A Potential Voice In City Hall For Bars & Nightclubs
One of the rising popular elements that has emerged as a result of COVID-19 restrictions is the appointment of a “nightlife mayor” in various cities around the USA and the world.
The closure of bars and nightclubs during the pandemic has brought attention to the importance of nightlife to city income through taxes and fees, as well as for the entertainment and pleasure of pubclubbers and even travelers.
London, for instance, has named a “Nightlife Czar.” There are nightlife mayors (the term “czar” sounds a bit like something one would find in the old Communist bloc, so mayor is a more subtle title) in New York City and Washington, D.C., and one is being discussed in Dallas.
Several other cities – Amsterdam, Berlin, Mumbai and London Austin, Detroit, Iowa City, Orlando and Pittsburgh – have all created non-profits to work with the various cities to monitor, report on and promote the nightlife scene.
They are led by individuals, organizations, and a few municipal governments. charged with advancing and maintaining their nightlife scenes.
With all that in mind, could San Diego use a nightlife mayor?
After all, it has a vibrant nightlife scene all over the city. Surely city hall could benefit from having “boots on the ground” to be a single voice for the bar and nightclub owners while also providing those people with the policies, preferences and concerns of the local government.
Ariel Palitz, the nightlife mayor of New York City, calls nightlife “an economic engine, creator of jobs, tax revenue, and culture.” A vibrant nightlife scene involves many factors, she argues, from the fashion industry to late-night restaurants to transportation.
“I think this pandemic has very successfully illustrated what life looks like without life at night,” Palitz said.
It is certainly an idea worth considering.
Leave a Reply