Photo by Mike Maguire.

If you’re looking for a gig in Mayor Muriel Bowser’s cabinet and you’re more of a nocturnal sort of person, there’s a job opening that might tickle your fancy.

As the city gets ready to open its Office of Nightlife and Culture, it posted the job for the agency’s director.

The person will act as a liaison between the city government and members of D.C.’s after-hours economy, meaning the business taking place on the weekends or between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekdays, when most people at the Wilson Building are not on the clock.

The new agency was created through the Office and Commission of Nightlife Establishment Act, which passed unanimously at the D.C. Council and also includes the formation of a 15-person commission to advise the mayor and and public on how to improve laws and policies as they relate to nightlife in the city. Nightlife establishments include restaurants, bars, art galleries, entertainment venues, sports, theaters, clubs, and other businesses that operate between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m.

The job posting emphasizes the role the director will have in establishing the office, for which a total of three positions are budgeted, and in conducting outreach to nightlife establishments and neighborhood residents. The budget for the office in fiscal year 2019 is $291,067, which will increase to $315,699 by fiscal year 2022.

D.C. isn’t pioneering the role of night mayor, which has already been on the books in cities across the globe, from London to Pittsburgh. In London, the job went to a person with broadcasting, DJ, and performance experience. New York hired a former nightclub owner in a role that also includes protecting creative spaces from rising costs.

No part of the job posting for D.C.’s director specifically mentions helping protect artist spaces from the ongoing development in the city that often displaces them. Instead, the position focuses more on helping nightlife establishments obtain the necessary permits from the city and resolve conflicts between businesses and the neighborhoods in which they exist.

Qualifications for the night mayor include a strong background in public policy, community organizing, and constituent engagement, including specifically in D.C., as well as past experience connecting citizen involvement groups with the city government.

No word yet if it’s in the director’s authority to change the title of the role to the far more catchy “Nachtburgemeester,” as a similar position in Amsterdam is called.

The post says the salary range for the job is $97,434 to $1118,000, though the latter number is likely a typo with an extra 1. After all, the day mayor—Bowser—makes $200,000.

Previously:
Should D.C. Join The Growing List Of Cities With A Night Mayor?