Chaltiel, businessman, mayoral candidate dies at 72

Victor Chaltiel, a businessman and member of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. board of directors, who ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Las Vegas, died of cancer Monday.

Chaltiel, 72, became known to Southern Nevadans for his folksy television commercials during the 2011 mayor’s race in which he and supporters flashed two fingers in the shape of the letter “V” while proclaiming “V for Victor.”

A native of France, Chaltiel finished fourth in the primary despite reportedly outspending his opponents. Chaltiel spoke in a heavy French accent.

Chaltiel was first elected to the Las Vegas Sands board of directors in December 2012.

A close friend of company Chairman Sheldon Adelson, Chaltiel was an active member on the Las Vegas Sands board, serving on four different committees, including the panel that seeking a new chief operating officer for the casino company.

Adelson and his wife, Miriam Adelson, appeared at several campaign events for Chaltiel in 2011.

In a statement, Adelson described Chaltiel and his wife as “among our closest friends” and that their “hearts ache” for the family.

“Victor was a vibrant and kind man and a dynamic member of our community,” Adelson said. “He loved his family, Las Vegas, and the United States. He was thankful for all he had been given in life and was adamant about giving back to the community and country that had given him so much. He was a skilled businessman and generous philanthropist.”

Chaltiel was one of 18 candidates in the mayor’s race, which was won by current Mayor Carolyn Goodman.

He touted his business background, with the slogan, “a businessman, not a politician.”

Chaltiel was the founder and chairman of Redhills Ventures, a private investment firm focusing in technology start-ups. He was also the founder and chairman of Health Data Insights Inc., a Las Vegas based company specializing in reducing healthcare costs.

Prior to founding Redhills Ventures, Chaltiel served as chairman and CEO for five years at Total Renal Care Holdings Inc., a publicly traded company which is now known as now Davita.

Chaltiel was active in several community organizations and chaired the board of trustees for The Adelson Educational Campus. He was a graduate of the Ecole Superieure des Sciences Econompques et Commerciales of Paris and he held a master’s of business administration from the Harvard Business School.

Chaltiel is survived by his wife, Toni, and their three children, Oscar, Maxime and Sarah.

Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.