New York City’s newly appointed City Council Speaker, Julie Menin, made a strong statement upon taking office by rejecting a plan proposed by left-wing council members to significantly increase their own salaries.
According to the New York Post, citing sources, Menin decisively blocked politicians advocating for a 16% pay raise for council members, which would have raised their salary to $172,500 using taxpayers’ money. Menin emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in the salary increment process.
The salary raise proposal, Bill No. 1493, was introduced by Council Member Nantasha Williams with the aim of raising council members’ annual salary from $148,500 to $172,500. Following Menin’s rejection of the proposal, Williams expressed her intention to amend the bill to ensure that the City Council cannot directly vote on their own pay raises. Instead, she urged the newly elected Mayor Mamdani to establish a committee to expedite the review of salary increment matters, aligning with New York City’s tradition.
In New York City, the issue of council members’ salary raises is determined by a committee. It is required every four years for the mayor to set up a three-member committee to make recommendations on the extent and specific amounts of salary increases.
Since the establishment of the first committee responsible for proposing salary raises for elected officials in 1987, the City Council has undergone 5 salary increments, with the most recent one occurring during the tenure of Mayor White in 2016.
At the end of 2015, there was a secret plan among council members to raise all members’ wages by 71%, from $112,500 to $192,000, surpassing even the then-governor’s salary and approaching the mayor’s salary. This proposal was eventually voted down.
In February of the following year, Mayor White signed a bill agreeing to a 32% increase. Therefore, the current salary for New York City council members is $148,500. This adjustment also raised the salaries of other municipal officeholders, with salaries for Borough Presidents at $179,000, Public Advocates at $184,800, and the Comptroller at $209,000 among others. The Mayor’s annual salary stands at $258,700. Mayor White stated that he would not accept a pay raise during his term.
Multiple sources confirm that this new bill will soon be submitted to the City Council, and Menin has already communicated directly with the Mayor regarding this proposal.