Since taking office nearly two weeks ago, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made it clear that his affordability agenda is not limited to universal child care or free city buses.
On Monday, Mr. Mamdani extended that policy to New York City’s relationship with the film and television industry by naming Rafael Espinal, a former councilman and assemblyman from Brooklyn, the commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment.
The office coordinates permits for the many shows and movies shot in New York City, and the mayor said he wanted the new commissioner to make New York an affordable place “to make the arts.”
Mr. Espinal will replace Pat Swinney Kaufman, who has decades of experience in the film and production industry.
Mr. Espinal, who currently serves as the executive director of the Freelancers Union, which represents more than one million freelance workers in the city, has considerably less relevant experience — most of which is confined to his short film “Dolores,” a movie about how “broken systems” can hurt families. It is currently in postproduction.
Mr. Mamdani said his choice of a politician for the job was intentional and that Mr. Espinal had “always stood out to me as someone who has sought to bridge the worlds of arts and politics.” He said Mr. Espinal was an early adopter of the digital tools that are now commonly used by politicians to reach the public.
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