"We have a lot of talking to do": The city's first-ever nightlife mayor, @ArielPalitz, heard concerns from bar and club owners at a public meeting last night https://t.co/EI85t4qOzE pic.twitter.com/ndeXAKNhCC
— amNewYork (@amNewYork) March 27, 2018
Ariel Palitz, the East Village resident recently appointed senior executive director of the Office of Nightlife (aka Night Mayor), held her first public meeting last night... in front of a reported 100 club owners, artists and community members at Secret Project Robot in Bushwick.
There was plenty of media coverage, including at amNewYork:
The subject of rents and regulations for DIY clubs and concert halls was the biggest point of emphasis Monday night. Clubs and bars in the outer boroughs, such as Bar Sepia in Prospect Heights, have struggled to keep up with rising costs and threats of development. Owners urged Palitz to push for rent control.
“I want [you] to work to preserve our neighborhoods. Without our businesses and cultural institutions, we are nothing,” Delissa Reynolds, Bar Sepia’s former owner, said.
Rachel Nelson, the co-founder of Secret Project Robot, asked the nightlife mayor to make the city’s inspection and club regulatory process more transparent. Too many times, she said, a club will be temporarily closed because of issues found during inspections by the NYPD Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots, or MARCH, initiative. Some club owners said they’ve had MARCH inspections take place without warning in the middle of the night during their busy hours.
And via Bushwick Daily...
Palitz, who owned a night club in the East Village for 10 years and worked on a community board for six, said she sympathized with nightlife venue owners and the issues they face.
“I understand, I live it, I breath it and I am here to really work with you from this moment forward to do what we can to preserve, protect, enliven and make sure it's safe, make sure we’re good neighbors, make sure we’re legal, make sure we’re all playing by the rules,” Palitz told the crowd.
And the Observer...
She said there will be smaller talks and roundtables and noted the Office of Nightlife is not a “complaint line” but will have umbrella policies for different types of complaints.
“We can listen and we can be a voice when it makes sense and just to have that cornerstone, I think, is really important,” Palitz continued. “To be the voice and to be the ears and to have a place that really advocates and speaks for in a non-judgmental, non-punishing way.”
You can read more from the meeting at Fox 5 ... and BKLYNER ...