It’s not just the beard, the 35-year-old city councilman, who sports tattoos of Strokes lyrics (what did you think of Comedown Machine, Raf?) and a Jean-Michel Basquiat quote, and counts among his supporters “Requiem for a Dream” director Darren Aronofsky and one of the Ramones, is in many ways a man of his time and place.

Fundraisers for his public advocate candidacy have taken place at trendy locales like Roberta’s and House of Yes, and fights for various party related rights have occupied his policy concerns as well- his successful efforts to establish an Office of Nightlife and repealed the New York Cabaret Law (the absurd, century old anti-dancing regulation with racist and homophobic roots) have earned him appearances in fashionable outlets like The Fader. The coverage extended to last fall, when the New York Times photographed Espinal for a profile documenting him at his favorite local haunts- a piece led with a neon splashed portrait of the councilman next to a life sized stuffed polar bear, an image of a hipster politician Derek Zoolander could get behind.