NYC Council continues push for pay raises amid lack of responses from Mamdani and Menin.

The New York City Council is advancing a proposed bill aimed at increasing the salaries of local elected officials, with a public hearing scheduled for December 16. Despite the momentum behind the legislation, key figures involved in its potential implementation, including Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and incoming Council Speaker Julie Menin, have yet to publicly express their support or opposition.

The bill, introduced by Councilwoman Nantasha Williams from Queens, seeks to provide substantial raises to various city officials, including Council members, the mayor, the comptroller, the public advocate, as well as borough presidents and district attorneys. Advocates argue that these officials have not received salary adjustments since 2016, suggesting that increases are long overdue.

While the Council initially intended to vote on the bill by the end of 2025, concerns regarding the timing led to a delay. The Council discovered that a City Charter rule prohibits any raises being enacted during the lame-duck period of an election year, prompting a postponement of the vote until at least January. Legislative records confirm the scheduled hearing in the Governmental Operations Committee, marking a significant step for the proposed raises.

Any potential approval of the bill will be complicated by the transition into a new legislative session, meaning Williams will need to reintroduce the bill in 2026. Wishing to streamline the process, Williams hopes to advance it through a pre-considered resolution, allowing faster movement towards a vote.

Despite Menin securing her position as the likely next Council Speaker, she has refrained from attaching her name to the bill. Her election must be ratified by a vote from the Council’s 51 members in January, but her endorsement of the pay raises remains uncertain. Sources indicate that while Menin is generally supportive of salary increases, she harbors concerns about advancing the legislation during the current lame-duck period. Additionally, she favors establishing a commission to evaluate appropriate salary levels before any official action is undertaken.

For the bill to become law, it requires approval from the mayor, who holds veto power. Mamdani, set to be sworn in as mayor on January 1, has not articulated his stance on the proposed raises amid his campaign promises of improving the city’s affordability. His decision may create political tensions; opposing the raise could alienate Council members, while supporting it may provoke public disapproval.

The salary adjustments proposed under this legislation include an increase for the mayor’s annual salary to 0,500 from the current 8,000; the speaker’s pay would rise to 1,000 from 4,000; and other Council members would see their salaries increased to 2,500 from 8,000.

Complicating matters further, existing regulations mandate that the mayor establish a commission every four years to assess the need for such raises, but both former Mayor Bill de Blasio and outgoing Mayor Eric Adams failed to convene such panels in the last cycles. Advocates for transparency and accountability have criticized the Council’s approach. Grace Rauh, the executive director of Citizens Union, expressed concern that bypassing the commission would undermine proper legislative processes, suggesting that the next Council should proactively empower the speaker to convene necessary commissions and act on their recommendations.

As discussions continue, the implications of these proposed salary increases will be closely monitored by city officials and residents alike, with outcomes potentially impacting the political landscape of New York City.