Who is Lillian Bonsignore? Elon Musk criticizes Zohran Mamdani's pick for new FDNY Commissioner as he says "proven experience matters"

On Tuesday, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani chose Lillian Bonsignore as FDNY commissioner. According to CBS News, Bonsignore has become the first openly gay person and second woman to hold this position. Her tenure will start on January 1, when Mamdani begins his office as a mayor. During a press conference on Tuesday, Bonsignore said,

"I am honored, so honored, and humbled to stand before you as the new fire commissioner. This appointment represents a significant responsibility, one I accept with humility, dedication, and a deep sense of commitment to the city and its people."

The outlet confirmed that she is set to oversee about 11,000 firefighters, 4,500 EMTs, and more than 2,000 civilian employees. As per Times Now News, Lillian Bonsignore, raised in the Bronx, joined FDNY EMS in 1991. She also reportedly led the department during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2001, during the terror attacks in Fort Totten and the World Trade Center, Bonsignore was the one to respond to these places. Bonsignore became the lieutenant in 2002 and was promoted to a captain in 2005. Eventually, four years later, by 2009, Lillian Bonsignore had become deputy chief. According to LinkedIn, Bonsignore was the chief of EMS operations from 2019 to 2022.

She reportedly was the first woman and first openly LGBTQ+ individual to hold this position as well. In 2022, she retired after serving the department for 31 years. Meanwhile, Elon Musk has criticized Zohran Mamdani's choice. Musk tweeted,

"People will die because of this. Proven experience matters when lives are at stake."

This tweet was in response to Mamdani stating that while Bonsignore was never a firefighter, she possessed confidence. Many netizens further reacted to Elon's tweet. A lot of them seemed to be having the same perspective as the Tesla CEO.

Zohran Mamdani spoke highly of Lillian Bonsignore while choosing her as the new FDNY Commissioner

Zohran Mamdani spoke highly of Lillian Bonsignore, who has become the new FDNY commissioner under Zohran's administration. According to ABC News, both Mamdani and Bonsignore believed that EMS should remain a part of the FDNY. Speaking of Bonsignore, Mamdani said,

"The work FDNY does stretches over every corner of our city. These are the heroes of our five boroughs who save lives on a moment's notice, and they deserve a leader who cares about their work because she did it herself, who understands every detail, and who will tirelessly work to empower FDNY and make it the best firefighting force in the world."

He further highlighted that Bonsignore's "record speaks for itself." Mamdani further went about expressing gratitude to Lillian Bonsignore for serving the role while coming out of retirement. During her speech, Lillian Bonsignore said that she believed in wage parity amongst firefighters and medics.

She further described it as a job "people cannot live without." Bonsignore then said that the impact that the FDNY has on New Yorkers could not be ignored.

Meanwhile, netizens have flooded social media platforms such as X with questions about Lillian Bonsignore's competency. While some were skeptical, others showed more confidence in her.