Every city has a mayor. But, cities with thriving nightlife scenes now have nightlife mayors. London appointed its first Night Czar in 2016, and now New York has its first-ever nightlife mayor.
The New York Office of Nightlife appointed Ariel Palitz as its senior executive director, aka the nightlife mayor. Palitz owned and operated the now defunct Sutra Lounge in the East Village neighborhood for 10 years. She was also a sitting member of the city’s Community Board 3, participating in the State Liquor Authority subcommittee. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Palitz’s appointment yesterday. The nightlife mayor position and the New York Office of Nightlife were created to aid venues and clubs in New York, which have begun closing en masse due to rising property rates and strict licensing laws.
In a profile in The New York Times, Palitz said, “You can’t crush culture—or subculture—in New York. It just goes deeper and longer. New York culture and nightlife still thrive in a very real way. It’s just going to find its new place.”
H/T Mixmag
