Steve Friess (Oy Vey) Interviews Mayor Skank of Las Vegas About His Derogatory Bette Remarks

Mister D: Some of us wrote the mayor as nicely as possible expressing our disappointment with his behavior. We were shown a message that he would get back to us because our emails were important to him. Of course, none of us received anything. Guess he doesn’t care too much about his community.

Steve Friess
(2007 Vegas Person of the Year)
Vegas Happens Here
EXCLUSIVE: GOODMAN REACTS TO BETTE-GATE
December 1, 2009

I’m just off the line with Mayor Oscar Goodman, whom I had called for another story, and I quizzed him about the TMZ.Com video that came out over the weekend in which he called an auction bidder a “fat and short Bette Midler.” Click below to see it for yourself, it’s about 45 seconds:

Goodman’s response: “If I offended anybody, I apologize. That’s not my style, that’s not my nature to offend people. If that’s how it was taken, I’m sorry.”

What’s been puzzling about the incident is when and where it took place. I’ve watched the video a few times trying to identify the ballroom decor, but I’ve failed. I think it’s the Bellagio or maybe Wynn, but it’s really hard to tell. Any hard-core Vegasophiles take a stab at it?

Goodman declined to say precisely where and when it was, although he said it was a few weeks ago. He also refused to say what charity was involved because “I don’t want to cause them any trouble,” but he seems to recall the item out for bid was … the Mayor.

“It was no big deal. It was nothing when it happened. Apparently someone took a video on a cell phone cam and then they sent it around. Had they called me and asked me, I would have made amends for it. It’s the easiest thing in the world to do is say I’m sorry.”

Goodman, however, doesn’t even remember mentioning Bette Midler, whom he has never met. He said that he only referenced the singer because the woman resembled her, not because Bette is short and fat. Or at least fat, since she’s definitely short. But that’s my comment, not his. Here’s more of his:

“I don’t recall saying anything about Bette Midler. I thought I was saying about something about the woman who was buying me at the event. I certainly hope I wasn’t calling the woman fat and ugly in a vein where she thought I meant something about her.”

Gosh! Why would she get a CRAZY idea like that?

I also asked the mayor if the incident and others like it impact him as he weighs whether to run for governor.

“Not at all. People know me, they know what I’m about. This is a nothing.”

And, finally, I had to ask. Was he drinking that night?

“I drink every night.”

Mister D: Comments can be made HERE