The Rats of New York: City mayor ticketed again for rodents at his property
WeirdNews
It is Eric Adams’ fifth rodent violation since he assumed his office in January 2022
- He appointed the city's first 'rat czar' last year after posting a help-wanted ad seeking applicants who could commit to the “wholesale slaughter” of the pests
NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s rat-hating mayor has once again been ticketed for a rat infestation at his Brooklyn property.
Mayor Eric Adams’ latest ticket was issued by a city health inspector May 16 at a row house he owns in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood. The inspector observed fresh rat droppings and a rat burrow “at the front left base of the staircase of the property.”
The ticket, first reported by the Daily News, was Adams’ fifth rodent violation since he became mayor in January 2022.
He can contest the ticket July 7 before an Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings officer.
Read more: New York 'trash revolution' targets overflowing waste, and the rats feasting on it
A spokesperson for Adams, Liz Garcia, said in a statement, “The mayor prides himself on keeping his property clean. He will review the summons and follow all standard procedures.”
Adams, a Democrat, frequently proclaims, “I hate rats!” and once tried to prove it by demonstrating a device that drowned them in a vat of caustic liquid.
He appointed the city’s first “rat czar” last year after posting a help-wanted ad seeking applicants who could commit to the “wholesale slaughter” of the pests.
Adams, who now lives in Gracie Mansion, the official mayor’s residence, challenged the previous rat tickets he got at the Brooklyn property.
Three were dismissed, but the mayor paid $300 to settle the fourth. Adams told a hearing officer he had spent $7,000 on rat mitigation at the property.
THE RATS OF NEW YORK
New York is the city that “never sleeps”. It is associated with Wall Street which plays massive role in deciding the future of billions.
It is also known for Hollywood classics like “The Godfather” and “The Gangs of New York”. But there is another feature which now differentiates this iconic city with the rest – the rats.
Last year, a study estimated that New York has a rat population of around three million, meaning there is a rat for every three humans inhibiting the city.
That’s why New York is the third “rattiest” city in the US, after Chicago and Los Angeles, according to the pest control company Orkin’s 2023 ranking.
It is because of the fact that the New Yorkers produce a total of over 14 million tonnes of garbage every year at a time when the city failed to maintain its waste collection system.
