Less than a month after democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani shocked the political world by winning the New York City mayoral election on a platform of “tax the rich” and making life more affordable for working people, the City Council is quietly preparing to give top elected officials – including the new mayor – a substantial salary increase.
A bill introduced this week by Councilwoman Nantasha Williams (D-Queens) would boost City Council members’ pay by 16%, from $148,500 to $172,500 a year. If passed, the same raise would apply to the mayor, public advocate, comptroller, and borough presidents.
For Mayor-elect Mamdani, that means his salary would jump from the current $258,000 to almost $300,000 when he takes office in January.
The timing is deliberate. By introducing the bill and holding a public hearing before the end of 2025, the current Council can set the stage for the newly seated Council (which takes office in January) to vote on the raises immediately – without needing another hearing. Council members last received a pay increase in 2016.
Williams told the New York Post that passing the bill in January is “the goal.”
The proposal has already sparked criticism, especially given Mamdani’s campaign promises. The 34-year-old Uganda-born Assemblyman ran on free city buses, rent freezes for stabilized apartments, universal childcare, city-owned grocery stores, and gradually raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030. He repeatedly said those initiatives would be paid for by higher taxes on wealthy individuals and big corporations.
Critics point out the irony: just weeks after asking New Yorkers to pay more in taxes, the incoming mayor could sign – or feel pressure to accept – a law that makes top city officials significantly richer.
One anonymous source quoted by the Post called it a choice for Mamdani between vetoing the raise or “making New York more affordable for the political class.”
Mamdani has not yet commented publicly on the bill. During his time in the State Assembly in 2022, however, he did vote in favor of a pay raise for state lawmakers.
The City Council is expected to vote on the measure shortly after the new members – and the new mayor – are sworn in next year.