In order to combat rats, a commander is being hired by New York City.
A job listing for a “citywide director of rodent mitigation,” or “a rat czar,” was published this week by the NYC Mayor’s Office. The director, who will be paid an annual salary of between $120,000 and $170,000, would be responsible for creating strategies, supervising initiatives, and organizing teams to combat rats in the city.
The role’s listed requirements include a “background in urban planning” and a “virulent vehemence for vermin.”
NYC rat czar: Job description
“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,” the job posting added.
Additionally, it was stated that the selected candidate will possess a “swashbuckling attitude, crafty humor, and general aura of badassery.”
The most demanding requirements for the position include the capacity to “self-manage and conduct rigorous research and outreach,” a “desire to be entrepreneurial with an interest in social impact” and either experience in local government or a background in a “relevant” field.
“Despite their successful public engagement strategy and cheeky social media presence, rats are not our friends,” the listing reads. “They are enemies that must be vanquished by the combined forces of our city government. Rodents spread disease, damage homes, and wiring, and even attempt to control the movements of kitchen staffers in an effort to take over human jobs.”
New York is the “second-rattiest” city in the nation
According to the most recent annual rankings from pest management business Orkin, New York is the “second-rattiest” city in the nation. More than 21,600 rat complaints have been made to New York’s sanitation department as of October, a significant increase from pre-pandemic levels.
Chicago, which has held the title of “rattiest city” for eight years running, tops the city according to Orkin’s rankings, but rodents in New York hold a special position in the cultural zeitgeist.
They frequently become popular on social media after dragging different objects—most commonly, pizza—down the sidewalks and streets.
Eric Adams, the mayor, is especially eager to hire a capable rat czar. “If you have the drive, determination, and killer instinct needed to fight New York City’s relentless rat population — then your dream job awaits”, he wrote in a tweet announcing the post on Thursday. (https://voltagecoffee.com/)
This is not the city’s first extermination operation against rats in 2022. The New York Sanitation Department stated in October that starting in April 2023, residents will be penalized for placing trash on the curb before 8 p.m. Currently, residents who leave their trash out before 4 p.m. risk fines.
They also must have a New York residency within 90 days of their appointment, and be vaccinated against Covid-19 — a policy for all city employees hired since Aug. 2, 2021.