More people applied to be the director of the newly opened D.C. Office of Nightlife and Culture than for any other city government job since Mayor Muriel Bowser took office. And now, there’s a winner: Shawn Townsend.

Townsend comes from the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, where he worked since 2014 and served as a supervisory investigator. ABRA issues and renews alcoholic sales and serving licenses, investigates potential violations of the law, and takes enforcement action when necessary. He previously worked as an investigator at the D.C. Office of Police Complaints and D.C. Public Schools, according to the mayor’s office.

His job will involve acting as a liaison between the D.C. government and members of what’s called the D.C. after-hours economy—places like restaurants, bars, art galleries, entertainment venues, sports, theaters, clubs, and other businesses that operate between 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. He will also establish the office, which will have a total of three positions, and promote the city’s nightlife scene. The number of liquor licenses for bars, restaurants, and clubs in D.C. has increased by almost 50 percent since 2008, according to the D.C. Policy Center.

The job description emphasized having a strong background in public policy, community organizing, and constituent engagement, including specifically in D.C., and Townsend seems to check off those boxes.

Bowser introduced Townsend at the launch of the Dupont Circle Business Improvement District. “You may have heard of some business about a nighttime mayor,” she said, to laughter from the crowd. “I want to assure you, I am the nighttime mayor.” She then went on to compliment Townsend’s credentials: “He’s very familiar with many of our nightlife establishments.”

But many members of the District’s hospitality and nightlife industry were hoping for someone with experience working in bars and restaurants, as Washington City Paper reported in late October. The announcement of Townsend’s hiring included the news that he once helped launch and manage a bar and lounge in Charleston, South Carolina, thereby gaining “an inside knowledge of the nightlife industry,” though not in D.C.

Townsend is a less showy pick than the selections of some other cities that have pioneered this role: New York City hired a prominent former nightclub owner, London went with a DJ and performer, and Amsterdam’s inaugural “nachburgemeester”—the first such role in a city—had previously been a club promoter.

The mayor’s office declined to make Townsend available for an interview until he begins the job in mid-December.

Previously:

Do You Have What It Takes To Be D.C.’s Night Mayor?

Should D.C. Join The Growing List Of Cities With a Night Mayor?