How New York Nightlife Impacts New York Politics

By Gamal Hennessy

Primaries in New York are almost a non issue because voter turnout is always obscenely low. Political groups that attempt to influence elections on this level understand that it only takes a few votes to make a substantial difference. This year, a new political group focused specifically on nightlife got involved in the primary race. Paul Seres, a community activist, nightlife operator and one of the founders of the Nightlife Preservation Community (NPC) sat down with me to discuss the results of this year’s election.

NYN: What was the NPC goal for this year’s primary? How close did you come to meeting that goal?

PS: The main goals were establishing the organization and using that organization to make nightlife a politically active industry. Establishing the NPC was a success. We got a lot of participation from NYNA members, promoters and the politicians themselves. We were able to reach out to about 700,000 registered New York voters via our website and email lists. By the time the election was over, the NPC was recognized as a legitimate vehicle for political discourse on nightlife.

NYN: How much impact do you think the NPC had during the election?

PS: The number of people who actually vote during primaries has always been terrible and this year was no different. The current estimates show that only 4% of registered Democrats turned out for this election. I’m not sure how many of our people actually voted and considered nightlife when they did vote, but it is clear that primaries are decided by a very small number of voters. If NPC can get more people out to vote in subsequent elections, the overall impact could be huge.

NYN: What is the NPC planning to do to impact the general election in November?

PS: We’re getting together soon to discuss our next steps, but New York is so heavily Democratic that many of the races are decided in the primaries. Three out of the four candidates that we backed won their primary races, so they shouldn’t have a problem winning their races next month. Our main goal now is looking past the general election to political action in 2010.

NYN: What issues is the NPC planning to take up with elected officials in 2010?

PS: As a small business organization, there are several issues that the NPC needs to take up with the City Council and other elements of government. We need a better method of coordinating with the various agencies that operators need to deal with in terms of permits and licensing. We need to continue to build the relationship between the industry and the NYPD. And we have to develop and maintain a dialogue between operators and local community boards to deal with issues before things get out of hand and angry neighbors are demanding for a venue to close down.

NYN: What is the best way for operators and patrons to get involved in the NPC now that the primaries are over?

Our long term success is going to revolve around educating more people about the positive impact of nightlife on the city and how it affects them. Operators and patrons can get involved with the NPC and get the information they need on our website. Then they can join in our upcoming voter registration events, information forums and other activities. Nightlife is an issue that has ramifications for city, state and national politics. Joining the NPC now gives people a chance to get involved on the ground floor and have an impact on a vital part of life in New York City.

Have fun
Gamal

New Political Group Forms to Enhance New York Nightlife

By Gamal Hennessy

Unless you are having a heated political discussion over beers, nightlife and politics don’t usually mix. Think about it, what does politics have to do with grabbing a drink with your friends, chatting up a girl for her phone number and dancing like no one is watching? Why not sit back, have a good time, and leave politics for the politicians?

That isn’t a good idea because if we don’t see nightlife as a political issue, we don’t have a voice. Various groups including community boards, law enforcement agencies, and real estate developers weigh in on what they want in relation to nightlife. The only major group that does not have a seat at the table to push its agenda is us. Patrons do not have an organization that directly represents their needs or even defines what those needs are.

A group of nightlife advocates are taking steps to improve this situation by creating the Nightlife Preservation Committee (NPC). Utilizing their ability to reach voters, their substantial connections in media and entertainment and the financial strength of their industry, the NPC plans to be a forum for nightlife that has not been seen in local politics before.

In the short term, the NPC plans to establish political influence in the New York City primaries by reaching out to almost 500,000 club goers who are also registered voters. That voting block could make or break the career of an aspiring politician, since local primaries are often decided by only a few thousand votes. At the same time, the NPC want to act as a bridge, connecting nightlife patrons to the local community, law enforcement, health agencies and other groups that have not seen eye to eye in the past. In the long term the NPC plans to represent the interests of the nightlife community as the issues and concerns about nightlife evolve.

The members of the NPC were kind enough to let me sit down with them as they planned their inaugural event, which is scheduled for June 22nd at M2. I met with Ariel Palitz (Sutra), Steven Lewis (Good Night Mr. Lewis), David Rabin (the New York Nightlife Association), Paul Seres (Sol), Morgan McLean (Rebel) and Paul Insalaco (BF9 Media). I posed several questions to the group to get a better idea of how they planned to connect nightlife and politics.

NYN: What are the long term goals of the NPC?
David Rabin: “In the broadest sense, we want to have an impact on state and local politics as they relate to the nightlife industry.”

Steven Lewis: “We want to revive the concept that New York is the City That Never Sleeps in the same way that Vegas embraced the concept of What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas. We want to spotlight the link between the prosperity of the city and the prosperity of our industry in the same way that the two concepts are connected in Vegas and Miami.”

Are you planning to use the NPC as a pro-nightlife organization to counter anti-nightlife groups within NYC?
Ariel Palitz: “We aren’t trying to polarize the discussion. We don’t want one group of people to automatically vote against any new club. We also don’t want anyone to fight for every venue as a knee jerk reaction. Our goal is to have each venue and each issue judged on its own merits.”

Paul Seres: We are trying to create a more balanced discussion, rather than increase the level of conflict between nightlife and the community. Most of us serve on community boards, so we know there are a lot of things that need to be considered with each club and each operator.

What public relations challenges does the NPC face?
Morgan McLean: “The media paints the entire industry with one broad brush. If one of us is accused of something, then all of us are assumed to be guilty, but an entire industry should not be defined by a few bad operators.”

Rabin: “When someone gets robbed inside a bodega, the cops don’t make the bodega liable. If a fight breaks out in a pizzeria and someone gets hurt, the pizzeria isn’t blamed. In the current environment if those same incidents happen in a club, then it’s the club’s fault. It’s the entire industry’s fault.”

Lewis: “We need to change the way we are perceived. Nightlife brings jobs and taxes and tourism and life to the city. We generate twice the revenue of film and television in New York. Our annual attendance is more than every major sports team and Broadway combined. We want to work with the city and the community boards to continue to do that and more.”

Morgan: “We can’t build our individual businesses or enhance nightlife in general because we spend so much time trying to defend and justify our existence.”

How is the NPC different from NYNA? Both groups are run by operators. Both groups support and advocate local nightlife? Why is a separate group necessary?

Seres: The NYNA is a trade association of nightlife owners. The NPC is a conduit of information for nightlife patrons. It is designed to mobilize people who are interested in the political and policy aspects of nightlife in a manner that is similar to a political action committee.

The NPC will officially kick off on June 22nd. What happens on June 23rd?
Seres: We plan to launch a website on the same day as the initial event and use that as a way to get information out to our people on an ongoing basis. We’d also like to have a series of meetings and events where candidates running for office can meet patrons who are interested in protecting nightlife. Many people never get to meet or talk to the people that they vote for. The NPC will give them a platform to express how important nightlife is to their entire life.

Have fun.
Gamal