NY fire commissioner quits day after Mamdani’s election, flies to Israel

NYC Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker reportedly quit over mayor-elect’s overt hostility toward Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

The commissioner of the New York City Fire Department announced his resignation less than a day after New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York.

On Wednesday, just hours after the polls closed in New York City, FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker tendered his resignation.

Shortly after that, he got on a plane and flew to Israel.

In an email to Mayor Eric Adams, Tucker wrote that he will be stepping down as fire commissioner on December 19.

“Between now and then, I will continue to lead the greatest fire department in the world and will ensure an orderly transition,” Tucker wrote.

A businessman and philanthropist, Tucker was appointed FDNY commissioner by Mayor Adams in August 2024.

While the fire commissioner did not announce the reason for his decision to resign, sources close to him said Tucker, who is Jewish, was dismayed by Mayor-elect Mamdani’s intense opposition to the State of Israel.

One person cited by Bloomberg said Tucker was influenced by his Zionist views and that he believes serving under Mamdani would compromise his principles.

According to a source who spoke with the New York Post, Tucker’s pro-Israel position “does not align with the new mayor.”

Following his resignation in December, Tucker will resume his leadership of the private security firm T&M USA. He left the position last year to head the New York Fire Department.

Tucker departed from New York on Wednesday for Israel, where he is slated to meet with the Israeli fire commissioner.

A second senior city official is also expected to tender his resignation, the Daily News reported on Wednesday.

Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry, a former NYPD deputy commissioner, will likely resign in the coming days, a source cited by the report said, given his close ties to incumbent Mayor Eric Adams.