It’s unusual for us to publish editorials on the same subject for five days straight. But starting to clean up the corrupt state Legislature by changing how members are paid is that important.
So today we offer the highest praise to a quartet of men who rose to the moment: State Controller Tom DiNapoli, city Controller Scott Stringer and former state and city Controllers Carl McCall and Bill Thompson, members of a special panel empowered to raise legislators’ pay, voted unanimously for reform.
The $79,500 salary, frozen for 20 years, will rise on Jan. 1 to $110,000, in exchange for a ban on cash lulus paid to favored members. Lulus will remain only for three leaders in each chamber, just like in Congress.
A year later, pay will climb to $120,000 and now-unlimited outside income, one of the most corrupting features of New York state politics, will be capped at 15% of salary ($18,000), with money from certain work, like representing law clients, forbidden. Again, just like Congress.
In creating a committee stacked with familiar faces, the insiders — Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and new Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins — thought they had greased a big pay raise with no reform. For once, the insiders lost. The people won, with a big assist from Gov. Cuomo.
Now that pay has been settled, Heastie and Stewart-Cousins must give all members equal staff budgets. Have real committee hearings. Let bills with majority sponsorship move to the floor.
You know, govern for real. Finally.
