[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 21, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S6275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MANNY CORTEZ

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, when people around the world think of my 
home State of Nevada, their first thoughts are usually of Las Vegas.
  Around the world, people know us for our first-class entertainment 
and resorts, our world-class dining, and for slogans like ``what 
happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.'' But what most people don't know is 
that Las Vegas is the city it is today because of the hard work of one 
man--Manny Cortez. Manny was a friend, and it is with great sadness 
that I come to the chamber today to pay tribute to his life. He passes 
away from a heart attack on Sunday. He was 67.
  Manny Cortez achieved so much in life. He served on the Clark County 
Commission, the Taxi Authority, and in the district attorney's office. 
He was, however, best known as the president of the Las Vegas 
Convention and Visitors Authority. He held this post for 13 years, from 
1991 to 2004. Under Manny's tenure, Las Vegas went from seeing 21 
million visitors a year to more than 35 million, from 1.8 convention 
delegates to nearly 6 million, and from 73,000 hotel rooms to 140,000 
hotel rooms.
  As his successor on the convention board, Rossi Ralenkotter, said: 
Manny was one of the cornerstones that made Las Vegas the success it is 
today.
  Former Clark County Commissioner Paul Christensen has echoed that 
sentiment, saying: Putting Manny Cortez in charge of the (convention 
authority) was one of the better moves we ever made. He never ever told 
you he would so something that he wouldn't back up.
  Throughout his life, Manny was recognized as an astute marketer and 
businessman. For example, he was named Person of the Year by Travel 
Magazine in 1999. He was past president of the Boys and Girls Clubs in 
Las Vegas. He served on a number of boards. But for all his 
achievements and success, I think the Las Vegas community will remember 
Manny more for being a leader and good man.
  In Monday's Las Vegas Sun, Editor Brian Greenspun shares this 
recollection of Manny.

       When the late Gov. Mike O'Callaghan appointed Manny to the 
     Taxi Authority, he said that in Manny he had a man who cared 
     about people and about doing what was right. Manny lived that 
     obligation throughout his life.

  That is how I will remember Manny too, as a good man who always did 
the right thing.
  Manny--like Las Vegas--was a true American success story. He was born 
in Las Cruces, NM. His father was a baker. His mother was a retailer. 
They moved to Las Vegas when Manny was 5. A product of Las Vegas 
schools, he held a degree from Nevada Southern University. He didn't 
start at the top, but he ended up there.
  Manny leaves behind his wife Joanna, two daughters, Catherine and 
Cynthia, and two grandchildren, Andrew and Christina. Today, Mr. 
President, our prayers are with them.
  Many is gone. He will be missed. And his presence will be felt by 
everyone who visits Las Vegas.

                          ____________________