NYC’s first rat czar quietly scurries away from $176K gig in Eric Adams’ administration

The city’s first-ever rat czar, Kathleen Corradi, has officially stepped down from her role in the ongoing battle against rats.

Corradi’s departure comes as a surprise, leaving the $176,000-a-year position uncertain for future appointments, according to sources at City Hall.

Corradi resigned voluntarily, with plans to serve the city in a different role, as stated by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.

“When I appointed Kathy Corradi to this groundbreaking position, I recognized her unique qualifications and passion to remove rats from our city,” Mayor Adams remarked. “It’s an exceptionally challenging endeavor, but she has approached it with admirable creativity and determination.”

City Hall is currently weighing its options regarding the future of the rat czar role, but officials confirmed that efforts will persist under some form and that Corradi’s initiatives will continue.

As Adams approaches the end of his first term, he’s campaigning as an independent; however, his chances of reelection remain slim as he trails Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani and others in a highly competitive ballot.

It’s uncertain whether a new rat czar would be appointed by any future administration.

Throughout her tenure, which lasted just over two years, Corradi implemented various strategies aimed at reducing the city’s population of approximately 3 million rats. Her initiatives included contraceptive efforts along with community “rat walks” and creating focus areas for intervention in neighborhoods with the highest rodent activity.

A significant revision of the city’s trash policies was also enacted, a key factor since waste serves as a primary food source for the rats. Enforcement of fines began at the start of the year for proper trash containerization in buildings with up to nine apartments, slated to expand to larger properties in 2026.

New “empire bins”, resembling UFOs, have begun appearing in Harlem as part of a pilot project, prompting frustration among residents concerned about lost parking spaces.

During her time in office, the city recorded slight progress with a 4.13% decrease in rat sightings from 2022 to 2024. In targeted mitigation zones, neighborhoods like Crown Heights reported a significant drop, with 145 fewer rodents seen on local blocks.

Conversely, other areas such as Bronx CB-4 experienced a rise in sightings this year, with 311 records indicating 663 rat reports—significantly higher than the totals of 546 in 2022 and 482 in 2024.

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, running independently for mayor, expressed through spokesperson Rich Azzopardi that the campaign has not yet established a rat policy and is not rushing the decision-making process.

While Azzopardi highlighted Cuomo’s support for initiatives such as trash containerization, he emphasized, “We’re still considering whether to maintain a rat czar or tackle this issue from a different angle.”

Republican mayoral candidate and prominent animal advocate Curtis Sliwa remarked that he had offered to serve as the city’s rat czar pro bono, saying, “Eric Adams declined, and the rats are now in charge.”

Sliwa added, “Now that the Rat Czar is abandoning ship amid City Hall turmoil, New Yorkers continue to confront a rodent crisis; under my leadership, we’ll prioritize funding for real rat control rather than ornamental titles.”

The Mamdani campaign was unavailable for comment.