In March, we reported on the ugly state of FDNY politics. A Democrat darling was given the role of leading the nation's largest fire department in 2022. The FDNY consists of over 17,000 employees and commands a $2 billion budget.
In that March article, we wrote the following about what one might imagine the FDNY chief to be:
Surely the storied and celebrated FDNY is run by a veteran fire chief. Surely he is a burly, serious man loved by the rank and file of New York's Bravest, with many personal connections to 9/11.
And finally, Mayor Eric Adams found the right man for the job. As Adams noted today, Robert Tucker's first job was with the FDNY communications office. He is an attorney, and currently CEO of the mammoth security firm T&M USA, LLC. Tucker has worked extensively with law enforcement over the years.
From his T&M bio:
Mr. Tucker, a graduate of The George Washington University and Pace University School of Law, is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the United States Supreme Court. In 2009, Governor David Paterson appointed Mr. Tucker to serve as a Vice Chairman of the New York State Security Guard Advisory Council, and in June 2013, Governor Andrew Cuomo appointed Mr. Tucker as its Chairman, where he served until October 2021. In February 2014, the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York appointed Mr. Tucker as a member of the Committee on Character and Fitness for the Ninth Judicial District. In November 2015, Mr. Tucker received the Distinguished Service Award from the Citizens Crime Commission of New York. In December 2016, Mr. Tucker was awarded the Eugene R. Fink Memorial Award by the Associated Licensed Detectives of New York State (ALDONYS) for his outstanding contributions in enhancing the professionalism of the security and investigations industry. He serves as a Police Board Commissioner of the Westchester County Police Department, a role he was appointed to in January 2017 by County Executive Robert P. Astorino. In June 2017, he was honored at the New York Board of Rabbis Humanitarian Awards Dinner. In April 2018, Mr. Tucker received the Public Service Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. In December 2018, he was appointed to Pace University's Board of Trustees. He was reappointed to serve as a Police Board Commissioner of the Westchester County Police Department in January 2019 by County Executive George S. Latimer and was later named to the Police Training Task Force by County Executive Latimer in June 2020. Among his many professional, civic and philanthropic affiliations, Mr. Tucker is Secretary of the FDNY Foundation and an honorary Fire Commissioner of the City of New York; member of the Board of Trustees and Secretary/Treasurer of the New York City Police Foundation and an honorary Police Commissioner of the City of New York; and past President of ALDONYS. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of White Plains Hospital; Vice President of the Richard Tucker Music Foundation; and a former member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization, Metro Chapter).
And so ends the brief, biased, and divisive reign of Laura Kavanagh. A DEI hire for the ages, her experience was primarily as a campaign staffer for Bill DeBlasio and Barack Obama.
A lawsuit was brought against Kavanagh for ageism after she fired several senior fire chiefs and replaced them with younger, less experienced but more diverse individuals. The suit also exposed an alleged affair between Kavanagh and her right-hand man, Jon Paul Augier.
But the episode that stirred the most rancor among the rank and file of New York's Bravest was related to speech given by Attorney General Letitia James. When James rose to speak, many of the firefighters present booed her. James was in the early stages of the Stormy Daniels "hush money" trial at the time.
Kavanagh's response to the jeers? A memo promising to "hunt down" and "punish" her own firefighters.
Other publications have chosen to focus on the politics of today's public ceremony swearing in Tucker, such as the last-minute speaking role given to Regina Wilson, head of the black firefighters coalition, the Vulcan Society, and praise given to Kavanagh for her work on ion battery fires.
Not us. We're here to say good riddance to another woke mistake, and to loudly and heartily welcome Robert Tucker.
