5 Comments
Jul 1, 2023Liked by Sebastian Hallum Clarke

Good post! Just sent this email to Lincoln Restler's office:

District 33 Office,

Hi! I'm Zachary, a Williamsburg resident in District 33. I want to voice support and recommend Mayor Adams should follow the law and appoint a commission to review elected officials’ salaries and propose appropriate inflation adjustments. City law [1] requires that every four years the mayor appoint a compensation review commission.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, having pay at the very least match inflation helps make sure our very best are represented in local government and races are more competitive. Let's apply some pressure here!

[1] https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCadmin/0-0-0-222983

Cheers,

ZT

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author

Thanks for letting your council member know about this important issue. At a minimum, I hope we'll be able to make sure the Mayor appoints the commission in January 2024 (which is the next time it is required by law).

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Bill deBlasio was mayor in 2020, not Bloomberg. Otherwise, an insightful and well-argued article.

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Whoops! You are 100% correct. I just got my Bill and Bloomberg muddled together. Now fixed in the post. Thanks for reading!

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deletedOct 25, 2023Liked by Sebastian Hallum Clarke
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Interesting idea! You are right that “compensation” can come in many forms, and that housing stipends might be more politically acceptable than cash.

The mayor, for instance, gets to live rent-free at Gracie Mansion (which also serves as a space for hosting events and somewhat eases the task for the NYPD of providing security for the mayor).

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