Mayor Mamdani swore in his new Fire commissioner Tuesday, and made it clear — despite critics’ fearmongering — that she’s more than qualified to head the nation’s largest Fire Department.
“I have appointed Lillian Bonsignore to this role for her wealth of experience and vision for how to lead the FDNY, as well as for the respect she holds for this work and all those who do it,” Mamdani said in a swearing-in ceremony, days after his critics pooh-poohed his pick.
“There will certainly be difficult moments to come — where the brave men and women of the FDNY put their lives on the line for New Yorkers — but they will be able to turn to their commissioner and know that they are led by someone who knows this work, cares about this work, and will stop at nothing to keep our city safe,” he said.
Among those who turned up the heat on Mamdani for his Fire Department commissioner selection was billionaire Elon Musk, who fell out with President Trump during his controversial role overseeing government efficiency.
Musk knocked Bonsignore for never strapping on a helmet as a firefighter, even though she spent more than three decades in the FDNY EMS, rising to chief of the EMS division, and holding the top post for three years before retiring in 2022.
“People will die because of this. Proven experience matters when lives are at stake,” the Space X and Tesla owner said early Friday evening in a post on X, which he also owns.
Bonsignore will be the first LGBTQ head of the FDNY in its 160-year history. Conservative critics, though, were not impressed, with some going as far as to scoff she only got the job because she’s lesbian.
Bonsignore’s two predecessors as commissioner didn’t serve as firefighters, either.
Shrugging off the tasteless and ill-informed barbs, the new head of the FDNY pledged she’ll be a leader for everyone in the department and always have their backs.
“‘A commissioner’s greatest duty isn’t to command the fire, but to protect and empower the hands that fight it,’ is a quote often used in the fire service, and it is one I wholeheartedly believe in,” Bonsignore said.
“I promise to be a leader for every member of this department, committed to listening, supporting and advocating for the great men and women who selflessly give their time to protecting our city.”
