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A mob museum in Vegas mayor's future

LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, the self-proclaimed happiest mayor in the universe, is unhappily being pushed out of office.

LAS VEGAS - Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, the self-proclaimed happiest mayor in the universe, is unhappily being pushed out of office.

After three terms and countless Bombay Sapphire martinis, Goodman must relinquish City Hall in six weeks.

Facing off on the ballot to succeed him are his wife of five decades and a county commissioner unlucky enough to have a last name other than Goodman.

No matter the election outcome, the changing of the guard will be the end of an era for Las Vegas and Goodman, one of the most flamboyant elected officials in the land.

With a sequin-drenched showgirl on each arm and a bottomless cocktail in one fist, he turned an inconsequential title into one of the most notable posts in Nevada.

In the process, he began to transform downtown Las Vegas from a wasteland of decayed buildings and drunken roughnecks into an urban playground of hipster bars and luxury shops.

His administration also oversaw Las Vegas' fall from tourism glory in the economic collapse of 2008.

Through it all, the onetime Philadelphia mob lawyer enjoyed the popularity of the anointed leader he professed to be. He was re-elected twice. Goodman has devoted his final months in office to ensuring wife Carolyn's election on June 7. When he leaves office, he hopes to help promote Las Vegas tourism and help run a mob museum.