![Adrian Tonon](https://cdn.hourdetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/12/adrian-tonon.jpg)
The October evening concludes with a loud, festive, Motown-themed reception on the riverfront, the first event at the new Robert C. Valade Park. And Adrian Tonon, true to his reputation, seems to be everywhere at once: a firm handshake here, an arm around the shoulder there, an intimate conversation, a whispered aside. When someone mentions the soirΓ©e was organized by Tonon, Detroitβs first 24-hour economy ambassador, Harry LaRosiliere, mayor of Plano, Texas, is instantly intrigued.Μύ
βCan you point him out to me, please?β the mayor asks. βIβve never heard of anyone with a title like that before.β
Heβs not alone. Most Detroiters donβt know they have an official nabob of the night, appointed last year by Mayor Mike Duggan, much less what Tononβs duties entail. As this Detroit Country Day and Michigan State alum views it, his tasks are multifold: to sustain the cityβs resurgence by making Detroit a welcoming and supportive community for creatives of all kinds; to serve as liaison between its food and entertainment businesses β particularly those operating from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. β developers, city agencies, and the public; and to help realize the vision of Detroit becoming a true β24-hour economy.βΜύ
So, while his title may spark images of some City Hall-sanctioned, club-hopping party poobah, Tonon is quick to note his job isnβt all fun and Greektown flames.
βHereβs what I want to make very clear: Itβs not about the party,β he says. βFor example, if you want to see a true 24-hour economy, go to Henry Ford Hospital. When the doctors, the nurses, the janitors get off at five or six in the morning, is there a restaurant to go to? A dry cleaner they can use? A grocery store? Or the people who work in automotive and in the factories all night? They all want quality of life. So thatβs really what itβs about. Itβs also to assure, hopefully, that your city »ε΄Η±π²υ²Τβt lose its mojo. Thatβs what I feel my primary function is.β
Historically, artists, musicians, and other creatives and the venues where they can perform and unwind have been essential to maintaining a cityβs mojo, especially one as traditionally talent-rich as Detroit. But theyβre often the first to be uprooted by development when a city begins to thrive. βAnd cities that have displaced their creative community, now theyβre begging for them to come back,β Tonon observes.
The ideal, he says, is to make sure that Detroit is inclusive. βYou need more places for people to live, but you build residential in neighborhoods where thereβs already an organic culture,β he explains. βMusic plays late, someone buys a $300,000 condo across the street and says, βTurn that music down! I canβt sleep at night!β But that musicβs been there for 30 years.Μύ
βWe have to be respectful of those who invest in our city β the developers β but they have to know theyβre the change agent. Weβre getting better as a city at saying, βHey, developer, thereβs this music venue, this cultural asset, across the street. How do we work together?β Do you gauge your windows differently? Help the club soundproof its building? Because the club is what makes your neighborhood cool. And nine out of 10 developers get that.β
Tonon isnβt the nationβs first nighttime economy champion: New York City and Washington, D.C., for instance, created similar positions years ago. The concept of a βnight mayorβ has long existed in Europe. Yet this year, Tonon has delivered a keynote address in Sydney and presented PowerPoints in Stockholm as the unique nature of his role in Americaβs Comeback City has attracted global attention.
Heβs perfectly suited to the task. Tonon learned the fundamentals of customer service and hospitality as a reluctant child laborer in his familyβs restaurant, Rinaβs of Detroit, on the cityβs west side. Later he joined his parents, Adriano and Rina, at their award-winning CafΓ© Cortina in Farmington Hills. Meanwhile, growing up with his βsecond family,β Dennis and Trudy DunCombe Archer and their sons, instilled a passion for public service.
βDennis [Jr.] and Vincent are two of my best friends,β Tonon says of the former Detroit mayorβs sons. βIβve always been very close to my family, but they took me in when I was a kid. I feel I got the desire to embrace mankind from my parents, who are very community minded, but I got the political bug from being around the Archers all the time.
βBut Iβll say this,β he adds, βYou donβt choose it. It chooses you.β
![Adrian Tonon](https://cdn.hourdetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2019/12/Adrian_1.cx_.jpg)
Tonon also knows the entertainment side of the nightlife equation as co-founder of the Detroit Music Foundation and an entrepreneur who owns his own record label, Sick Em Records, co-founded with Detroit-based hip-hop artist Kid Vishis. But when Duggan announced his candidacy for mayor in 2013, the political bug chomped Tonon hard; he sought out Duggan to join his campaign team. The new mayor subsequently named him Detroitβs founding director of customer service, a title he still holds today.
βW³σ²Ή³Ω »ε΄Η±π²υ²Τβt Adrian do for the city?β marvels Rochelle Riley, journalist and Detroitβs director of arts and culture, whose mission frequently intertwines with Tononβs. βAs director of customer service, he never met a problem he couldnβt solve, and as 24-hour economy ambassador he is a vital bridge between city government, entertainers, and venues across the city. He has proved invaluable to me as we work to ensure the success of Detroitβs artists and arts organizations.βΜύ
Tonon works for β and alongside β the mayorβs chief of staff, Alexis Wiley. βI think the 24-hour economy is a huge part of our future,β Wiley says. βFor me, itβs supporting what he does and making sure when people come to Detroit, they feel they get the support they need. That »ε΄Η±π²υ²Τβt happen in a lot of cities, and it hasnβt happened a lot in Detroit. Weβre trying to change that.β
Indeed, on a night that both Tonon and his young assistant, Jabari Jefferson, describe as βtypical,β the 24-hour man will be part diplomat, part negotiator, part advocate β¦ just like any other ambassador. After closing down the Conference of Mayors event, Tonon:Μύ
β’Μύ Races into the Rattlesnake Club to meet and greet Michelle MΓΌntefering, German minister of state at the Federal Foreign Office. Tonon was to be part of the dinner party for the visiting MΓΌntefering, but the mayorsβ party took precedence.
β’Μύ Stops by a Congress Street nightspot to commiserate with the owner, whose business is being severely disrupted by a private construction firm that has ripped up the streets around him. Tonon promises to review construction permits and do what he can.Μύ
β’Μύ Jumps into the Townhouse Detroit restaurant to surprise assistant general manager Bryan Moody with a City of Detroit Certificate of Recognition praising him for his βexcellent customer service and continued work as a leader in strengthening our workplaces.βΜύ
β’Μύ Drives through several Detroit entertainment districts, monitoring the noise levels with a decibel meter app on his phone. In Greektown, he checks in with a number of business owners whom he helped form a coalition to work with Detroit Police to reduce the street incidents that have beset the district in recent years. βWe decided it was time to do something more unified and proactive,β says Yanni Dionisopoulos, owner of the Golden Fleece restaurant and co-owner of Exodus Rooftop Lounge.
His assistant, Jefferson, a Detroit native and Henry Ford Community College freshman, has been so inspired watching Tonon at work that he plans to pursue a political science degree and bring his knowledge back to his hometown.Μύ
βHeβs a one-in-a-million guy,β Jefferson says, out of Tononβs earshot. βEverything he knows about public service, about hospitality. Iβd say heβs one of hardest workers in our city government, no bias.βΜύ
Tonon admits he »ε΄Η±π²υ²Τβt know how long he can maintain his nonstop pace, especially as the father of four, but for now, he finds his job too fascinating to leave. βYouβre inspired by the work,β he says, βand I donβt take it for granted.β
But glamorous? Not always.Μύ
βSleeping has become like a job,β Tonon laments. βI have to schedule it. The other night I said, βYouβve got to be in bed by this time,β and by the time I got home I missed my window. I slept in my suit that night.βΜύ
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