The New York City Council’s efforts to push through a pay raise for themselves is facing backlash from good government groups, who criticized the legislation as “flawed” at a hearing on the bill on Tuesday.
The bill, which would give councilmembers and other elected officials a 16% raise, was introduced by Councilmember Nantasha Williams in November with the aim to fast-track it by getting aspects of the legislative process out of the way so it could be re-introduced as a pre-considered motion in the new year.
But good government watchdogs warned against moving forward in “an 11th hour manner” and said the optics of the councilmembers handing themselves a pay bump were troubling.
“The approach that you all are considering undermines public trust and creates a troubling precedent,” Grace Rauh, executive director of Citizens Union, told the Council’s Governmental Operations Committee on Tuesday.
New York City elected officials last got a raise in 2016. In addition to city council members, the 16% pay bump would include the mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough presidents and district attorneys.
Rauh urged the Council to either call on Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to convene a commission to look at raising pay or to establish a new law giving other elected officials the power to do so. The bill would grant the pay raise before a commission was brought together.
“It doesn’t look right for the City Council to be acting in its own self interest,” Rauh said. “We’re also at a period where democratic norms have been eroded nationally and in Washington, and so we’re quite concerned about declining trust in government.”
Incoming Council Speaker Julie Menin, who’s not a sponsor of the bill, has likewise expressed hesitancy about the legislation.
“I believe the Commission is the best pathway forward and the current bill involves convening the Commission but I look forward to working with my colleagues on this issue,” Menin said Tuesday. “We can review this matter expeditiously in the next session.”
Williams told the Daily News she’s spoken with Menin about the legislation and potential changes in approach, but that she wanted to ensure elected officials get a pay raise as soon as possible.
“I’m currently having conversations about many different options, I think it’s possible,” Williams said of the possibility of re-introducing the bills with a commission component. “I think it takes partnership with colleagues and the incoming speaker.”
Lincoln Restler, chair of the committee, rebuffed the idea that a commission was necessary during the hearing: “We don’t need an in-depth study and a 170 page report to understand basic facts,” Restler said of the need for pay raises, noting higher pay could help attract a more diverse council body.
