New York City's high-profile "rat czar," Kathleen Corradi, is stepping down after two years on the job, city officials have announced. Corradi, appointed by Mayor Eric Adams in 2023 to lead the city's ongoing fight against its estimated 3 million rats, will leave the post effective Oct. 10, per the Guardian. She isn't ditching city government entirely: The City reports that Corradi will be heading to the New York City Housing Authority, where she'll serve as senior VP for resident services, partnerships, and initiatives.
Adams praised Corradi's creativity and determination, calling her work "daunting," and emphasized that the campaign to drive down the rodent population will "continue at full steam." Corradi's tenure saw some signs of progress: Complaints about rats made to the city's 311 service line dropped 24% in January from the previous year, according to the New York Times. The mayor's office also reported that, in fiscal year 2025, the city addressed 79% of rodent complaints within two weeks—a 14% improvement over the previous year.
In a statement to PIX11, Adams added that, under Corradi's leadership, "rat sightings are down eight straight months, and year-to-date, they're down more than 15%." The city had allocated $3.5 million under Corradi's leadership to raise public awareness around rat mitigation. Her strategies included unconventional tactics like rat birth control, aiming to reduce the population by stymieing new generations. When she first took the job, Corradi promised New Yorkers would see "a lot of me and a lot less rats."
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