NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker will step down next month, becoming the first senior official to resign on the heels of Zohran Mamdani’s decisive win of the mayoralty Tuesday.
In a letter to Mayor Eric Adams dated Nov. 5, Tucker said it had been “the honor of a lifetime” to serve as the city’s 35th fire commissioner, and that he will step down effective Dec. 19. “Between now and then, I will continue to lead the greatest fire department in the world and will ensure an orderly transition,” he wrote.
Mamdani, a 34-year-old state lawmaker from Queens and self-described democratic socialist, will begin leading City Hall on Jan. 1. He will be New York’s first Muslim mayor and first person of South Asian descent to lead the city in its 400-year history.
A person familiar with Tucker’s decision said it was influenced by his Zionist views and belief that he could not continue to serve under Mamdani, whose opposition to and rhetoric about Israel has drawn sharp backlash from Jewish leaders in New York and nationally. The person said Tucker concluded that remaining in the administration would be inconsistent with his principles.
Tucker declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Mamdani didn’t immediately reply to a message seeking comment.
Mamdani, addressing a synagogue in Brooklyn last month, said that while he is not a Zionist, he is “not looking to create a City Hall or city in my image,” according to the New York Times.
Tucker’s decision also breaks with the long-standing City Hall custom of commissioners remaining in place through the start of a new mayor’s term until a successor is formally appointed.
Tapped by Adams in 2023, Tucker oversees roughly 17,000 firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics and manages the Fire Department’s $2.6 billion budget. Before joining city government, Tucker founded and led T&M Protection Resources, a New York-based security and intelligence firm with operations in both the United States and Israel. He is expected to return to that role after leaving office, according to people familiar with his plans.