Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Know Your Lulus - and Other City Salary Debates
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 13, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 13, 2006
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gotham Gazette has a great feature on salaries for elected officials, as compensation for various officials will be re-assessed. For instance, did you know that public advocate and borough presidents get paid $150,000, plus have a car and driver, but don't have "real power over city policy?" And did you realize that serving on the City Council is a part-time job, so many members make a bit from their "real jobs"? And then there are the "lulus" - stipends City Council members get for heading certain positions or heading certain committees.
At any rate, there's debate over whether or not certain salaries should be raised. Queens City Councilman Tony Avella says the $90,000 base salary "is enough" while others argue officials spend a lot of time while serving the public. The salary debate will focus on the salaries for the office of mayor, comptroller, public advocate, borough president, district attorneys, and members of the City Council. NYC has the highest paid mayor in the country, with a salary of $195,000 (Mayor Bloomberg only takes a $1 salary), but the mayor is in charges of hundreds of thousands of city employees.
Gotham Gazette has a chart of the City Council's lulus, plus non-City Council income for certain members - City Councilman Domenic Rechhia pulls in $210,000 in outside income, plus $10,000 for heading the Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup Relations Committee, which means an annual total income of $310,000.
Tagged
affairs
bloomberg
city
City Council
City Councilman
City Councilman Tony Avella
Cultural Affairs
District
Gotham Gazette
international
jobs
mayor
mayor bloomberg
News: NYC
nyc
Politics
queens
salary
the office
tony avella
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD arrests and charges city schools employee in murder of Brooklyn jogger
The NYPD said it has charged Sayed Mohassib with murder.
By
Kaya Laterman
Published Nov 7, 2026 at 1:39 p.m. ET
Modified Nov 7, 2026 at 2:07 p.m. ET
Work is underway to replace deteriorating Newark Bay Bridge, a major NY-NJ route
The new bridge should be ready in 2031, with minimal disruption to commuters while it's being built, officials say.
By
Michael Sol Warren
News
Work is underway to replace deteriorating Newark Bay Bridge, a major NY-NJ route
The new bridge should be ready in 2031, with minimal disruption to commuters while it's being built, officials say.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Quest Diagnostics pays $13M to settle kickback allegations involving NY Giants tickets
By
Kaya Laterman
Person found dead with stab wounds in Queens building, NYPD says
By
Giulia Heyward
Amtrak's Penn Station plan could funnel taxpayer money to new venue for James Dolan
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .