In two days, the special committee tasked with setting salaries for state lawmakers will hold its final meeting about whether to boost the $79,500 legislative salaries while banning outside income and corrupting extra payments called lulus.
Outrageously, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie asked for the pay hike without promising any reforms. This, after both previous state legislative leaders saw their careers brought down by scandals related to outside activities.
Everything comes down to the panel composed of state Controller Tom DiNapoli, city Controller Scott Stringer and former state and city Controllers Carl McCall and Bill Thompson. Are they men or mice?
The quartet must stand on principle: No raises without reform. The law establishing the committee gives them a way to do it.
The four should set a small pay bump to commence on Jan. 1 while concurrently banning lulus, specifically referenced in their charter as “allowances pursuant to section 5-a of the legislative law.”
Phase 2 of the raise, bringing salaries toward the lulu-less and outside-income-less City Council level of $148,500, would come on Jan. 1, 2020 — but only if outside income has been banned by then.
Call them — especially Stringer and DiNapoli, the two current elected officials — to make your voice known. The city controller’s office is (212) 669-3500. The state controller’s office is (518) 474-4044.
