New York City officials could be in line for substantial salary increases under legislation that has raised eyebrows across the city, particularly given the timing and the officials who stand to benefit most.
Councilwoman Nantasha Williams, a Democrat from Queens, has introduced a bill that would grant City Council members a 16 percent pay increase. The proposed legislation would boost council members’ annual salaries from $148,500 to $172,500.
The pay raise would not be limited to council members alone. The legislation would also apply to the incoming mayor, public advocate, comptroller and borough presidents.
All of these positions would see comparable salary increases under the proposed bill.
For Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, the raise would be particularly significant.
His salary would jump to nearly $300,000, up from the current mayoral salary of $258,000.
Other top officials, including the comptroller, public advocate, and borough presidents, would receive similar increases.
The timing of the legislation has drawn attention. Williams plans to introduce the bill this week, with a hearing scheduled before the end of the year. This timeline would allow the next City Council to vote on the measure in January, potentially speeding up the approval process.
The last time City Council members received a pay raise was in 2016. Since then, eight years have passed without any salary adjustments for council members.
The proposed pay hike has created an uncomfortable situation for Mamdani, who campaigned on a platform focused squarely on affordability for working-class New Yorkers.
The 34-year-old Ugandan-born politician made economic relief for ordinary citizens a cornerstone of his mayoral campaign.
During his campaign, Mamdani pledged to implement free buses throughout the city. He also promised rent freezes on rent-stabilized apartments and the establishment of universal childcare programs. Additionally, his platform included plans for city-run grocery stores.
Perhaps most notably, Mamdani campaigned on gradually increasing the minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030. This proposal was aimed at providing substantial financial relief to the city’s lowest-paid workers.
Mamdani stated that his proposed programs would be funded primarily through increased taxes on wealthy individuals and large corporations. This funding mechanism was central to his campaign’s economic message.
This is not Mamdani’s first experience with legislative pay raises. Fox News reported that as a state assembly member in 2022, he voted in favor of a pay raise for state legislators. That vote now provides context for the current situation surrounding the City Council pay hike.
The original timeline for the pay raise legislation had the bill going to Mayor Eric Adams’ desk. However, those plans were put on hold, and the new schedule has emerged instead.
Williams addressed the legislative strategy behind the bill’s timing. “If we have a hearing on the bill this year, we don’t need a hearing on it next year. It’s pre-considered,” she told the New York Post.
When asked directly whether the council would pass the pay hike bill in January, Williams stated, “That’s the goal.”
Sources familiar with the situation have indicated that the legislation places Mamdani in a difficult position. He will need to decide whether to veto the bill or approve legislation that one source described as “making New York more affordable for the political class.”
