New York’s first female fire commissioner says she will resign once a replacement is found

NEW YORK (AP) — The first female commissioner of the Fire Department of New York says she plans to resign because it is time to “pass the torch” after two years in the job. In a statement Saturday, Laura Kavanagh didn’t say when she plans to step down, but she said she will spend the next several months helping with the transition in leadership. Kavanagh says she made the decision over the last month, calling it a hard one. Mayor Eric Adams, who appointed her in October 2022, called Kavanagh a trailblazer and said it was her decision to leave the job.