Viva Vegas: An ex-Philly guy is the outrageous mayor of Sin City

Goodman branched out to civil law, winning a landmark case on behalf of a young boy who suffered severe and permanent damage after being vaccinated for mumps. Besides getting his client a massive cash award, Goodman's work resulted in new federal product liability laws. But even that didn't quiet his restlessness.

"I began to see how much I could charge people, and I really began to dislike myself. That's not who I am," he said. So, in 1998, in the face of what all the experts and pundits saw as overwhelmingly unfavorable odds, Goodman decided to run for mayor.

Now in his 11th year in city hall, Goodman has no plans to slow down once his term concludes in May 2011. While he hasn't yet declared his candidacy, neither has he ruled out a run for governor of Nevada. He recently changed his party affiliation from Democrat to independent, a reflection of what he's described as his frustration with the two-party system.

"I need the governor's race like I need a hole in the head," he reasoned. "But my nature is to go where others fear to tread."

Although he acknowledged the rest of the state's electorate is neither as sophisticated nor as liberal as Las Vegas', he insisted if he does run, he won't conform to what voters in what he likes to call "the cow counties" might want him to be.

"I won't change," he said. "I envision making my announcement to run for governor with showgirls on my arm. If [the people] don't like it, they can vote for someone else. And if I'm governor, I'll cavort with showgirls and I'll keep drinking my gin and betting on anything that moves.

"I won't change!"