New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Thursday, 16 July, that he will refuse an 18% pay rise approved hours earlier by the New York City Council, insisting that 'no one' in the city believes the mayor is underpaid.
The council had just voted to lift salaries for themselves, the mayor and other top officials for the first time since 2016, arguing that inflation and rising living costs had made a review unavoidable. The package passed in a 42–6 vote, according to the council's tally, with moderate Democratic Speaker Julie Menin choosing to abstain.
