Boston Rodent Action Plan Hearing Set for October 23: Councilor Again Calls for a "Rat Czar"
BOSTON, Massachusetts — In Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, a City Council Committee on City Services hearing will be held on Friday, October 23 at 10 a.m. in the Iannella Chamber on the fifth floor of City Hall, with online participation available, to review implementation of the Boston Rodent Action Plan (BRAP). The hearing is chaired by Councilor Ed Flynn. Flynn said the plan has positive steps but still has not adopted the core recommendation he made with the plan study's author, noted urban rodent expert Dr. Bobby Corrigan — formally creating a dedicated "rat czar" post, similar to New York City's, to coordinate rodent control citywide. He also questioned the Boston Public Health Commission's judgment that the current pest crisis does not constitute a serious public health risk, citing a 2025 Tufts University study finding that Boston rats carry and spread leptospirosis. Flynn has convened pest-control hearings every year since the 2020 pandemic; he said rats moved into residential areas to forage when restaurants shut down during the pandemic, and the problem continues today. Residents may testify in person or via Zoom, or submit written testimony.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 波士顿市政厅。图片：Daderot，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Boston City Hall. Photo: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
