Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman invited the Leadership Las Vegas Class of 2009 to his office on Friday for an informal introduction to the Office of the Mayor. The experience was great. Mayor Goodman was, as always, extremely cordial and answered all of the questions we had for him.

Mayor Goodman spent most of the allotted time addressing what he called the “fight of the city’s life.” For over a decade, Goodman has worked tirelessly toward his vision of a redeveloped and revitalized downtown. Economic ups and downs have created some delay. However, there has never before been an obstruction to these efforts as dark and deceptive as recent efforts put forth by the  Culinary Union. Culinary Local 226 may actually have blown enough smoke to create a problem for the City Council. But, are citizens so blind as to sign petitions without knowing the implications?

It looks like that may indeed be the case. A January 25, 2009 Las Vegas Sun editorial touts downtown redevelopment as an “excuse to make heavy-handed use of the city’s powers of eminent domain and plow tax money into projects designed to benefit existing downtown casino owners …” Really? Do we forget that the entire tax base in Nevada rests upon the success of the casinos both Downtown and on the Strip?

These petition pushers from the Union have purportedly been collecting signatures by telling the public that their endorsement would require the City to cease plans for the new City Hall and put millions into the education system. Are citizens really too blind to realize that revitalization dollars cannot be spent on anything other than redevelopment? Evidently, many people are being fooled or bullied into signing. The Union now appears to have enough signatures to take it before the City Council. The outcome will almost surely be left for the courts to decide.

The Culinary Union has no place making demands on City Government that will cost the taxpayers on both the short run and the long road. The Union is trying to demand that any large hotel, entertainment, or retail project (including grocery stores) would be required to join forces with the Union. As business owners in Las Vegas, we need to join forces in support of Mayor Goodman, and City Hall, and the revitalization of Las Vegas by NOT ALLOWING the Culinary Union to dictate public policy.