Heads up, New York City rats. Kathleen Corradi is coming for you.
On Wednesday, city officials formally introduced Corradi as its director of rodent mitigation, a.k.a. “rat czar.” The novel role aims to curb NYC’s long-standing rodent problem by coordinating with other city agencies, community organizations, and the private sector. Mayor Eric Adams touted the new hire during a press conference Wednesday, about four months after the city posted the “rat czar” job listing.
“New York City has done a lot recently when it comes to fighting public enemy number one: rats,” Adams said in a statement. “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.’ Kathy has the knowledge, drive, experience, and energy to send rats packing and create a cleaner more welcoming city for all New Yorkers.”
Corradi has been a program lead for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and has taught at an elementary school in Central Brooklyn. While at the NYC Department of Education, Corradi led rodent reduction efforts through the city’s Zero Waste Schools program. She also served as a director of space planning, “managing $500 million in capital development funds to optimize New York City public schools’ building utilization and ensure fair distribution of resources.”
Adams said the “rat czar” role will be boosted by a $3.5 million investment toward rodent mitigation in Harlem. Corradi will use the funds to oversee a multi-agency effort that’ll include mitigation techniques as well as increased maintenance and remediation work.
“The rats are going to hate Kathy, but we’re excited to have her leading this important effort,” the mayor said.
Corradi earned a biology degree from Eckerd College, and a master’s in Urban Sustainability from The City College of New York. As part of her new position, Corradi will work closely with Adams’ Chief of Staff Camille Joseph Varlack, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi, and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom.
“Rat mitigation is more than a quality-of-life issue for New Yorkers,” said Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation Kathleen Corradi. “Rats are a symptom of systemic issues, including sanitation, health, housing, and economic justice. As the first director of rodent mitigation, I’m excited to bring a science- and systems-based approach to fight rats. New York may be famous for the Pizza Rat, but rats, and the conditions that help them thrive will no longer be tolerated – no more dirty curbs, unmanaged spaces, or brazen burrowing. I’m honored to lead this work, grateful to Mayor Adams for this opportunity, and look forward to sending the rats packing.”
