City of New Orleans Announces Resignation of Mayor’s Office of Nighttime Economy Director

August 2, 2024 | From City of New Orleans

City of New Orleans Announces Resignation of Mayor's Office of Nighttime Economy Director

NEW ORLEANS - The City of New Orleans today announced the resignation of the Mayor's Office of Nighttime Economy (ONE) Founding Director Howie Kaplan. Over the last two years, the office has acted as a liaison between City government and our robust hospitality industry. Building this new department from the ground up, Kaplan has supported policies and legislation that uplift our local cultural economy and advocated on behalf of the over 50,000 hospitality and nighttime workers within the city.

"It's been an honor to serve the City and the New Orleans hospitality community," said Kaplan. "I'm proud of all we have accomplished together and the work that the office will continue to do. I thank the Mayor and members of City Council for recognizing New Orleans as a 24-hour, world class cultural destination that both needed and deserved an office dedicated solely to our nighttime economy. This economy is so important to our quality of life and economic vitality."

Notable programs and initiatives spearheaded by the office under Kaplan's leadership include:

• Narcan Behind Every Bar - In partnership with the New Orleans Health Department, ONE has distributed over 200 Narcan kits to dozens of venues throughout the city. They also continue to host trainings on how to properly administer Narcan, as well as distributing drink test strips to improve public safety.
• Mediate NOLA - ONE has provided hundreds of effective free mediation, conflict resolution and outreach services to address issues between residents, venues and visitors. These include quality of life and public safety concerns that are resolved through direct communication and compromise.
• New Orleans Music Census - This citywide study, which collected over 1,500 responses, shows a comprehensive assessment of the living and working conditions of the local music industry in order to provide a roadmap for the City to support local music policy and review current music-related programs.
• Musician Loading Zones - These loading zones benefit our performers by improving safety and economic viability, cutting down on parking infractions and costs and by providing clarity for City departments on how to accommodate musicians as a business enterprise.
• Musician Minimum Pay Rate Ordinance - ONE worked with the music community to inform and support the recently passed Musician Minimum Pay Rate Ordinance, which states musicians will be paid $200 per hour per performer for gigs hired directly by the City of New Orleans.
• Caring for Cops - This year-round program provides support to our public safety team by coordinating food and beverage donations all year long, especially during high profile events like New Years Eve and Mardi Gras.

ONE has been working with the Southern Smoke Foundation to provide free or low-cost mental health services for hospitality workers. They continue to lobby on the local, state and federal level on the bipartisan Fans First Act that protects performers and fans from predatory and deceptive practices of the secondary ticketing market. They also support local businesses by providing outreach and support in navigating the permitting process and worked with dozens of businesses to keep the Parklets program viable.

Through their collaborative efforts with promoters and artists, more events are being brought to the city, boosting the local economy. This includes securing a $20,000 donation from musician Billy Strings to nonprofits Roots of Music and the NOLA Tree Project when he performed here for New Years Eve.

ONE Deputy Director Michael Ince, who has been with the office since May 2023, will take over in the interim.

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