Former poker pro and “YouTube celebrity” Doug Polk files notice of intent to recall Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman after a controversial CNN interview about the Corona crisis, displaying erratic behavior, confusing and concerning statements on live television.
Goodman dismissing Social Distancing for Las Vegas
Two weeks ago Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman made the news with a bizarre interview about reopening the city and exposing its workers and citizens to the global pandemic that is the Coronavirus. The CNN interview with Anderson Cooper was a messy affair with Goodman claiming to have offered Las Vegas citizens as a control group in the Coronavirus crisis, basically offering to see what happens if all establishments stay open.
Pressed on the matter by Anderson Cooper she retracted the statement somewhat and caused viewers to question her state of mind during the conversation and maybe overall. Several more reckless, contradicting and straight up confusing statements now triggered a recall poll in the city of Las Vegas. The movement is led by none other than former poker personality and Upswing Poker founder Doug Polk.
Polk Goes Politics
Doug Polk had mentioned in the past that he would be interested in getting into politics at some point. This might be the beginning of an interesting political story around the former poker pro.
In a video on his YouTube channel Doug Polk officially calls for the removal of Carolyn Goodman from her duties as Mayor of Las Vegas. A recall election would mean a new vote to take place to find a new (or the same) Mayor once over.
Polk’s arguments include Goodman’s offer to be a “control group” as “insulting to people who live in Nevada” and that her “loyalties don’t lie with the people of Las Vegas” but with the casino owners who need their businesses back up and running.
In the video Doug Polk talks through the steps that need to be taken in order to kick off the recall process and that he has already started working on it by getting a note of intent signed and filed with the City Clerk of Las Vegas.
In the official recall notice Polk gets quoted, “We are recalling the Mayor because over the last few weeks she has failed to responsibly represent her constituency. Not only in her clear disregard for public health, but also in her support for the casino owners over the people of Las Vegas. Additionally she is barely able to speak coherent sentences while discussing the subject matter. She is unfit to serve as the Mayor of Las Vegas.”
Now 25% of the people that voted in the last Mayor election, which is around 6,600, need to sign the petition in order for it to go through for a recall election. Polk does point out that the chance does exist that Goodman will get re-elected, but he’s hoping for good change for Las Vegas.
Polk closes his video statement in his typical sarcastic fashion, pledging to become a candidate himself and promising to “do absolutely nothing, because nothing is better than Carolyn Goodman for mayor”.
How much of this offer is sincere remains to be seen. For now Doug Polk is back and seems to have found a good use of his 40k-subscriber YouTube channel in his post-poker life.
