NYC Council moves bill to raise salaries as Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The New York City Council is considering a bill that would dramatically raise salaries for top city officials, including Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. If passed, the pay increase would apply to council members, the mayor, the comptroller, borough presidents, and other high-ranking officials.

It is notable that council members have not received a raise in nearly a decade; the last increase dates back to 2016.

Mira Nair, Zohran Mamdani, Rama Duwaji and Mahmood Mamdani celebrate on stage during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough in New York City (Michael M Santiago/Getty Images) 

NYC Council moves to boost salaries for top officials

The bill, introduced by Nantasha Williams, would raise the annual salary of City Council members from $148,500 to $172,500, according to reports by the New York Post.

Under the legislation, Zohran Mamdani’s salary would rise from the current $258,000 to nearly $300,000. Comparable increases would apply to other top New York City officials. The legislation is expected to be introduced this week, with a hearing scheduled by the end of the year. The plan is for the new City Council to vote on the bill in January, potentially allowing for swift approval.

The original plan had been to hold a quick vote this month, before Mamdani took office. Council members scrapped that idea after realizing that city law forbids approving pay raises during the post-election lame-duck period.

The rushed and disorganized effort to push the pay increase drew attention from insiders, who speculated that the City Council was either attempting to bypass the incoming mayor or shield him from making an awkward early decision.

Pay-raise proposal puts Zohran Mamdani in political bind

Kalman Yeger, a Democratic state Assemblyman and former council member, said, “The only thing is I think they are worried that the mayor-elect won’t do it. They are afraid if they pass it in January and he’d have to veto.”

He added, “How does the mayor-elect justify it, saying the working man can’t afford milk? He can’t sign off to give them a $20,000 raise.”

Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor is built on a platform focused on affordability for working-class New Yorkers.

During his campaign, Mamdani pledged policies such as free buses, rent freezes on rent-stabilized apartments, universal childcare, and city-run grocery stores. He also proposed gradually raising the minimum wage to $30 an hour by 2030, funded primarily through increased taxes on wealthy individuals and large corporations.

Given these campaign promises, the new pay-raise legislation puts Mamdani in what some sources describe as a political bind.

The incoming mayor must decide whether to approve a raise that could be viewed as contradicting his affordability message, or veto it and risk alienating allies in the City Council.

As Nantasha Williams told the Post, “If we have a hearing on the bill this year, we don’t need a hearing on it next year. It’s pre-considered.”

Many City Council members, who have not received a pay increase in years, likely view the raise as overdue, especially given inflation and rising cost-of-living pressures.