New York City appoints anti-rat activist as first ever 'rat czar'

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has hired Kathleen Corradi, an anti-rat activist, as the city's new "rat czar" or director of rodent mitigation. Corradi's job is to combat the potentially millions of rats lurking in the city's urban nooks and crannies, subway tunnels, and empty lots. Her first task will be to launch a "rat mitigation zone" in Harlem, where the city will invest $3.5m to roll out "an accelerated rat reduction plan" deploying 19 full-time and 14 seasonal employees to combat rats. Rats have long bedeviled the city, a top public concern along with crime, homelessness, and exorbitant rents.