The short version: it felt personal and political
Robert S. Tucker says quitting the FDNY wasn’t a spur‑of‑the‑moment move — it was emotional and ideological. Appointed in August 2024, he handed in his resignation on Nov. 5 and in his first interview since, he called the choice complicated. Bottom line: he and the incoming mayor see some things very differently, and that mattered.
First responders and uneasy trust
Tucker made it clear that, despite some public smoothing over from the mayor‑elect on policing, he still thinks Mamdani has work to do to earn the trust of first responders. Politics aside, leaders in emergency services want clarity and a quick outreach — neither of which Tucker says has happened yet.
Community concerns: not just policy, but identity
Some of Mamdani’s past statements — including ones about Israel and questions around supporting it as a Jewish state — worried many Jewish New Yorkers, and Tucker, who is Jewish, acknowledged that those concerns factored into his decision. He didn’t call it the only reason, but said it was part of the mix.
The protest, the response, and the missing megaphone
When a protest outside an Upper East Side synagogue turned heated, Tucker expected a swift and forceful repudiation from the mayor‑elect. Instead he says the public response was muted and slow, and that matters: words of condemnation are one thing, action and clear leadership are another.
No handshakes yet — and a little Brooklyn dry humor
From his FDNY headquarters in Brooklyn, Tucker said he hasn’t had a personal call from Mamdani or anyone on the incoming team. He joked that maybe the department is running so smoothly they don’t need a transition — or maybe the silence is telling. Either way, outreach hasn’t happened.
A numbers snapshot and historical footnote
Exit polls showed a split in the Jewish vote, and while the mayor‑elect carried nearly every borough, Staten Island was the outlier. Mamdani will become the city’s first Muslim mayor and has vowed to protect and celebrate Jewish New Yorkers; skeptical leaders — including some prominent rabbis — say they need to see proof, not just promises.
Final takeaway: actions speak louder
Tucker summed it up: ideology played a role, trust matters, and he’s looking for concrete signals that leaders will protect and support both first responders and vulnerable communities. Until he sees that, he’s stepping away — with a little humor, a bit of disappointment, and a big hope that words will turn into deeds.
