NYC Councilors Vote for Pay Increase
New York City councilors, many of whom have few significant jobs outside of politics, recently decided to approve a pay raise that surpasses the salaries of U.S. senators and most governors.
The proposed 18.2% increase would elevate their salaries to $175,000, which is significantly higher than what most of them likely earned before entering office.
A quadrennial advisory committee, which suggested these large raises, serves as a convenient excuse for councilors to claim they are merely following recommendations from a group of insiders. In reality, they are actively endorsing their own pay increases.
The committee pointed out that the city “last enacted a pay increase for elected officials in 2016,” noting that “the cost of living has skyrocketed.” However, it’s worth mentioning that current council members weren’t in office back in 2016 and sought their positions after that. So, quite a few of them have seen their incomes rise considerably since then.
Looking at this candidly, approximately 40% of today’s council members have primarily worked as staffers for local or state politicians. This trend seems to foster what appears to be a permanent career in political circles.
Interestingly, this role was once deemed part-time until certain reformers decided to ban outside income to “professionalize” the council.
This move seems to aim at pushing out private sector professionals, effectively ensuring that government roles are reserved for career politicians.
These council members have been so entrenched in local government that they seem to have lost touch with reality.
For instance, City Councilman Ty Hankerson (D-Jamaica), who previously served as an aide to his predecessor, has stated that his current salary of $148,500 is inadequate due to his financial obligations, making homeownership feel “impossible.” Yet, the median household income in his district is just $71,000. One can only imagine the frustration of his constituents, who actually have traditional jobs.
Perhaps he should consider starting a Go Fund Me for his car expenses.
To add insult to injury, the pay hikes will be retroactive to January, meaning each council member will receive a check of $10,000 to $15,000 to make up for their supposedly low compensation.
According to the city charter, council members technically are not allowed to grant themselves raises that take effect until the next term, and voters should have a say in whether their representatives deserve these increases.
It’s frustrating enough that the council seems filled with unqualified members. The idea that they could simply increase their own salaries is just plain wrong.
