Have Pipe Will Blow: NY Looking to Hire New ‘Rat Czar’

Are you a hater of rats? Are you a “bloodthirsty” New Yorker with great communication and “a general aura of badassery”? You could become the city’s rat czar.

This week, Mayor Eric Adams’ office advertised a position to lead the city’s long-running rat fight. “Director of rodent mitigation,” the official job title, became “rat czar” quickly. And it comes with a good salary ranging from  $120,000–$170,000.

“The ideal candidate is highly motivated and somewhat bloodthirsty, determined to look at all solutions from various angles, including improving operational efficiency, data collection, technology innovation, trash management, and wholesale slaughter,” states the ad.

The work is difficult despite the amusing posting.

New York City leaders have struggled to manage rodents for years. Rat sightings in city parks, walkways, and other areas have grown.

City rats escaped previous Mayor Bill de Blasio’s multimillion-dollar trash pickup and house inspection campaign in targeted districts. The city also suffocated rats with dry ice.

As Brooklyn borough president, Adams displayed a trap that drowned rats enticed by food in a bucket of deadly soup.

The Adams administration wants a senior rat bureaucrat to represent the city’s eradication and education efforts.

“Cunning, voracious, and prolific, New York City’s rats are legendary for their survival skills, but they don’t run this city — we do,” the posting said.

Applicants must lead from the front, employing hands-on approaches to eliminate rodents with authority and efficiency and have a witty sense of humor.

I wonder if they would give you a bonus if you could play the pipe?

New Yorkers are having rat problems in neighborhoods that prior to the pandemic did not exist. Now City Hall is looking to hire a so-called rat czar who has a “killer instinct.” And the job pays up to $170,000 a year. https://t.co/rdn9NJObUs

— Fox5NY (@fox5ny) December 2, 2022