NYC Council Speaker Menin says commission must study if local politicians deserve raises
Local politicians who were hoping to secure a quick pay raise this year may be in for a rude awakening.
New City Council President Julie Menin said Wednesday that she does not intend to allow the immediate adoption of a bill that would increase the salaries of local elected officials, saying she wants a commission to study the issue before any increase.
The bill, whose introduction late last year was first reported by the Daily News, would give Council members, the mayor, public advocate, comptroller and other local elected leaders a 16 percent raise. Queens Councilwoman Nantasha Williams, the bill’s sponsor, secured a hearing on the issue in December in hopes of getting it to a vote earlier this month, arguing the move was long overdue because local officials haven’t gotten a raise in a decade.
But at a news conference shortly after being elected president Wednesday, Menin said it was not appropriate to grant raises before a commission could study the issue and make recommendations on salary levels that the Council could then vote on.
“That’s the way it’s always been done, through the committee, rather than through members voting on a bill that directly raises this issue,” Menin said.
Asked if that meant Williams’ measure was dead, Menin told The News, “We’re going to look at doing something through the commission, so that’s what we’re going to focus on.”
By law, a commission is supposed to be convened every four years to assess whether local politicians’ raises are justified. But former Mayor Bill de Blasio did not call one in 2020 due to the pandemic, and former Mayor Eric Adams, without explanation, also did not call one in 2024, prompting Williams and other bill supporters to push to move directly to a vote.
Williams did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.
At last month’s hearing on the bill, Brooklyn City Councilman Lincoln Restler suggested a commission was unnecessary, given the long period without an increase.
However, on Wednesday evening, Restler expressed support for Menin’s plan, saying he could “resolve this issue in a timely manner.”
“I think his approach is reasonable and would ensure that independent experts fairly determine the salaries of elected officials,” he said.
The timeline for a commission study was not immediately clear, but Menin said she made it known directly to Mayor Mamdani that she supported that approach.
A spokeswoman for Mamdani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Council members currently make about $148,000 a year, while the mayor makes about $258,000. The public defender makes about $184,000 and the comptroller makes about $210,000. Borough presidents, who also stand to be affected by any increase voted by the Council, earn about $180,000 a year.
Williams’ hope initially was to vote on her bill in late 2025 while Adrienne Adams was still Council President. But the Council abandoned that plan after it became clear that such a vote would violate rules prohibiting the adoption of pay raises for local politicians during the so-called lame duck period of an election year.
