Ex-FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has been lobbying Zohran Mamdani behind the scenes to become NYC’s next deputy mayor of public safety if the socialist is elected mayor, sources told The Post.

Kavanagh, the city’s first female fire commissioner, resigned in July 2024, and largely remained out of public life after leaving city government.

Kavanagh was pressured to resign as fire commissioner in July 2024 amid mounting controversies.

Ex-FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has been lobbying Zohran Mamdani behind the scenes in hopes of becoming NYC’s next deputy mayor of public safety. Matthew McDermott

The last straw was her apology in a text to state Attorney General Tish James after pro-Donald Trump firefighters booed the Democratic pol during a March 2024 department promotion ceremony.

“I am sorry that we didn’t stop them and that I can’t fix them,” she said of the smoke-eaters.

Kavanagh also faced heat for rising FDNY emergency-response times, surges in lithium-ion battery fires citywide, repeated criticism from underlings and an age-discrimination lawsuit filed by top department chiefs she demoted.

One of Kavanagh’s controversies that led to her resignation was over a text to Attorney General Tish James after pro-Donald Trump firefighters booed James during a 2024 department promotion ceremony. AP

On Friday, Kavanagh flatly denied she’s lobbying for any gig in a Mamdani administration if the pol wins Tuesday’s election.

“This is 100% untrue, and I’ve had zero conversations with the Mamdani campaign about it, nor do I plan to,” she said.

Still, some of Kavanagh’s former FDNY underlings are bracing for her comeback.

“This is 100% untrue, and I’ve had zero conversations with the Mamdani campaign about it, nor do I plan to,” Kavanagh said. REUTERS

“She could spread her poison to various agencies, not just ours,” said a senior FDNY staffer worried about Mamdani and Kavanagh joining forces.

“It’s a match made in hell,” the insider said. “She was a failure on her first go-around, and now we’d have to endure her damaging policies all over again.”

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According to several sources close to the FDNY, Kavanagh hopes to step into a greater role overseeing not only the FDNY, but the city Department of Correction, NYC Emergency Management, the Department of Probation, and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. 

“She wants this gig for validation,” said a top Democratic operative about the job now held by Kaz Daughtry. “She wants to be in the mix again.”

The Deputy Mayor of New York City for Public Safety is currently Kaz Daughtry. Kyle Mazza/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

“She’s all over the place right now – she’s making appearances, she’s making herself known,” the source added. “She’s showing Mamdani, you need me as the deputy mayor of public safety, and I will uphold your agenda.”

Kavanagh has been recently attending high-profile events and given interviews — some in which she critiqued Mayor Adams and Robert Tucker, who succeeded her in the top FDNY job.

On Wednesday she spoke at the 92nd Street Y’s first ever Women inPower Summit.

Kavanagh has been attending high-profile events and giving interviews. Gregory P. Mango

Last week, she spoke on a panel at Transportation Alternatives’s Vision Zero Cities conference, and called on the FDNY to take a larger role in promoting street safety.

Under Mayor Adams, Kavanagh said she was not empowered to work on street safety, Streetsblog NYC reported.

“Street safety was not a priority from the mayor’s office to us when I was there,” she said. “As someone who walks and takes the subway and cares about my streets, I have a lot of interest in things getting better.”

Two weeks ago, she faulted Tucker for moving 82 firefighter trainees into EMT jobs — blowing past hiring lists and leaving certified candidates in the dust, an EMS union alleged.

“I worry the commissioner was misled by a small group in the FDNY who never wanted these cadets to succeed,” she told NBCNewYork. “I know the commissioner believes in the goals of the initiative. For the sake of these cadets and the future of the FDNY, I hope he revisits the decision.”

Daughtry’s salary was $276,588 last fiscal year.

Additional reporting by Susan Edelman