By Thomas Tracy
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker tendered his resignation Wednesday, the morning after Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral election victory at the polls, the Daily News has learned.
In a letter to Mayor Adams sent less than 12 hours after Mamdani’s win over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa, Tucker announced his last day will be Dec. 19.
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“Between now and then, I will continue to lead the greatest fire department in the world and will ensure an orderly transition,” Tucker wrote in his letter, which was obtained by The News.
An FDNY source said there have been no talks between Tucker and Mamdani’s camp about the private businessman and philanthropist staying on as commissioner.
Tucker, who is Jewish and a Zionist, felt he wouldn’t mesh well with Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, and his team, the source said. Mamdani came under fire during the election for statements and positions that were seen by some as anti-Semitic.
Mamdani, 34, defeated Cuomo in the general election by garnering 50% of the vote, becoming the first Muslim mayor as well as the youngest New York City mayor in a century.
Tucker is the CEO of a private security company and a longstanding member of the board of directors of the FDNY Foundation, the official not-for-profit organization of the FDNY.
In August 2024, he was picked to replace outgoing FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh — who was appointed in 2022 by Mayor Adams as the first woman to serve in the top spot since the department’s creation in 1865.
On Wednesday Tucker was on his way to Israel to visit and learn from the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority. He’s expected to speak on his resignation when he returns, FDNY officials said.
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