Philadelphia names first Rat Abatement Manager, starting with lower Northeast

Philadelphia has created a new Rat Abatement Manager position and given the job to Adrian Jordan, a veteran of the city Health Department, officials announced Wednesday, according to several local outlets.

Jordan will oversee the city's rat response by pulling together six agencies, FOX 29 and NBC10 reported. Those include the Health, Streets and Water departments, the sanitation operation, the city's CLIP program and the Quality of Life unit within Licenses and Inspections. Officials said the aim is to make sure both new and long-standing rat issues get quick attention, 6abc reported.

The effort begins in the lower Northeast, including Oxford Circle and Castor Gardens. There, Jordan and the Health Department's rat control staff will knock on doors to hear residents' concerns, find infestations that have not been reported, and share prevention advice, according to FOX 29 and 6abc.

"I've worked to fight rats in Philadelphia for more than twenty years," Jordan said in a statement reported by multiple outlets.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker called the appointment an expansion of her administration's "One Philly" model, in which several departments work jointly on pressing problems, NBC10 reported. Managing Director Carlton Williams said the new role reinforces the city's focus on basic services, according to 6abc.

The move comes roughly three weeks after Councilmember Anthony Phillips introduced a resolution on the issue, NBC10 reported. The measure pressed the Health Department and other agencies to respond to rising rodent activity in the Lower Northeast, labeling it an emergency for public health and quality of life. According to 6abc, Council passed it without opposition.

"Our neighbors deserve results, and that must remain our focus," Phillips said, according to FOX 29.

People living in Oxford Circle, Castor Gardens and Summerdale told CBS Philadelphia the problem has grown worse in recent months, especially around trash pickup, with rats ripping into bags despite poison, peppermint spray and other measures. Still, the city's announcement stated that officials have seen no documented increase in confirmed rat complaints, according to CBS Philadelphia, 6abc and FOX 29.

The city also intends to post a public dashboard online showing how many residents it has contacted, how many complaints it has received and which properties it has treated, outlets reported.

FOX 29 reported that officials urged residents to keep garbage in lidded metal cans, cut back tall grass and remove other shelter, close gaps wider than half an inch, and report sightings at (215) 685-9000. NBC10 said callers should include the location's street address and their own contact details.

CBS Philadelphia noted that New York City named a comparable official in 2023. She left the post in 2025, and no successor has been named, the outlet reported.

Compiled by True News from reporting by 6abc Action News, CBS Philadelphia, FOX 29 Philadelphia and NBC10 Philadelphia. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/543