The Brooklyn delegation in the City Council are poised to join their citywide colleagues tomorrow and vote to bump their six-figure base pay 32% from its current $112,500 a year to $148,500.
The raise is above the Quadrennial Advisory Committee’s recommendation of a 23 percent hike to $138,315. It is also retroactive from Jan 1, unlike City workers who recently saw their minimum wage raised to $15 an hour, but will have to wait unto the end of 2018 to get that amount of money.
Mayor de Blasio convened the commission to look at raises as council members have not seen a raise since 2006.
The raise does come with some reforms. This includes the job now being officially full-time and severely limiting council members ability to earn outside income. It also eliminates stipends, or “lulus” which increase the salaries for committee chairs by anywhere from $6,000 to $25,000 for the role of speaker.
“If you want a well-governed city, the package of good-government reforms and pay increases we are voting on this week is the right way to go,” wrote Park Slope City Council Member Brad Lander in an op-ed with Bronx City Council Member Ritchie Torres.
Lander noted Los Angeles city council, which has 15 members, have a salary that exceeds 180,000 dollars.
“The City Council’s reform adopts the recommendations of good-government groups and all of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s comprehensive reform package. It would serve as a very strong model for Albany to follow,” wrote Lander.
The Council’s bill also bumps the mayor’s salary to $258,750 from its current $225,000 a year; the five district attorneys will see their salary hike go to $212,800 from its current $190,000; the comptroller’s new salary will be $209,050 from $185,000; the public advocate will see a increase to $184,800 up from $165,000; and the borough presidents would see an increase to $179,200, up from $160,000.
Other Brooklyn council members, including Robert Cornegy (Bedford Stuyvesant, Northern Crown Heights) and Mark Treyger (Coney Island), declined to comment or provide information on their position on the reform package.
Flatlands City Council Member Jumaane praised the raise and the reform measures.
“It’s a good reform package that will restore confidence in government,” said Williams, adding he thinks this is also the consensus of the Brooklyn delegation. “I think most of us are on board, but there might be a few outliers.”
