Newton Mayoral Candidate Amy Sangiolo Says Rats Can Be Controlled

NEWTON, MA — Newton mayoral candidate Amy Mah Sangiolo hosted a virtual public forum last week to discuss the city's rat problem and has released a list of initiatives she supports to help get the issue under control.

"Lets Talk About Rats in Newton" was led by urban rodentologist Dr. Bobby Corrigan, who discussed the increase in rat sightings Newton and what to do about it. Over 75 people joined the forum and an additional 100 watched it live via Facebook.

“I really believe that it’s important that any kind of issue that faces our community, particularly when it impacts the quality of life, we need to air it, we need to discuss it, we need to learn more about it, so that we can figure out a way to deal with the problem," said Sangiolo in a statement.

According to Corrigan, rat populations in the United States are up 15-35% in recent years and current pest control guidelines are not enough.

"What happens is the pest control company comes and puts out these black boxes with poisons in them, and say ‘we are exterminating rats in this site,’” he said. “Unfortunately, that rarely touches it, quite frankly.”

Amy Sangiolo’s proposals for rat control in Newton are as follows:

• Create a partnership between the City, residents, businesses, and developers to address prevention and extermination of the rat populations.
• Partner with pest control companies serving Newton to get a more complete understanding of the true number of rat sightings throughout the city so a realistic rodent heat map can be developed.
• Ensure developers adhere to their rodent control plans, which must:
  • Require environmental surveys for construction projects large and small, specifically searching for rat colonies.
  • Target rat extermination efforts within a 500 foot radius of found nests, and monitor for activity within a 1,000 foot radius.
  • Enforce completion of rodent control plans with follow up surveys and fines.

"Lets Talk About Rats in Newton" was the first in a series of forums led by Sangiolo. For more information on upcoming discussions, click here.