New York City has appointed its first-ever "rat czar," Kathleen Corradi, to reduce the number of rodents roaming the city. Corradi will work with government agencies, community organizations, and other groups to crack down on rat populations in the city. She will use a $3.5 million fund to try new methods to control rat populations, expand outreach and education, and increase maintenance and remediation work. The money will also be used to launch the Harlem Rat Mitigation Zone, a rat reduction plan that covers 28 New York City Housing Authority properties, 73 New York City Parks locations, nearly 70 Department of Education schools, and more than 10,000 private properties.
New York City has hired Kathleen Corradi as its first-ever rat czar, beating out nearly 1,000 applicants for the position of Director of Rodent Mitigation. Corradi plans to focus on cutting off rats' food, water, and shelter supplies, and getting food and leftover waste into rat-proof compost bins. The new appointment comes as part of Mayor Eric Adams' push to eradicate rats in the five boroughs and make city streets cleaner by reducing the amount of time filthy, smelly trash bags can sit on the street.
New York City has appointed Kathleen Corradi as its first-ever "rat czar" to coordinate city agencies and find innovative ways to cut off rats' food sources and use new technologies to detect and exterminate rat populations. The city also announced the creation of a "Harlem Rat Exclusion Zone" that covers much of the northern half of Manhattan, where $3.5 million will be spent to improve and increase inspections, use equipment such as bait and traps, and harden floors at some public housing to prevent rat burrowing. Rodents pose a serious public health challenge for the city, as they can contaminate food and spread diseases like leptospirosis.
New York City has appointed Kathleen Corradi as its first-ever "rat czar" to lead the city's rodent mitigation efforts. Corradi, a former elementary school teacher and land use expert, was chosen out of 900 applicants. The city also announced $3.5 million for rat mitigation in Harlem. Corradi promised to immediately take on litter, garbage, and food waste where rats thrive and will decide what new products the city should use to get rid of rats. The city's sanitation department previously announced an anti-rat measure to limit the amount of time trash bags sit on curbs.
Kathleen Corradi has been appointed as New York City's first-ever director of rodent mitigation, tasked with reducing the city's rat population. The job description called for someone with "the drive, determination and killer instinct needed to fight the real enemy: New York City's relentless rat population." Corradi, an educator and sustainability expert, will oversee the city's existing army of rat experts and lead efforts to address the increase in rat sightings documented by city inspectors last year.
