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City Council Pay Raises
August 22nd, 2006

The Daily News opposes Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s request for a 25 percent pay raise, or $22,500. This would be added to their current salary of $90,000 (plus lulus/bonuses that range from an additional $4,000 to an additional $28,500 a year.) “A raise should be kept in line with the rate of inflation since the majority of the members were elected. It should be tied to eliminating bonuses. And sitting Council members should be barred from voting themselves pay hikes, just as happens in Congress and the state Legislature, where legislators can hike the pay only of people elected to a future term. That means delaying Council raises until the start of the next term, following the next election, in 2010.”

By Jonathan Mandell on August 22, 2006, 10:04 am
In category: Electoral Politics, Governing, Public Finance | 4 Comments »

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4 Responses to “City Council Pay Raises”

  1. Glenn Says:
    August 22nd, 2006 at 12:11 pm

    Can City Councilmembers have outside jobs in addition to their elected position? If so, I would support a 50% pay raise if they would focus on their job in the Council full time and not have any other financial interests in law firms, consulting, etc.

  2. Haile Rivera Says:
    September 6th, 2006 at 10:43 am

    I totally disagree with hiking the salaries of City Councilmembers at this time. This is a position that each of them knew beforehand what it entails (including the salary). I would only entertain this proposal if it is MANDATED that they attend at least 50% of Community Board meetings in their respective district, have evening and weekend hours for the constituents and have at least one community forum per month where they MUST be present.
    Many times what takes place is that the Councilmember becomes so involved in Committee meetings in City Hall that they (with time) forget who elecetd them and are distant from the people. This is something that ALL Councilmembers need to sit back and reflect on!

  3. The Boston Real Estate Blog - all about Boston condos and the Boston real estate market by a Boston real estate broker : Blog Archive : It’s a bad thing when people use other people to serve their own goals Says:
    October 6th, 2006 at 12:46 am

    [...] A city councilor’s current salary is $90,000 (plus bonuses that range from an additional $4,000 to an additional $28,500 a year.) Plus, the city council has just proposed a 25%, $22,500 payraise for themselves. [...]

  4. Maurice Michaane Says:
    November 10th, 2006 at 11:58 am

    I vehemently disagree with such action, such a large pay increase, think it a waste of tax-payer funds, and find it an arrogant use of power to enact a self-pay raise for the City Council without being check by the voters of NYC.

    Our City, as well as the Nation, have many large issues of consequence to deal with, from health care coverage to funding education and yet I find it deeply troubling that the City Council would have the audacity to vote themselves a pay raise that will cost the taxpayers of this City about $1.2million a year (not including inflation). The City has bigger problems do deal with than paying its legislators more money.

    It is embarrassing that the city just capped a teachers salary at a maximum of $100,049, yet the City Council, led by political boss Quinn, feels they deserve to be paid $113k a year – more than our teachers who help educate our future!

    I am a hard working citizen of this City, State and Country, and I pay my taxes with the thought it will help provide good services to my community, not to serve as a pay increase for full time politicians. Now I understand, City Council members deserve fair pay, but it is ridiculous to pay our public servants on the Council over a $100K each, when the Mayor himself doesn’t accept his salary. The Council should take a page from the Mayor’s book, and see public service as a service, not as a means to make a nice living.

    I struggle to pay my student loans, rent, and living expenses. If the City Council wants a pay increase, they should have the backbone to be open about it, not hold one meeting about it, and let the voters of the City decide on it in a referendum. You might state, the Council hasn’t received a pay increase in years, to that I say, if it is money the Council members are interested in making, find another line of work–PUBLIC Service is about service without greed, and an over $100k salary smells of greed to me.

    Another item which I take deep issue with, is the manner in which the public hearing for this pay-increase bill was publicized. Apparently it was posted on the NYC Council Website and notice sent to local media — an average vote would not have been made aware of this hearing, and the fact that a legislative pay increase was being debated should have been widely publicized to the public. I believe the only fair way to continue on with this bill, at the very least, would be to hold another public hearing on the bill.

    I strongly urge the City Council to put any pay increase to a vote of the City voters and let us decide such issues for any other way would be akin to having a “Thief at a Cash Register”.

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