Old City's 'mayor' keeps tabs on booze, blight

Editor note: Chillin' Wit' is an occasional Monday feature of the Daily News that spotlights a name in the news away from the job.

JOB ITZKOWITZ, Old City District executive director, likes to keep an eye on what's happening in "America's most historic square mile."

That's considerably easier to do when you're 6 feet 7 and jacked up on coffee from Cafe Ole.

"I think I'm still finding alleys that I didn't know about," Itzkowitz, 36, says after digesting Sunday's New York Post, then setting out on foot to admire new construction and fret about cracked sidewalks.

"This is breaking news!" he says when he spots a new liquor-license application on 2nd Street.

He keeps tabs on who's applying for the licenses, to prevent a resurgence of the nuisance clubs and bars that once gave Old City a bad reputation.

"We want to encourage people to be good neighbors," he says.

Now, Old City is a hotbed of new development and restaurants.

"There's nonstop building here, which is great, which I love," he says. "The key is to optimize the density without losing the historic fabric of the neighborhood."

Sure, football season is over, Itzkowitz is temporarily without cable TV (long story) and his wife of three months is getting her hair blown out. So he has some time on his hands. But it's not unusual for the Southwest Center City lawyer to be putting in some weekend hours.

"Part of my goal is just getting people here," says Itzkowitz, a Philly native who attended Central High. He took over at Old City District in August after serving as deputy chief of staff for Councilwoman Cindy Bass. The quasi-municipal authority supplements city services, fosters economic development, fights blight and basically just tries to make that section of the city better.

Former Councilman Jim Kenney strides up 3rd Street in jeans and a black North Face jacket and says hello while his phone rings. A brief off-the-record conversation ensues. Then Kenney is gone.

Other residents recognize Itzkowitz and stop to chat. He's like the neighborhood mayor.

And with hundreds of new residential units coming online in the next couple of years, the mayor of Old City is going to be a busy guy.

"Our job is to help people," he says.

In other words, he's a good guy to know.