Eric Adams, New York City Mayor was fined $300 in May 2022 by inspectors after they found “fresh rat droppings” at Adams’ Bedford–Stuyvesant house. Adams is fighting the fine in administrative court.
Adams claimed to a hearing officer that he spent $7,000 trying to eradicate rodents. Adams even promoted a trap in 2019 that lures rats with food, then incapacitates them using a fatal method.
Mayor suggested that residents should not be penalized for failing to take steps to eradicate the infestation. He claimed he wasn’t guilty and had taken steps in order to prevent this from happening.
Adams stated that “I took these steps” as well as “will continue doing so.”
Citizens Union’s executive director Betsy Gotbaum criticized Adams’ use of a City lawyer. She claimed it was an inappropriate use of City Hall workers.
According to the union official, city resources should be used for city business and not for personal issues of the mayor or other elected officials. He stated that “the mayor consults a City Hall employee on a matter that is clearly a private matter. ”
The mayor’s press secretary justified the need for a lawyer. Adams had tried to solve the rodent issue using his own money before.
Fabien LEVY, spokesperson for Adams stated that Adams spent thousands of dollars to eliminate an infestation at his Brooklyn house earlier in the year. A spokesperson claimed that the mayor was available to appear before the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings to discuss this matter.
The timing of this legal undertaking is certainly interesting, considering that it comes one week after New York City posted a job posting offering up to $170,000 to a “highly motivated candidate” to combat the city’s rat infestation.
Mayor Adams’ hearing agent stated that he would give a verdict in 30 days.
