'I hate rats': NYC introduces city's 1st rat czar

AUTHORIZATION VOTE. >> David: AFTER A MONTHS LONG SEARCH NEAR CITY FINALLY HAS A RAT CZAR. TO DECLARE WAR ON THE RODENT POPULATION. MAYOR ADAMS REVEALING KATHLEEN CORRADI IS THE PICK FOR THE JOB. SHE'S BEEN WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SINCE 2015 AT HELPED SPEARHEAD THE D.O.E.'S EFFORTS TO FIGHT RATS AND BUILDINGS. NOW SHE IS TASKED WITH FIGHTING THE RODENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE ARE LIVE IN COLUMN HARLEM WITH MORE. >> THE MAYOR SAYS, HAS A WRECKED MAESTRO. 900 APPLICANTS IN JUST TWO WEEKS. KATHLEEN CORRADI STEPPED INTO THE ROLE OF THE CITY'S FIRST DIRECTOR OF RODENT MITIGATION. SHE IS A NATURAL PICK. TAKE A LISTEN. WHEN SHE WAS 10 YEARS OLD, CORRADI COLLECTED SIGNATURES IN HER NEIGHBORHOOD FOR A POSITION FOCUSED ON ANTI-RACK MEASURES. THE FORMER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER WHO ALSO WORKED AT THE BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDENS HAS GETTING THE SEAS RODENT POPULATION IN CHECK IS A MULTIPRONGED APPROACH. CORRADI HAS A BACKGROUND IN BIOLOGY AND URBAN SUSTAINABILITY AND PLANS TO DRAW ON LESSONS LEARNED AT THE DAILY WHERE SHE FACED A SIMILAR PROBLEM IN ABOUT 120 SCHOOLS. AFTER THREE YEARS, TECHNIQUES USE THEIR RESULT IN ABOUT 70% OF THE SCHOOLS REACHING COMPLIANCE LEVELS. RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE SHE'S FOCUSING ON THE NEWEST RAT MITIGATION ZONE IN HARLEM. PART OF A $3.5 MILLION PLAN THAT WILL LOOK AT COMPLEXES THERE. THEY WILL GET NEW RAT SLABS THAT STOP RODENTS FROM BURROWING IN THE GROUND. THE NEW RAT CZAR SAYS SHE UNDERSTANDS BEHAVIORAL CHANGES ON CULTURAL SHIFTS DO NOT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT BUT SHE'S UP FOR CHALLENGE, JOKING THERE'S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN. >> I WILL BRING A SCIENCE AND SYSTEMS-BASED APPROACH TO REDUCING NEW YORK CITY'S RAT POPULATION. WITH A STRONG FOCUS ON CUTTING OFF THE FOOD, WATER, AND SHELTER RATS NEED TO SURVIVE. >> WE WERE REALLY PLAYING WHACK-A-MOLE, AND AS MUCH WORK AS THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HYGIENE, WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN DOING, WE HAVE BASICALLY PUT IT SOLELY ON THEM. SO NOW THIS COORDINATED EFFORT THROUGH WHAT KATHY IS GOING TO DO IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO PUT EVERYONE ON THE TEAM. DEPARTMENT OF SANITATION, THE PARKS DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HYGIENE. >> IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOU WANT TO PUT YOUR SEED TO GIVE THE ORDER OF BEING CLEAN. YOU WANTED TO AUTHENTICALLY BE CLEANED SO I SEE NO PROBLEM. IT'S A GREAT IMPROVEMENT TRY TO MAKE. >> Reporter: LIKE THE MAYOR, CORRADI HATES RATS AND IN HER NEW ROLE WILL MAKE $155,000. WHEN ASKED IF CURTIS SLIWA WILL STILL GET THE

Channel: Eyewitness News ABC7NY

Views: 13,311

Keywords: news, nyc rats, rodents, rat czar, kathleen corradi, eric adams, rat crack dow, trash rules, nyc sanitation

Id: WNOahyLZIOs

Length: 3min 5sec (185 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 12 2023