Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Last September, Mayor de Blasio signed legislation establishing the City Office of Nightlife and the Nightlife Advisory Board.
By Forum Staff
Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council on Thursday announced the appointment of the 14 members of the city’s first-ever Nightlife Advisory Board.
The all-volunteer panel will serve as a complement to the newly formed Office of Nightlife, and is charged with making recommendations to the mayor and Council on ways to improve regulations and policies that impact nightlife establishments.
“New York City’s nightlife is second to none. It attracts visitors from around the world and is an economic engine across the five boroughs,” de Blasio said. “The new Nightlife Advisory Board reflects the diversity that makes our city and our nightlife great. Working together, we will ensure the industry continues to thrive.”
Mayoral appointees to the board:
• José Francisco Ávila, founder and managing member of Garufina Afro-Latina Entertainment, LLC. and Chairman of the Board of The Garifuna Coalition USA, Inc.
• 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
• 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
• Susan Stetzer, district manager for Manhattan’s Community Board 3, where she has served for the past 14 years
• Luisa Torres, owner of Mojitos Restaurant Bar and community activist
City Council appointees:
• Robert Bookman, regulatory and liquor-licensing attorney, partner Pesetsky and Bookman
• Marti Gould Cummings, drag artist, LGBTQ advocate
• Alvester Garnett, drummer, percussionist, arts educator and advocate
• Pedro Goico, representative at New York Supermarket Association
• Olympia Kazi, architect, arts advocate and urban design critic. Member of the NYC Artists Coalition
• Andrew Praschak, environmental attorney
• Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance
• David Rosen, Brooklyn and Queens bar operator and community organizer, co-founder of Brooklyn Allied Bars and Restaurants
• Susan Xenarios, director and founder, Crime Victims Treatment Center, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Roosevelt hospitals
All Nightlife Advisory Board members will serve two-year terms. The board will issue formal recommendations to the mayor and the Council that will address the regulatory structure of the nightlife industry; common complaints about nightlife establishments; public safety concerns related to nightlife; zoning, enforcement, nightlife workforce conditions and the integration of nightlife into the city’s various neighborhoods.
