By Kayli Reese
A new mayor is coming to town, but the focus of this mayor will be on improving the Downtown District.
Nancy Bird, the executive director of Iowa City Downtown District, said this new “nighttime mayor” is part of a strategic plan the district has in providing support for downtown businesses in Iowa City and highlight the important changes the downtown has undergone the last several years.
In a statement to *The Daily Iowan*, Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton said, “I think [the new position] a creative idea, and I look forward to seeing how well it work. I understand that several European cities have nighttime mayors, but ours would be the first in the U.S.”
Bird said while she is not aware of any other U.S. city with a nighttime mayor in its city, the Downtown District has taken note of the European influences of the position and modified the position to meet the needs of Iowa City.
In part, she said the position was created to highlight the many positive changes to downtown over the last 10 years, including the 21-ordinance prohibiting those 20 years old and younger to be in bars after 10 p.m. and the opening of the University of Iowa Voxman School of Music bringing more UI culture to downtown.
“The people who come to downtown often love it, but we want the people who don’t come downtown as often to recognize these changes,” Bird said.
The nighttime mayor, she said, will manage community relations downtown by creating nontraditional events, conferences, and other creative projects to promote the businesses of downtown. The person selected for the job, she said, will work with many groups, such as businesses, city departments, UI student liaisons, and other community groups and individuals to enhance the downtown experience.
This position is not a city position, Bird said, and will not be involved in the City Council. Also, she said, the nighttime mayor will not come at any cost to Iowa City directly, but instead will be a paid position from the Downtown District, a nonprofit organization.
The district is looking to try out this position for a few years to see how having a nighttime mayor works and improves Iowa City. According to a press release from the Iowa City Downtown District, applications for the job will be taken until March 27. Bird said a committee will look at applicants and selecting the best candidate for the job.
Kara Logsden, community and access services coordinator at the Iowa City Public Library, said downtown is extremely vibrant with a great mix of restaurants and other businesses. The Public Library, she said, is another establishment bringing in lots of people downtown, and the library looks forward to the nighttime mayor being hired and bringing new ideas to the downtown district.
“We appreciate the investment in the downtown area to make it an even more welcoming place,” she said.
