Rats victorious as NYC’s first “rat czar” resigns

Embattled New York City mayor Eric Adams appointed Kathleen Corradi as the first ‘rat czar” to much fanfare in 2023. Her mission: to combat the millions of rats that make the city home. As the election nears, with Adams polling in the single digits in the four-man race that includes disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Corradi is resigning her post, according to the Gothamist. Without officially conceding to the rats, the czar is moving to a position in the NYC Housing Authority.

While the rats have won the battle, the war is ongoing. A six-month trial run of rat birth control began in April of this year, but there has been no announcement regarding its effectiveness as of yet. The contraceptive program, as well as “rat mitigation zones,” were spearheaded by City Council member Shaun Abreu and will continue regardless of the apparent dissolution of the rat czar position.

Although Adams praised Corradi for her efforts, Gothamist was unable to determine what, if anything, the job actually entailed. Freedom of information requests for Corradi’s schedule went unanswered, and one Councilmember told Gothamist, “It’s not a clear job. It’s a made-up job,” […] “This is not against [Corradi], but I just am unclear what the deliverables were for that role and what accountability there was in achieving it.”

Previously:
• Scientists train rats to drive little cars to collect food, and the rats like it
• NYC discovers amazing new rat-fighting technology called ‘garbage cans with lids’