This has got to win the prize for gall: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver thinks he and his fellow lawmakers deserve a raise.
Maybe he’s trying his hand at stand-up comedy — but then this would be one lousy joke indeed.
Lawmakers’ salaries “haven’t kept pace with inflation for the last 13 years,” Silver whines — as Post State Editor Fredric U. Dicker reported yesterday.
He said it’s possible Gov. Cuomo “would look favorably on a salary adjustment” — though the Legislature first needs to “change [its] performance level,” by passing an on-time budget for a second straight year and adopting a “substantive agenda.”
That is, by simply doing its job.
Here’s a better idea: How about waiting until that esteemed body goes two straight years without one of its members being indicted? True, they may never get a raise in that case — but it’d sure be a welcome goal.
It’s true that lawmakers haven’t had a pay hike since 1999. But then, lots of New Yorkers haven’t seen pay increases in a while either; indeed, huge numbers of folks have lost their jobs in recent years.
And memo to Silver: The state isn’t exactly rolling in dough; revenues have been down, and other budget areas, such as for roads and bridges, would come far ahead of lawmaker pay-hikes on the priority list.
Besides, their compensation at the moment is hardly shabby. All legislators get a base pay of $79,500, but more than 150 — 70 percent — get “lulus,” or stipends, for leadership positions. Those range as high as $41,500, putting the average lawmaker’s salary at $90,000 to $100,000.
On top of that, they also receive per diems — stipends for food and lodging — of $165 for each day they’re in Albany. Sweet.
Fact is, New York has one of the most expensive state legislatures in the country.
And, by the way, any boost in pay means even fatter retirement benefits for this privileged class, weighing down the state’s already overburdened pension system.
All this, meanwhile, and their jobs are considered part-time.
That’s right: There are just 66 working days in the legislative session. Many lawmakers rake in big bucks in outside income on top of their legislative salaries.
Silver himself is believed to take home a small fortune from the powerhouse law firm Weitz & Luxenberg — though the exact amount, like the non-legislative earnings of his colleagues, isn’t public.
That will change, thanks to new disclosure laws — but not until next year, after lawmakers get the pay hike Silver wants.
Too late for New Yorkers to make an informed decision about the salaries, that is.
Republicans yesterday professed outrage at the idea, citing the economy: “We are a policy symbol for the state,” said Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Nassau). That may well put the kibosh on any pay hike before November.
As it well should.
Meanwhile, though, New Yorkers should take careful note of what’s on the minds of the head of the Assembly and his Democratic members.
If only they gave as much thought to the welfare of average New Yorkers.