Dec 23, 2025
https://abc7ny.com/post/mayor-elect-zoh ... /18309530/
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has chosen the city's next fire commissioner.
Lillian Bonsignore, a well-respected retired EMS chief, will be the next fire commissioner.
Bonsignore will be the second female fire commissioner, behind Laura Kavanagh, who called Bonsignore "one of the strongest leaders I have worked alongside."
The mayor-elect made the announcement on Tuesday at Fort Totten in Queens, home of the FDNY EMS Academy.
"They deserve a leader who cares about their work because she did it herself, who understands every detail and will fight tirelessly to empower FDNY and make it the best firefighting force in the world," Mamdani said.
Bonsignore was appointed Chief of EMS Academy at Fort Totten in 2016, and served as Chief of EMS Operations from 2019-2020.
Bonsignore is a 31-year FDNY veteran who retired in 2022. She is considered a no-nonsense leader and respected within FDNY EMS, with a similar personality to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is staying on for the Mamdani administration.
Although she never served as a firefighter, she's confident that won't matter.
"I know the job. I know the what the firefighters need, and I can translate that to this administration who's willing to listen," Bonsignore said. "I know what EMS needs, I've been EMS for 30 plus years."
Bonsignore is a trailblazer for the LGBTQ community, who will serve as the FDNY's first openly-gay commissioner.