The End of an Era at Webster Hall
photo by Amanda Hatfield

NYC officially getting a Nightlife Commission and "Night Mayor"

Outside Webster Hall the night of “The End of an Era” show (more by Amanda Hatfield)

It’s official: New York City is getting a “Night Mayor.” After being proposed by Councilman Rafael Espinal earlier this year, The City Council voted Thursday (8/24) to create a Nightlife Commission, with 12 members, plus someone to head it. That person, the “Night Mayor” (not their official title), will work as a liaison between the city’s $10 billion-a-year nightlife industry and the city and its residents. The commission and its chairperson will be chosen by The Mayor and Bill De Blasio has two months to pick someone.

Someone who is actively campaigning for the Night Mayor job is Gerard McNamee, who spent the last ten years as Webster Hall’s head of operations. Now that the venue is undergoing renovations for new owners, he has some time on his hands. From the New York Daily News:

Though the newly created post will be an appointed position, the 48-year-old McNamee paid a visit to City Hall on Thursday afternoon — where city officials were meeting about the new position — to ask how he might bolster his chances…

…“I am officially announcing that I will seek the appointment for New York City’s first nightlife ambassador,” he said in a statement. “I have my finger on the pulse of the industry … I live, eat and breathe it … I am perfectly suited for this position … I curate community and culture.”

McNamee also says that he’s headed to Europe in September to meet with Amy Lamé, who holds a similar position in London; Clément Léon R, who has the gig in Paris, and Mirik Milan, who is the “night mayor” in Amsterdam.

“New York City will be home to the largest and longest-running party the world has ever seen,” according to McNamee.

Who will be appointed? Will they do anything about the outdated law that requires a cabaret license for dancing? We shall see.