New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday the appointment of Kathleen Corradi as the city's first director of rodent mitigation.
The so called 'rat czarina' will have a salary of $155,000 per year and her task will be to organize joint strategies with government agencies, community groups and private sector businesses to address the city's rodent health problem and reduce the rodent population:
New York City has done a lot recently when it comes to fighting public enemy number one: rats (...) We needed someone focused solely on leading our rat abatement efforts and today I am proud to announce Kathy Corradi as the city's first rat czar (...) Kathy has the knowledge, drive, experience and energy to send the rats packing and create a cleaner, more welcoming city for all New Yorkers.
Corradi, who claimed to 'hate' rats, pledged to seek "the most effective technique" to mitigate the population and side effects generated by rodents in the city. She also thanked Mayor Adams for the trust placed in her to perform this task:
Rats are a symptom of systemic problems, including sanitation, health, housing and economic justice. As the first director of rodent mitigation, I am excited to bring a science- and systems-based approach to combating rats (...) The mayor has made his position on rats very clear (...). He hates rats, I hate rats, all New Yorkers hate rats. I am honored to lead this work, grateful to Mayor Adams for this opportunity and look forward to sending the rats packing.
$3.5 million for rat mitigation in Harlem
Mayor Adams also announced performances of the new $3.5 million Harlem Rat Mitigation Zone to increase and accelerate rodent abatement work throughout that neighborhood:
Building on this $3.5 million investment for rodent mitigation in Harlem, Kathy will take the lead in our multi-agency effort to test new mitigation techniques, expand outreach and education efforts, and increase maintenance work. The rats are going to hate Kathy, but we are thrilled to have her leading this important effort.
This program allows private properties most affected by the rodent plague in Harlem to be inspected twice a year for rat-related health violations and if found in violation, to then be levied fines accordingly.
Although the number of rats in the city is currently unknown, a 2014 study estimated that at that time there were two million rats, one for every four inhabitants.
