(The Center Square) — The Democrat-controlled New York City Council may give its members, and incoming Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a double-digit pay raise to ring in the new year.
A proposal filed this week by Councilwoman Nantasha Williams, a Queens Democrat, would boost council members’ annual pay by 16% from $148,500 to $172,500, the New York Post reported.
The measure, which is backed by more than 30 councilors, was introduced Tuesday and could come up for a public hearing before the end of the year, with the goal of putting it on Mamdani’s desk for his signature shortly after he’s sworn in to office on Jan. 1, the lawmaker told the news outlet.
If approved, the proposed pay hike would also apply to the new mayor, public advocate, comptroller and borough presidents. It would raise Mamdani’s pay to nearly $350,000 from the current $258,000 with benefits.
Council members haven’t had a raise since 2016, when their pay increased by more than $30,000 per year. They are among the highest-paid city councilors in major U.S. cities, dwarfed only by Los Angeles and Chicago, according to published data.
The bill, if approved, would increase the 50-member council’s salary budget from $7.5 million to $8.8 million.
However, the proposal could also be problematic for the incoming Democratic Socialist mayor, who ran on a platform of improving affordability for average New Yorkers. Mamdani would be required to sign the bill — and face criticism from voters — or veto it, creating early friction with councilors whose votes he’ll need to advance his legislative agenda.
On the campaign trail, Mamdani vowed to eliminate fares to ride New York City’s public bus system, use taxpayer money to fully subsidize tuition at the City University of New York, and freeze rents in municipal housing. He has also called for taxing the state’s top earners and raising New York City’s minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030. Those controversial plans will require state and local approval.
The New York Daily News reported that Williams had planned to put the pay raise bill up for a December vote. Still, it was quashed after officials pointed out the city’s charter prohibits decisions on raises during the “lame duck” period between Election Day and the New Year.
Backers of the plan also expressed concern that outgoing Democratic Mayor Eric Adams — who has feuded with the council over the past year — would veto the pay raise plan all the way out the door.
