New York fire commissioner resigns following Mamdani win

New York Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker submitted his resignation Wednesday, a day after Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the election for New York City mayor.

Tucker was tapped to his role at the New York Fire Department (NYFD) by Mayor Eric Adams (D) to succeed the previous commissioner, who also resigned from the post. He submitted his resignation to Adams.

His last day will be Dec. 19, 2025, just days before Mamdani takes office on Jan. 1, 2026.

Tucker has not issued a public comment on why he is leaving his role, but Bloomberg reported that people close to him say that, as a Zionist, he felt he could not serve under Mamdani.

The mayor-elect will be the first Muslim to serve in the role and has been openly critical of Israel amid the war in Gaza. Despite the criticism, he also reached out to the Jewish community during his campaign and stated his intention to combat antisemitism if elected.

The mayor appoints the fire commissioner, who oversees roughly 17,000 employees and manages a $2.6 billion budget.

Mamdani bested former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, during Tuesday night's mayoral election with 50.6 percent of the vote, according to a live tracker from Decision Desk HQ. The election saw 2 million voters cast ballots. 

The Hill's Amie Parnes and Caroline Vakil contributed.