It seems like the New York City has indeed declared a full-fleged war against the rats or let's say 'pest control' as just over four months after a job posting for New York City's first-ever formally designated rat czar went viral online, an urban sustainability expert who currently works at the city's education department has been appointed director of rodent mitigation. On Wednesday, Mayor Eric Adams introduced a former elementary school teacher and anti-rat activist named Kathleen Corradi as his new “rat czar”. Officially, Kathleen Corradi, the mayor's new hire, will be known as the director of rodent mitigation. For the unversed, in December 2022, New York City Mayor’s office had posted a job opening for a “citywide director of rodent mitigation,” or as a city hall spokesperson dubbed it, “a rat czar.” The role asked for a person who had a “virulent vehemence for vermin.” With the hiring is done, the question arises who is Kathleen Corradi and how much will she be earning and also what will be her exact work?
Who is Kathleen Corradi?
Kathleen Corradi is a former elementary school teacher who became an anti-vermin advocate and has ‘a long history with rats’. Corradi is tasked with battling the potentially millions of rats lurking in myriad urban nooks and crannies, subway tunnels and empty lots. Hers is a new job, which the city advertised with 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.
As per Forbes, 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.
On being appointed, Corradi a land use expert who specialises in urban sustainability and currently works at the Department of Education further said, "You’ll be seeing a lot of me and a lot less rats.”
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And it seems that Corradi’s new appointment is all about destiny. As a 10-year-old child, she had campaigned for anti-rat measures in her neighbourhood after she was horrified at the sight of a rat carcass.With a modest salary of $155,000 (Rs 1.26 crore) a year, Corradi will oversee the city’s existing army of rat experts. The city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene already has a rodent biologist on staff, renowned urban rodentologist Robert Corrigan. The health department also has an Office of Pest Control, and there is a citywide rodent task force. Adams said Corradi will connect those bodies with agencies like the Department of Sanitation, in a concerted push to help battle some of the city’s longest-tenured and most notorious residents.
Kathleen Corradi is the new #RatCzarina @1010WINS @wcbs880 pic.twitter.com/OSHD2ATahx
— Juliet Papa (@winsjuliet) April 12, 2023
What did Americans say about New York City's New Rat Czar?
A user wrote, "The guy who is responsible for helping New York City rid itself of rats is paid $155K a year. The guy is Kathleen Corradi a gal who is being called the Rat Czar."
Another user wrote, "After the mayor posted a job listing for a "bad-ass rat czar" in New York, a candidate has been hired. Kathleen Corradi is a former elementary school teacher turned "anti-rat activist," and plans to immediately launch a "rat mitigation zone"