New York City has a big rat problem after many pandemic moons saw the rodents proliferate after making their homes in office space that was going unused.
But in the Big Apple, where there’s a mountain to climb, there’s a bureaucrat to tame it.
Enter the newly created job of Rat Czar.
On Friday, CNN’s Don Lemon asked New York Mayor Eric Adams to describe the responsibilities of the rat boss in an interview on “CNN This Morning,” which you can watch above.
“Imagine waking up and seeing a rat scurry across your floor or opening one of your kitchen cabinets and seeing a rat come out or even in your car,” Adams said. “Rodents impact on our health, our quality of life, and our mental psyche. You’ll think about that rat the entire day.”
Kathleen Corradi was introduced as the Director of Rodents earlier this week, with the mission of uniting previously siloed efforts from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Parks and the Department of Sanitation. Corradi, who has a background in education sustainability, was chosen out of 900 applicants.
She started at the education department in November 2015 and served as its sustainability manager until November 2021, when she became director of space planning. She had previously tackled the rodent problem in schools.
“You’ll be seeing a lot of me and a lot less rats,” Corradi declared. “He hates rats, I hate rats, every New Yorker hates rats.”
According to Adams, who introduced her as rats’ “worst nightmare,” Corradi petitioned on her block to get rid of rodents when she was just 10 years old.
“Now she’s ready to take it to the Big League of New York City to get these pesky rodents under control,” Adams said.
Adams is known for his strong dislike of rodents, and New York ranks second in the “rattiest” cities, losing only to Chicago.
