Clark County Commissioners (‘We’re Not Las Vegas’) Take Two Whole Minutes To Discuss, Approve F1 Race On Strip As Annual Event Through 2037
By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Poor Flavor Flav.
First, Clark County Commission Chairman Michael Naft had to ask Flav to announce his name for the record when addressing the county’s august seven-member governing board during this morning’s commission meeting.
Then, Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom had to give the likable rapper a geography lesson, explaining to Flav that he was in Clark County and not the city of Las Vegas when Flav joked about running for mayor of Las Vegas.
It was all in good fun as Flav won permission from the Clark County commissioners to hold a parade celebrating U.S. women’s Olympians on the Strip. It’s “Flavor Flav’s SHE Weekend Parade” July 16 when the celebration will start near the Bellagio and end at the T-Mobile Arena plaza.’
The good-natured Flav doled out hugs and handshakes during a meeting that featured an all-star lineup of interesting visitors from LVCVA tourism boss Steve Hill and A’s president Marc Badain to dozens of Asian leaders recognized by the commissioners to a representative from The Satanic Temple who gave the invocation.
As expected, the county commissioners approved the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix as an annual event through 2037. There was a whole two minutes of discussion before the unanimous vote.
County Commission Chairman Michael Naft wants the local F1 race organizers to condense the 17-week track installment and breakdown period for the November race that is held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving.
Clark County, in its county meeting agenda item, said the race has a positive economic impact, but failed to note that the race also causes businesses to lose revenues because of access and traffic problems. In fact, Clark County — along with F1 — was sued by businesses alleging in lawsuits that Clark County fast-tracked the race’s permits and approvals. F1 has since settled with the plaintiffs.
Badain, the A’s and former Raiders team president, was joined by A’s executive Sandy Dean and Mortenson/McCarthy stadium construction manager Tyler Van Eeckhaut to update the board on stadium construction at the former Tropicana hotel-casino site on the Strip.
Dean told the commissioners about a parking garage and utility plant that will be built outside the nine-acre stadium footprint at the 35-acre total site at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.
The A’s stadium project costs $2 billion, with the public contributing $380 million. A’s owner John Fisher said he and his family, which own the Gap retail store empire, has enough money to pay for the 33,000-fan stadium that is scheduled to open for the 2028 baseball season. Dean said the A’s will use $350 million of the $380 million in government assistance toward building the domed venue.
Even Steve Hill, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) CEO, made a cameo at the meeting. He offered his usual upbeat and cheery portrait of tourism and sports events in Las Vegas.
The county commission meeting lasted more than four hours and began with 45 minutes of awards and recognitions handed out to locals. That’s how it is in Clark County: the hotels and stadiums generate all the revenues and the county gives locals framed proclamations and some nice words.
PSA
