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Imagine having a rat problem so bad you need to hire a Rat Czar.
Then imagine the job of Rat Czar is so important it pays $155,000 per year.
Rats aren't exactly the "huddled masses" poet Emma Lazarus was referencing when she wrote the poem engraved at the Statue of Liberty, but it seems to be the huddled mass the city has ended up with.
And Mayor Eric Adams has had enough.
After announcing he would appoint a "Rat Czar" to the city's government back in 2022—and the city's sanitation commissioner Jessica Tisch infamously announced "the rats don't run this city, we do"—Adams filled the spot at last.
At an event last week, Adams welcomed former elementary school teacher Kathleen Corradi as New York's first-ever Citywide Director of Rodent Mitigation—as seen below.
@nytimes Kathleen Corradi, New York City’s first rat czar, will oversee efforts to drive down the rat population.
In her speech, Corradi vowed to rid New York City of its most infamous denizens.
She told those in attendance:
"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."
For that work, Corradi will be handsomely rewarded with that $155,000 salary.
Although that's not nearly as lush a payday in New York City as it would be in pretty much any other part of the country. It's an amount Mayor Adams thinks is "not enough" given the scope of the job.
On social media, many disagreed and thought $155,000 sounded pretty good.
\u201cI would have done it for $120K.\n\nThink about it: 10K/month to dream up rat traps! And you don't have to do the actual rat-trapping and rat-disposal. There's people for that.\u201d— David Mongan (@David Mongan) 1681516650
\u201cmake me the queen of rats I\u2019ll do it\u201d— doofenschmirtz \ud83c\udf38 (@doofenschmirtz \ud83c\udf38) 1681381182
\u201c"Only $155,000" worlds smallest violin time\u201d— Byron (@Byron) 1681382916
\u201c@nytimes I can\u2019t be the only one who was curious about the pay: $120K - 170K. \n\nThat\u2019s quite the increase from an elementary school teacher. https://t.co/URAe0EnCPJ\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1681317608
\u201cThat\u2019s $155,000 more than me!\u201d— Larry the Cat (@Larry the Cat) 1681380503
\u201c@nytimes Simply needs a flute and a pair of tights. Problem solved\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1681340407
\u201c@nytimes\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1681317608
And of course, given the slight absurdity of the whole situation, there were lots of rat-related jokes.
\u201c@nytimes Hard seeing other people live your dreams\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1681317608
\u201c@nytimes Wait a minute\u2026.\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1681317608
\u201c@nytimes Rat King was right there.\u201d— The New York Times (@The New York Times) 1681317608
\u201cThe existence of a New York City rat czar implies the existence of a New York City Ratsputin\u201d— Liam Stack (@Liam Stack) 1681396621
\u201cGotta hand it to her, \u201cYou\u2019ll be seeing a lot of me and lot less rats" is exactly what ya wanna hear from the Rat Czar\u201d— Mr. Chau (@Mr. Chau) 1681328588
Corradi is part of Mayor Adams' billion-dollar initiative toward rat abatement in the city.
Much of the effort is focused on Harlem, where the city will send 19 full-time staff and 14 seasonal staff to clean and maintain public spaces, perform inspections and exterminate rats where needed.
We offer Corradi our heartfelt congRATulations on her new position.