serious presidential candidates blow down Trump’s Boardwalk house of cards, his Trump International fiasco on the Strip, his Miami misadventure and let’s not forget the Trump Ocean Resort Baja catastrophe? Prospective rivals, take heart! Donald J. Trump is the walking, taking (especially talking) definition of a “target-rich environment.” If The Donald is, as he seems, bent on making more of a fool of himself than usual, I submit it is our civic duty to oblige him. If we don’t, the terrorists will have won.
The last time I read something about William Richardson him and Charlie Palmer were trying to build a small boutique/condo/hotel at the corner of Tropicana and Dean Martin Drive where the closed Golden Palms resides.
This isn’t about the Mayor’s race but I thought I’d drop it in your hat, anyway, given that LVCVA advertising tends to avoid the LV TV market.
I’ve been in the Bay Area the past couple months and we’ve seen this commercial a few times, though not in the seriously heavy rotation of the Aria commercial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVP-t8Yyic8
This is the LVCVA’s attempt at promoting Las Vegas as a bargain destination, I guess. I’m amused that half of the commercial is promoting free shows that Steve Wynn built over a decade ago and has promised to never do again. In fact, aside from the appearance of Palazzo and maybe another hotel in the mishmash of Strip and downtown resorts, there really isn’t anything Vegas has produced from 2005 onwards showcased here.
I guess though, that a 2005-2010 Vegas ‘value’ ad wouldn’t add up to much:
“Bob and Jane wanted to see Las Vegas without losing a bundle. So they took care of dinner and a show at the same time, losing all desire to eat after buying half-priced tickets to the Luxor’s exhibit of human corpses. After taking in fine-art in the middle of a 50,000 square foot shopping mall with no retailers they could afford, they finished the night by squeezing into the small balcony that is the only place to see the Wynn lake show without feeling buying a gourmet dinner or feeling pressured to buy drinks.”