New York City’s incoming leadership may be talking about affordability, but the first people to feel the impact could be the politicians themselves.
According to the New York Post, City Council members are preparing to push through a significant pay raise in early January, an increase of roughly 16% for elected officials across the city, including the mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and borough presidents.
Councilwoman Nantasha Williams, a Queens Democrat, confirmed that she plans to introduce the pay-raise bill on Tuesday. Her goal is to hold a hearing before the end of the year so the newly seated council can vote quickly once 2025 begins.
The move would take council members’ salaries from $148,500 to $172,500 — the first raise since 2016.
Originally, the legislation was expected to land on Mayor Eric Adams’ desk before he leaves office. But that plan was pulled earlier this week, reshuffling the timing and placing the issue squarely in the lap of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Under the proposal, Mamdani’s own salary would jump from $258,000 to nearly $300,000. The comptroller, currently paid $210,000, would receive a similar 16% increase. The public advocate’s salary would rise from $184,000, and borough presidents — now earning $180,000 — would also see their pay boosted.
Williams said the strategy is intentional.
“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 Post. When asked whether the council plans to approve the raises in January, she replied, “That’s the goal.”
However, the City Charter blocks the council from voting on pay raises between Election Day and the end of the calendar year, making the hearing timeline essential for procedural reasons.
While the legislation benefits most of the city’s elected officials, it also creates an immediate political dilemma for Mamdani. A source familiar with the effort said the incoming mayor will be forced to choose between vetoing the bill or signing off on a measure that critics say makes New York “more affordable for the political class” — even as residents continue to struggle with soaring costs.
The fight over pay raises now threatens to become one of the first major tests of Mamdani’s leadership as he prepares to take office.
