‘What a loss:’ Ron Lurie, former Las Vegas mayor, dead at 79

Former Las Vegas Mayor Ron Lurie, who served as a city lawmaker for nearly two decades through 1991 and then became a gaming industry executive, has died. He was 79.

Lurie, who had blood cancer and a multitude of other underlying health conditions, died Tuesday night after a brief stay in hospice care upon contracting COVID-19, according to his son, Ben Lurie.

“He really enjoyed nothing more than public service,” Ben Lurie said, believing his father to be a “visionary” who was passionate about the city he adored and wanted to be intimately involved in its growth.

The news of Ron Lurie’s passing reverberated across the state Wednesday.

‘What a loss’

“Ron was a dear friend and an exceptional public leader who devoted two decades of his life to public service,” Gov. Steve Sisolak wrote on Twitter. “Kathy and I are holding the Lurie family close in our hearts.”

Mayor Carolyn Goodman remembered Ron Lurie as someone who enthusiastically supported the growth of the city’s transit system, the birth of its natural history and children’s museums, and UNLV’s Runnin’ Rebels men’s basketball.

“What a loss for our community,” Mayor Carolyn Goodman said in a statement. “Ron was a man with a giving heart and huge smile. A friend to all, like his dad, Art, Ron made a difference to Las Vegas.”

Councilman Cedric Crear learned of the former mayor’s death through Ben Lurie, who have known each other since they were teenagers.

“Ron was a classic Vegas guy,” Crear said. “He will be deeply missed. He was a very good man and he cared about Las Vegas and we are grateful for his service to our community.”

‘Prove myself worthy’

Ron Lurie was a second-generation Las Vegan after his parents moved from California in the 1950s. His father, Art Lurie, was a top boxing judge and former chairman of the Nevada Athletic Commission.

Ron Lurie had served as a councilman for 14 years, and was a sales manager for a slot machine company, when he defeated hotel owner Bob Stupak for mayor in 1987 in an expensive, bitterly fought contest.

“I’ve only wanted to become mayor and now I’m going to prove myself worthy of the responsibility (the voters) have put on me for the next four years,” he told the Review-Journal at the time. “This is the one I’ve been waiting for a long time.”

He previously had run 12 years earlier but lost to former Mayor William Briare. He chose not to seek a second term and has since been succeeded by Jan Jones Blackhurst, Oscar Goodman and now Carolyn Goodman.

Gaming exec later in life

A lengthy career in the gaming industry culminated with his appointment in 1999 as general manager of Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, his “real home” where Ben Lurie said his father could do what he enjoyed most: Serve customers.

“Being the general manager of a property is just like being a politician. You have to be able to communicate well,” Ron Lurie told the Review-Journal in February 2007. “You’ve got to research some of the issues customers bring up. Local customers are pretty savvy, and to be successful, you have to know what’s important to them.”

Ben Lurie, a chiropractic physician living in Las Vegas, recalled his memory of his father’s routine: Wake up at 4 a.m., go to the gym, have coffee with friends, and work until the mid- to late-evening.

His father was unselfish and wanted to be sure that family, friends and others were cared for, Ben Lurie said.

Despite his age, Ron Lurie only retired in January and pivoted to be an ambassador to the company, according to Ben Lurie, who noted that his father continued to serve on civic boards and had recently reached out to Sisolak to see if there were any other boards that could use his service.

Throughout his career, Ron Lurie sat on government and charitable boards including the state Wildlife Commission, the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada, American Heart Association and others, according to Ben Lurie and Arizona Charlie’s online profile of him.

‘An indelible mark’

Ron Lurie is preceded in death by his wife, Beverly, and both parents, Art and Eleanor.

Ben Lurie expressed his gratitude to Debbie Pingul, his father’s executive secretary at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, who he said had helped to take care of his father and grandparents when they were sick.

“Ron made an indelible mark on Las Vegas through his work as a leader in the gaming industry, as a philanthropist, and as the former Mayor of Las Vegas,” said Golden Entertainment, which owns Arizona Charlie’s, in a statement.

“Through his work as a civil servant, in his gaming career and in his daily life, Ron was a champion for our community and was committed to making Las Vegas a better place for future generations,” the statement added.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.