NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams, on April 12, appointed Kathleen Corradi as the city's first-ever citywide director of rodent mitigation, also known as the 'rat czar.' In this newly created role, Corradi will coordinate across city government agencies, community organizations, and the private sector to reduce the rat population in New York City.
Adams also announced the new Harlem Rat Mitigation Zone and a $3.5 million investment starting in Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) to expand and accelerate rat reduction work across Harlem.
At the introductory press conference, Adams noted that Corradi "has the knowledge, drive, experience, and energy to send rats packing and create a cleaner more welcoming city for all New Yorkers. Beginning with this $3.5 million investment toward rodent mitigation in Harlem, Kathy will take the lead on our multi-agency effort to test new mitigation techniques, expand outreach and education efforts, and increase maintenance and remediation work.”
Corradi will lead and implement a unified strategy to reduce rats in neighborhoods across New York's five boroughs, with a focus on innovative ways to cut off rats' food sources, as well as through testing and deploying new technologies to detect and exterminate rat populations. According to news release, Corradi will play a vital role in developing and executing the city's rat mitigation efforts, harnessing both the expertise and operational capacity of several city agencies including the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the New York City Department of Education (DOE), the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY), and the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS), in addition to different private sector partners.
Corradi previously worked for the city Department of Education’s Office of Sustainability, where she developed the largest zero waste program in the country and coordinated the agency's rodent reduction efforts, Adams said in a news release. She said in the news release, "Rats are a symptom of systemic issues, including sanitation, health, housing, and economic justice. As the first director of rodent mitigation, I'm excited to bring a science- and systems-based approach to fight rats.”
In December, Adams announced that the city was seeking a Rat Czar, a position that was advertised with a salary range of $120,000 to $170,000. As reported by the New York Daily News, by January more than 900 people had applied for the position.
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