By BRIAN MORENO
Whether Republican, Democratic or even Independent, every mayor of New York City has always faced the same enemy in his administration: rats!
Mayor de Blasio on Thursday went to the Hippo Playground in Riverside Park on Thursday to announce his plan to combat the rat infestations in playgrounds and schools.
The plan includes daily patrol of parks enforcement officers in targeted areas, accompanied by more cleaners, investing funds in better rat-proof trashcans across playgrounds and buying better food storage equipment for schools.
“We heard the complaints, we heard the pleas for help, people been writing in this community that we could do better,” said de Blasio in a sun-dappled portion of the park. “I’m here to say help is on the way and you going to start to see the results of it very very soon.”
The Norwegian brown rat has plagued parks, playgrounds and neighborhoods for centuries.
“The rat scourge is overwhelming even the toughest of New York City parents,” said Tali Etra, a member of the Hippo Playground Project. “The stories on the parents’ board and forums about aggressive rats crawling in strollers and sandboxes have been dreadful.”
Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal has helped de Blasio’s war on rats by expediting the use of dry ice, with the approval of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
“Today is a powerful example of government in action,” said Rosenthal. “With the right people working together to trim the bureaucratic red tape in the right places, we find ourselves here unveiling a full-fledged plan of attack.”
No four-legged vermin appeared at the press conference.
Photo by Brian Moreno
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