WILL RESIDENTS HAVE A SAY?
OR WILL INDUSTRY INSIDERS & $PECIAL INTERE$T DROWN OUT OUR VOICES?
HOW WE GOT HERE...
City Council Co-Sponsors 1688
 Speaker Cory Johnson Council District 3 Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, Greenwich Village, West SoHo, Hudson Sq, Flatiron, Times Sq, Garment District, UWS |  Ben Kallos Council District 5 Yorkville, Lenox Hill, Carnegie Hill, Roosevelt Island, Midtown East, Sutton Place, El Barrio in East Harlem |  Helen Rosenthal Council District 6 Central Park, Lincoln Square, Upper West Side, Clinton |
|---|---|---|
 Ritchie J. Torres Council District 15 Bedford Park, Fordham, Mount Hope, Bathgate, Belmont, East Tremont, West Farms, Van Nest, Allerton, Olinville |  Antonio Reynoso Council District 34 Williamsburg, Bushwick, Greenpoint, and Ridgewood, Queens. |  Mark Treyger Council District 47 Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Gravesend, Sea Gate |
 Karen Koslowiz Council District 29 Rego Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill |  Daniel Garodnick* Council District 4 UES, Koreatown, CPS, Tudor City, Peter Cooper, Stuy-Town, Murray Hill, UN, Yorkville, Carnegie Hill, Midtown East |  Vincent Gentile* City Council 43 Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach |
WE HAVE TO A$K....
REGISTER YOUR
CONCERNS:
1. Residents and community groups can reach the Office of Nightlife to share ideas, concerns & priorities at: nightlife@media.nyc.gov
2. Subject Line: Resident Input for Office of Nightlife Report
3. After your statement of fact, concern or questions, include your full name with (Resident) in parentheses, email & zip code
9% of Espinal's re-election funds for the 2018 City Council race came from bar/nightlife owners and industry insiders who lobbied and supported his Nightlife Bills that passed to promote and support the nightlife industry complex and ensure industry lawyers, lobbyist & operators were appointed to the Advisory Board.
See the NY Post article here.
We will skip telling you about 100K+ donations from developers, the real estate complex, and a notorious slumlord over the years...
District 37
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville,
Bushwick, Crown Heights, Cypress Hills, East New York
Chairman
City Council's Committee
on Consumer Affairs
and Business Licensing
Int 1688-2017
Prime Sponsor Bill 08/24/17:
Establishing an office of nightlife and a nightlife advisory board.
Int 1652-2017
Prime Sponsor Bill 06/21/17:
Repealing Cabaret Law, relating to licensing public dance halls, cabarets catering establishments.
Co Sponsors 1652:
Antonio Reynoso, Stephen T. Levin, Helen K. Rosenthal, Karen Koslowitz, Corey D. Johnson, Ritchie J. Torres, Jumaane D. Williams, Bill PerkinsDaniel Dromm, Alan N. Maisel, Rosie Mendez, Barry S. Grodenchik, Carlos Menchaca, Mark Treyger, Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., Laurie A. Cumbo, Vincent J. Gentile, Donovan J. Richards, James G. Van Bramer, Mark Levine, Ydanis A. Rodriguez, Daniel R. Garodnick, Margaret S. Chin, Eric A. Ulrich
MAYOR DE BLASIO SIGNS THE BILL
MAYOR APPOINTS ARIEL PALITZ
NIGHTLIFE MAYOR
Office of Nightlife
The Office of Nightlife, at the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, serves as a central point of contact between City agencies, nightlife business owners, residents, employees, patrons, and artists, with focus on promoting the nightlife industry.
Staff:
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Ariel Palitz, Senior Executive Director
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José Soegaard, Deputy Director
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Ray Martin, Nightlife Industry and Community Relations, Associate Director
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Francesca Mirra, Strategic Planning Associate
Source: Mayor's Office of Nightlife Website
The Nightlife Mayor was required by the bill to conduct a 5-Borough Listening Tour to gather “feedback from the community" in order to draft policy and recommendations for promoting nightlife economic development citywide.
The Listening Tours in Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, NY and Brooklyn were poorly publicized to residents and community groups, and stocked with nightlife industry insiders. Currently, the data breakdown is 75% from the industry (ie developers, bar/hotel/club operators, lobbyists, liquor lawyers and nightlife insiders/employees) and 25% residents / activists.
SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW
MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL
APPOINT NIGHTLIFE ADVISORY BOARD
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Nightlife Advisory Board
A complement to the newly formed Office of Nightlife, this all-volunteer, 14-member* independent body, will advise the Mayor and the City Council on issues affecting the nightlife industry. The Nightlife Advisory Board is also charged with making independent recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on ways to improve regulations and policies that impact nightlife establishments. All appointed members will serve a term of two years.
Source: Mayor's Office of Nightlife Website
Mayoral Appointees (NAB)
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José Francisco Ávila, founder and managing member of Garufina Afro-Latina Entertainment, LLC. and Chairman of the Board of The Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc.
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Kurtis Blow, rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, DJ and Chairman of the Universal Hip Hop Museum who has released 15 albums over the course of his career
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DJ Tikka Masala composes and produces music for the Obie and Bessie award winning Brooklyn based feminist acrobatic dance company, LAVA, and is resident DJ at Henrietta Hudson
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Susan Stetzer, district manager for Community Board 3, Manhattan, where she has served for the past 14 years
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Luisa F. Torres, owner of Mojitos Restaurant Bar and community activist
City Council Appointees (NAB)
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Robert Bookman, regulatory and liquor licensing attorney, partner Pesetsky and Bookman
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Marti Gould Cummings, drag artist, LGBTQ advocate
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Alvester Garnett, drummer, percussionist, arts educator and advocate
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Pedro Goico, representative at New York Supermarket Association
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Olympia Kazi, architect, arts advocate and urban design critic. Member of the NYC Artists Coalition
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Andrew Praschak, environmental attorney
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Andrew Rigie, Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance
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David Rosen, Brooklyn and Queens bar operator and community organizer, co-founder of Brooklyn Allied Bars and Restaurants (BABAR)
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Susan Xenarios, director and founder, Crime Victims Treatment Center, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals