Hours after Socialist Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral race, the city’s Jewish Fire Department commissioner resigned, citing irreconcilable differences with the incoming leader’s anti-Israel stance.
Robert Tucker, the FDNY’s commissioner turned in his resignation to outgoing Mayor Eric Adams after the 34-year-old socialist clinched win.
Tucker will step down effective December 19, weeks before Mamdani’s January inauguration.
In a letter to Adams, Tucker talked about his refusal to serve under Mamdani, who is a vocal critic of Israel, supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement and pushes the ‘Globalize the infitada’ slogan.
The nation’s largest fire department employs over 11,000 personnel and responds to more than 1.1 million emergency calls annually.
Plus Mamdani’s “defund the police” rhetoric is leading to a larger exodus of personnel.
Reports are now coming in that thousands of police officers are talking about leaving the NYPD driven by Mamdani’s track record of labeling the NYPD as “racist” and pushing to redirect funds from policing to social services.
Veteran cops have cited low morale, forced overtime, and a shrinking force—already down to about 34,000 from a peak of 40,000.
NYPD data shows a 15% increase in retirements over the past year, with insiders predicting an acceleration under Mamdani.
One anonymous officer said, “I’ve given 20 years. I won’t serve under someone who wants us defunded.”
Adams’ last-ditch $17.8 million hiring push aims to rebuild 40,000 officers by 2029, but Mamdani dismissed it as “political theater” during the campaign, vowing instead to invest in community-based alternatives to policing.
