New York City’s infamous – and growing – rat population now has a new foe with the appointment Wednesday of a first-ever “rat czar” to tackle what is deemed a “major quality-of-life and health issue.”
Mayor Eric Adams (D) said former school teacher Kathleen Corradi is the new director of rodent mitigation, or “rat czar,” tasked with cleansing the city once and for all of its four-legged conquerors.
“New York City has done a lot recently when it comes to fighting public enemy number one: rats. But it was clear we needed someone solely focused on leading our rat reduction efforts across all five boroughs, and today I’m proud to announce Kathy Corradi as New York City’s first-ever ‘rat czar,'” said Mayor Adams, UPI reports.
“Kathy has the knowledge, drive, experience and energy to send rats packing and create a cleaner more welcoming city for all New Yorkers,” Adams added, acknowledging a pest problem that has been dominating the city for years, as Breitbart News reported.
Corradi, who beat out 900 applicants for the role, said she decided the job was for her after seeing a help-wanted ad seeking applicants who are “bloodthirsty,” possess “killer instincts” and could commit to the “wholesale slaughter” of rats.
“When I first saw this job posting, I wasn’t sure if it was real. ‘Blood thirsty’ is not a word you usually see in a job description and it’s certainly not a word I usually (use to) describe myself,” Corradi said in a news conference at a Harlem park.
“You’ll be seeing a lot of me and a lot less rats,” she vowed.
“Rats are smart, they are resilient,” said Adams in support. “Many of us live in communities where rats think they run the city.”
Over the past year, residents have called in almost 3.2 million rat sightings to the city’s 311 service request line, just shy of the record number of complaints in 2021, according to AP.
“Rats have proven to be one of the most formidable opponents that humans have faced. Here in New York City, we’re locked in a constant battle,” lamented Council member Erik Bottcher, whose district includes Times Square.
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