“I’ve heard there are talks about another pay raise for legislators. It’s preposterous that in a moment when New Yorkers can’t afford a Christmas tree – let alone gifts to put under it – some legislators can only think of themselves. Santa should bring all of them a lump of coal.Â
My predecessor in the Assembly voted to give herself and Albany politicians a pay raise at the expense of the taxpayers of the State of New York. Northern New Yorkers remembered that in November of 2018 and it’s part of the reason I’m here.
The average family in the 49th Senate District is living with less than $60,000 a year in household income. Between 1984 and 2021, the median income of New Yorkers increased by approximately 33 percent. Compare that to the salary of a State Legislator, which rose from $79,500 to $110,000 in 2019. That’s a more than 40 percent increase and now they’re trying to make the New York Legislature the highest paid in the country. It’s unconscionable that while families are struggling, they’re talking about more pay for a job that’s supposed to be a service to those New Yorkers.