NEW YORK – New York Mayor Eric Adams is an avowed rat hater, so much so that he once called a press conference to demonstrate a device that drowned rodents in poison.
Now, Adams finds himself contesting a $300 fine imposed on him by his own government for a rat infestation on a Brooklyn property he owns.
Adams received a subpoena from the city’s health department on May 10 after a health inspector saw “fresh rat feces” at his residence on Lafayette Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood.
According to a report in the New York Times, Adams registered for a city administrative hearing on Tuesday to contest the $300 fine, which was imposed on him after ignoring subpoenas.
Adams told the hearing officer that he spent nearly $7,000 fighting rats on the property and even used the rodent drowning device he pioneered in 2018 when he was Brooklyn Borough President, noted the times.
Adams noted that city laws are intended to penalize homeowners who fail to take steps to prevent or control rodents, according to the paper. “I have taken these measures,” she said, “and I will continue to take them.”
The Hearing Officer of the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH for his initials in English) has indicated that he will announce his verdict within a period not exceeding 30 days.
Adams was found in default after failing to respond to the initial subpoenas.
The Times reported that Adams asked Rahul Agarwal, the council’s deputy director of legal affairs, to file a motion to strike down on behalf of the mayor on 8 September. In the filing, Agarwal said Adams was not notified of the subpoenas until Sept. 1 because he now lives in Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official residence in Manhattan.
