Plan A for a stealth Metropolis Council “increase our personal pay” gambit failed, because of the clear language of the Metropolis Constitution — so it’s on to Plan B, which has the added “benefit” of sandbagging the brand new mayor in his first week in workplace.
Councilwoman Nantasha Williams (D-Queens) needed the council to vote itself a 16% wage improve this week, to take impact in January — and had 30 co-sponsors lined up, a stable majority on the 51-member council.
Too dangerous town structure outright bans the council voting itself extra earnings “between the final election day and the thirty first day of December” in any yr the place its members are all up for election.
Her fallback: Have council committees clear the laws now, so the total physique can rush it by way of come January, and so pressure then-Mayor Zohran Mamdani to both signal it or begin his time period at conflict with town’s legislature.
The plan is to spice up members’ pay from an already-absurd $148,500 to a princely $172,500; it will additionally hike pay for the mayor, metropolis comptroller, public advocate and 5 borough presidents the same 16%.
Perhaps Williams hopes that may entice Mamdani to go alongside?
Then once more, his voters most likely didn’t elect him so he may make town extra “reasonably priced” for the politicians who run it.
Council members gripe that their pay hasn’t been raised since 2016, as Mayors Invoice de Blasio and Eric Adams each ignored the legislation that orders the mayor to name a Quadrennial Fee on Compensation Ranges to take into account pay hikes each 4 years.
But that 2016 hike was obscene: up $36,000 (from $112,500), because the council upped what the fee had beneficial by 10 grand.
Frankly, we doubt most council members may discover one other job that pays them as a lot as the present $148k, not to mention $36,000 above that; in any other case, they’d be in these jobs.
Potential excellent news: Even Plan B might fail.
The Metropolis Constitution additionally prohibits the adoption of native legal guidelines “inconsistent with the provisions” of town’s governing legal guidelines, which sounds prefer it precludes council motion besides in response to Quadrennial Fee suggestions — which might imply no hike earlier than 2030.
Proper after he takes the oath of workplace, the brand new mayor ought to cite his fealty to the letter and spirit of the Constitution and vow to veto the pay hike: It’s the honorable response to Williams’ bid to blackmail him earlier than he may even transfer into Gracie Mansion.
