FDNY chief is the wrong job for blatant political hacks

New York’s fire commissioner, Lillian Bonsignore, attended a political gathering in Puerto Rico while a Brooklyn house fire killed six people. The article argues that the head of the FDNY should have been in New York during a period of deadly fires, helping lead the department’s response and prevention efforts.

It also cites a Bronx fire the previous week that killed four people and says fires and deaths have risen sharply this year, largely because of e-bike lithium-ion batteries and unsafe charging from household outlets. The opinion piece criticises Bonsignore’s appointment as political patronage and urges Mayor Zohran Mamdani to replace her.