New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced that he will reject an 18.2% salary increase approved by the City Council, saying he cannot justify taking home a larger paycheck while many New Yorkers continue to grapple with the rising cost of living.
The decision comes after the City Council voted overwhelmingly to approve the first significant salary increase for the city’s elected officials in a decade. Although Mamdani intends to sign the legislation into law, he has made it clear that he will personally forgo the raise.
If accepted, the increase would lift the mayor’s annual salary from $258,750 to $305,800, adding more than $47,000 to his yearly earnings.
Speaking during a news conference, Mamdani said the issue of the mayor’s salary had never emerged as a concern among the people he met during his campaign.
“I will not accept a pay raise. I haven’t knocked on anyone’s door in New York City and they’ve said their concern is that the mayor makes too little.”
Instead, the mayor argued that city resources should prioritise residents struggling with the high cost of living rather than increasing compensation for elected leaders.
He added that he would rather see public funds directed toward “those who are struggling in the city.”
Mamdani’s remarks position him against benefiting personally from legislation that he nevertheless supports as a broader measure for public officials whose salaries have remained unchanged since 2016.
The New York City Council approved the salary package on July 16, 2026, passing the legislation in a 42-6 veto-proof vote.
The measure represents the first substantial pay increase for elected city officials in ten years and affects several public offices beyond the mayor’s.
Under the legislation:
- The mayor’s salary increases from $258,750 to $305,800.
- City Council members’ salaries rise from $148,500 to $175,500.
- The City Council Speaker’s annual salary increases from $164,500 to $194,400.
- Borough presidents, district attorneys, the public advocate and the city comptroller will also receive 18.2% salary increases.
The raises are scheduled to take effect 45 days after the legislation becomes law and will be applied retroactively to the beginning of the calendar year.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin, whose salary would also increase under the legislation, has similarly announced that she will not personally accept the higher pay.
While the legislation increases compensation for elected officials across the city, individual officeholders remain free to decline the additional income through separate arrangements.
The salary adjustments follow recommendations from the city’s Quadrennial Advisory Commission, an independent body tasked with reviewing compensation for elected officials every four years.
The commission concluded that city leaders had gone a decade without a salary review while inflation in the New York metropolitan area had climbed by roughly 30% over the same period.
According to the commission, stagnant salaries risk making public service less attractive to qualified candidates and no longer reflect the responsibilities carried by elected officials overseeing one of the world’s largest cities.
Supporters of the legislation argue that regular salary reviews are necessary to ensure compensation keeps pace with inflation and remains competitive with comparable leadership roles.
Mamdani’s decision comes at a politically sensitive moment.
As New York City’s newly elected mayor, he is preparing for complex labour negotiations involving approximately 300,000 municipal employees, many of whom are expected to seek improved wages and benefits.
At the same time, his administration faces the challenge of managing multi-billion-dollar budget deficits while balancing demands for increased investment in housing, public safety, education and social services.
Against that backdrop, accepting a personal pay increase could have exposed the mayor to criticism as many New Yorkers continue to face affordability challenges driven by high housing costs, inflation and rising living expenses.
Although the mayor has publicly refused the salary hike, the legislation itself reportedly does not include a formal mechanism allowing elected officials to opt out of the increase.
As a result, Mamdani is expected to either amend his payroll arrangements or donate the additional income to ensure he does not personally benefit from the higher salary.
The move allows the mayor to demonstrate fiscal restraint while maintaining support for legislation designed to modernise compensation for elected officials across city government.
The legislation is still expected to become law, allowing the salary increases for other elected officials to take effect unless they individually choose to decline them.
Despite presiding over one of the most powerful municipal governments in the United States, he says the focus should remain on improving the lives of ordinary New Yorkers—not increasing the mayor’s pay cheque.