N.Y.C. Mayor Zohran Mamdani Declines 18% Pay Raise After City Council Approves Massive New Salary

Kyler AlvordFri, July 17, 2026 at 5:49 PM UTC

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Then-N.Y.C. mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani at a campaign event in June 2025Credit: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is refusing to accept a hefty pay hike as he continues looking for ways to cut back on excessive government spending.

On Thursday, July 16, the New York City Council voted to raise their own salaries, as well as the mayor’s salary and those of other top elected officials. The plan was overwhelmingly approved in a 42-6 vote, with moderate Democratic Council Speaker Julie Menin abstaining.

The legislation provided a modest boost to councilmembers’ annual income — from $164,500 to $175,500 — and a sizable 18% increase for the mayor. If welcomed, Mamdani’s salary would rise from $258,750 to $305,800, a difference that’s greater than the average income in the Bronx.

Despite his demanding job overseeing a city with a larger population than 39 U.S. states, the democratic socialist mayor was quick to reject the idea that upping his salary would have a positive impact on New Yorkers.

“I will not accept a pay raise,” Mamdani, 34, confirmed at a news conference on Thursday, laughing, “I haven’t knocked on anyone’s door in New York City, and they’ve said that their concern is that the mayor makes too little.”

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Elected officials nationwide have a hard time securing pay raises given the poor optics that come with voting for your own salary increase. Lawmakers at all levels of government are known to go many years, sometimes even decades, without a pay bump — and when they’re approved, they rarely account for the full amount they could be making if salaries were properly adjusted for inflation.

New York City is not exempt from that dilemma. The last pay hike for N.Y.C. officials came in 2016 and costs have risen more than 30% since then, which served as justification for the city council to move forward with a salary adjustment.

But while Mamdani has a massive constituency and oversees a budget that exceeds most states, he already makes more than all 50 United States governors, according to data compiled by Business Insider. More importantly, welcoming an additional $47,000 of income per year would undermine his aggressive focus on eliminating government waste and investing in programs that he hopes can directly benefit cash-strapped New Yorkers.

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On the same day that Mamdani confirmed his intent to decline the new salary offer, he had his attention squared on unveiling a new set of policy proposals to build on his affordable housing agenda, specifically sharing how he aims to strengthen oversight of “deceptive” landlords and bolster tenant rights.

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Source: “AOL Breaking”