(LibertySociety.com) – New York City Mayor Eric Adams on August 11 named a new commissioner to head up the New York Fire Department, replacing outgoing Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh, whose brief tenure faced resistance from top officials in the department.
Adams appointed Robert Tucker to replace Kavanaugh who announced in July that she would be stepping down after less than two years.
Kavanaugh, who was first appointed commissioner in October 2022, became the first woman to lead the FDNY. But her appointment was met with pushback from some of the department’s top chiefs.
Four chiefs filed a lawsuit against the FDNY and Kavanaugh in early 2023, alleging that three of them had been demoted unfairly. They argued in their lawsuit that the demotions left the FDNY with no staff chiefs to oversee major fires, creating a “grave risk” to the city.
Another lawsuit was filed against Kavanaugh in March 2023, accusing the embattled commissioner of age discrimination.
Kavanaugh created a stir again in March of this year when she apologized to New York Attorney General Letitia James after a group of firefighters booed and heckled the AG during a promotion ceremony over her civil lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.
Kavanaugh had vowed to find and discipline the firefighters who heckled and booed the attorney general.
Much of the criticism Kavanaugh faced was over her lack of firefighting experience. Her replacement Robert Tucker also lacks experience as a firefighter but has been deeply involved with the FDNY.
Tucker serves on the FDNY Foundation Board of Directors as well as the NYPD Foundation Board of Trustees. He is also a commissioner on the police board for Westchester County.
Tucker’s appointment quickly gained the approval of the Uniformed Firefighters Association union.
Mayor Adams initially appointed Kavanaugh as commissioner as part of an effort to boost the number of women in the FDNY. According to a 2022 report from the New York City Council, less than 2 percent of firefighters are women.
Tucker vowed to continue the effort to make FDNY firehouses more diverse and “welcoming.”
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