FOMO in Albany
There is a serious case of pay FOMO spreading through the state Capitol. After the New York City Council voted to inflate their own salaries to $175,000, envious lawmakers in Albany are now eyeing a fat pay hike for themselves. The City Council move just toppled state legislators off their perch as the highest-paid lawmakers in the Empire State, and insiders say the state Assembly and Senate members are not happy about it.
One state Assembly member bluntly told The New York Post, “We’re not anymore, the City Council is.” It is a classic case of keeping up with the Joneses, except the Joneses are city politicians who just gave themselves a massive raise while regular New Yorkers are still struggling to pay rent.
The Domino Effect
State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has already hinted he would support raising lawmakers’ pay. He told Politico last week, “I don’t know if there’s enough money that could pay for the sacrifices that legislators make.” He added that since legislators are away from their families for six months of the year, he is always supportive of members getting paid.
This could set up a domino effect in Albany. Lawmakers last gave themselves a bump during a special session in December 2022, which Governor Kathy Hochul approved. The legislature would have to come back for another winter special session to approve potential hikes for the next session. Heastie said that prospect isn’t yet on the radar, but he left the door wide open for state lawmakers to repeat their 2022 antics.
The Take: Self-Serving Politics
This is exactly the kind of self-serving behavior that makes New Yorkers sick of their government. First, the City Council raises their pay to $175,000, and now the state legislators want to catch up. It is a race to the bottom for the public trust. When the people in charge are more concerned with their own wallets than the wallets of the people they represent, something is deeply wrong with our system.
Speaker Heastie talks about “sacrifices,” but we all know the real sacrifice is being made by the working class. While legislators debate their own paychecks, small businesses are closing, and families are worried about putting food on the table. It is hard to feel sympathy for a politician who wants more money when they are already making more than enough to live like kings.
We saw this same attitude with City Council Speaker Julie Menin and the horse carriage ban. A union ripped her as a traitor in a new attack ad, claiming she is destroying 200 jobs while she frolics in a $22 million mansion. Whether you love or hate the carriages, the pattern is the same. Politicians make decisions that benefit their allies or their own status, while the workers who actually keep the city running get crushed.
What New Yorkers Should Watch
Keep your eyes on Albany this winter. If the City Council’s raise sets a precedent, expect a special session to be called just so state lawmakers can get their own bump. It is a betrayal of the public trust, plain and simple. New Yorkers should demand that their leaders stop looking at their paychecks and start looking at their balance sheets.
This is opinion and commentary from the RapForMayor team.
