…Researched and contributed by Solomon Thomas.
New York City has appointed a new rat-catcher for $155,000-a-year.
Kathleen Corradi, a former elementary school teacher, has been named the first-ever Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation.
She will lead a team of experts in the fight against the city’s critical rat problem, which has seen sightings double in the last year, according to city data.
Mayor Eric Adams announced the appointment of Corradi, a veteran of the Education Department who has previously led its rodent reduction efforts.
Speaking at a press conference, Adams said a “rat mitigation zone” in Harlem would see $3.5 million invested into ridding the neighbourhood of rodents.
Corradi plans to begin by reducing food waste on the streets, and she brings a science and systems-based approach to the role.
Rat Czar Kathleen Corradi: A Long-Standing Passion for Vermin Removal
Mayor Adams described Corradi’s new job as almost tailor-made for her.
According to a report by The New York Times, Corradi has long harboured a passion for eliminating rats.
When she was just ten-years-old, she spotted a dead rat near some train tracks on Long Island.
Shocked, she distributed flyers to neighbours and local officials, demanding that something be done about it.
Her mother says the Long Island Rail Road listened and “did rat mitigation.”
Corradi previously led rodent reduction efforts in the Education Department, and nearly 70% of schools with persistent rodent issues reached their compliance goals due to her efforts.
New York City’s Battle Against Rats
Mayor Adams declared a war on rats last December when he began his search for somebody to occupy the new position.
“There’s nothing I hate more than rats,” he said while advertising the position.
In the job listing, he suggested the right candidate would have a “swashbuckling attitude, crafty humor and general aura of badassery.”
Corradi’s appointment comes just months after Mayor Adams was ordered to pay $300 for a rat infestation in his own Brooklyn home. However, he contested the ticket in a hearing before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings in February, but an officer denied the challenge, and he was ordered to pay $300.
Rat infestations are a city-wide problem, and according to city data, sightings doubled in the last year.
Commentary
New York City’s rat problem has been well documented, and it seems that Mayor Adams is taking steps to tackle the issue head-on.
The appointment of Kathleen Corradi as the city’s first-ever Director of Rodent Mitigation shows that the problem is being taken seriously.
With her experience in the Education Department and previous work in rodent reduction, Corradi is well-placed to lead the fight against rats in the city.
Adams’ war on rats is gaining momentum, with a proposed $3.5 million investment into a Harlem rat mitigation zone.
The hiring of a rat czar is an unusual step, but one that could be a smart move in reducing the number of rats in the city.
However, as evidenced by Adams’ own rat infestation, it remains to be seen if the city’s problem can be entirely solved.