NYC commission recommends 18.2% pay raise for Mamdani, City Council, and other electeds

A New York City commission has recommended an 18.2 percent salary increase for the city's top elected officials, paving the way for the City Council to vote later this year on raises that would push communist Mayor Zohran Mamdani's annual pay above $300,000.

The recommendation comes from the city's three-member Quadrennial Advisory Commission, which quietly released its findings on June's primary day after reviewing compensation for municipal officeholders for the first time in roughly a decade. If approved, the mayor's salary would rise from $258,750 to $305,800. Although the proposal would apply to him, Mamdani has previously stated that he will not accept a pay increase during his first term.

City Council members would see their salaries increase from $148,500 to $175,500, while Council Speaker Julie Menin would receive $194,400, up from the current $164,500. Menin has likewise indicated she does not intend to accept the additional compensation.

The commission was made up of former New York City Economic Development Corporation President Carl Weisbrod, former Deputy Mayor Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, and economist Larian Angelo. The City Charter calls for the panel to convene every four years to evaluate whether elected officials' salaries should be adjusted, but no commission was assembled during the final terms of either former Mayor Bill de Blasio or former Mayor Eric Adams. The proposal now heads toward the City Council, where leaders have signaled action could come in the coming months.

"The speaker has briefed council members on the commission's recommendations and is currently determining next steps," Henry Robins, a spokesperson for the speaker's office, said in a statement to City and State NY. "The Council expects to take up the issue with a vote later this summer."

The recommended increase exceeds the 16 percent raise that the City Council considered near the end of Adams' administration before abandoning the effort after discovering city law prohibited lawmakers from approving salary increases during the post-election lame-duck period.

According to the commission, the proposed raises are intended to account for inflation, which the report says climbed approximately 31 percent between 2016 and 2025 while elected officials' salaries remained unchanged. The panel also urged lawmakers to prevent future compensation from falling behind by adopting an automatic adjustment mechanism. Under its proposal, salaries would increase annually by either 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower, if the commission is not convened every four years as required by the City Charter. The report states the change would "prevent further erosion of salaries' purchasing power if inflation continues."

The recommendations extend beyond City Hall. Under the proposal, Comptroller Mark Levine's salary would increase from $209,050 to $247,100. Borough presidents would see their salaries rise from $179,200 to $211,800, while Public Advocate Jumaane Williams would receive $218,400, up from $184,800.

If the City Council approves the recommendations later this summer, the raises would mark the first salary increase for New York City's elected officials since 2016.