The FDNY’s embattled leader, Laura Kavanagh, is a skilled public relations operative who drew upon her connections to the Obama White House to reach the top job, multiple sources told The Post.
Kavanagh, who cut her teeth working on campaigns for Barack Obama and other Democratic politicians beginning in 2006, is said to have received an endorsement from former First Lady Michelle Obama — who allegedly urged New York City Mayor Eric Adams to promote Kavanagh to Commissioner last year, the sources said.
Kavanagh, 40, was named the interim chief after former Commissioner Daniel Nigro retired in Feb. 2022. Adams waited more than seven months to name her to the top job.
“She’s essentially a PR person without any fire-fighting experience, and she’s lost the respect of the force,” said one of the sources.
Kavanagh — the first woman in history to become Commissioner of the more than 17,0000-strong force — whipped up turmoil among the FDNY’s rank-and-file after she demoted three high-ranking fire chiefs this week. In response, two other FDNY bigwigs, Chief of Department John Hodgens and Chief of Operations John Esposito, voluntarily sought their own demotions, in protest about reportedly being kept in the dark.
“Hodgens is one of the most honorable individuals I have ever met,” said former New York City firefighter and now attorney Pete Gleason. “I have no doubt that she [Kavanagh] undermined his ability to be the uniformed leader of the FDNY, and that shows how treacherous she is. She’s demoting people and she is supposed to run it past him. What she created is a very public embarrassment for the FDNY.”
Before joining former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration, where she spearheaded public health campaigns with former first lady Chirlane McCray, California-born Kavanaugh worked for The Advance Group, according to her LinkedIn page. She is listed as the company’s Vice President of Campaigns and Elections, and worked for the Democratic lobbyist between 2006 and 2012, when she went on to head up “Get Out the Vote” operations in Pennsylvania for the Obama Campaign.
She became a senior advisor to de Blasio’s campaign in 2013 and began her career at the FDNY as director of external affairs in 2014. Since then, Kavanagh has risen through the ranks despite having no experience as a firefighter.
As Deputy Fire Commissioner she partnered with New York’s former first lady Chirlane McCray in November 2020 to launch a mental-health initiative allowing crisis counsellors to be dispatched through 911 calls instead of the NYPD.
A spokesman for Adams strongly denied that Michelle Obama was involved in Kavanagh’s hiring, and referred The Post to the city’s press release announcing her appointment in Oct. 2022.
“New Yorkers and New York City’s ‘Bravest’ deserve an exceptional leader and Commissioner Kavanagh has the vision, the skills, and the compassion to lead the FDNY into the future.” said Adams in the press statement. The release also featured quotes from politicians, including Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. Kavanagh worked for Clarke in 2008.
Michelle Obama did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday, nor did a spokesman for the FDNY.
