New York's 'rat czar' will only succeed if she realizes that rats are not the 'enemy,' an expert says

• The former schoolteacher, who's become New York's "rat czar," may face an uphill battle to succeed.
• An urban-rat expert said Kathleen Corradi must realize rats are not the "enemy."
• "The 'real city rats' are the men and women of bureaucracy," Michael Parsons told Insider. 

Kathleen Corradi's dedication to public service started when she was just 10. 

After seeing a dead rat on Long Island, she started a petition in her neighborhood, her mother told The New York Times.