Waste of the Day: NYC Mayor Gave Friends Raises

Topline: New York City Mayor Eric Adams instituted a hiring freeze last year to cut costs amid a migrant crisis he said would “destroy” the city. That didn’t stop him from giving large pay raises to many of his senior officials, many of whom have resigned or been questioned as the FBI investigates Adams’ alleged bribery scandal.

Mayor Adams under indictment – but not for the favors at issue here

Key facts: Adams was indicted in September for allegedly taking gifts from foreign governments in exchange for political favors. OpenTheBooks previously reported that the city spent $13.3 million from 2014 to 2023 paying salary to Adams and the 13 others who have been questioned and searched by the FBI.

Many of those same employees increased their salaries even higher in 2024, according to data obtained by the New York Daily News in November.

The salary of Schools Chancellor David Banks, a longtime Adams friend, reached $414,799 this year before he stepped down, the Daily News reported. His previous base salary of $363,346 was already the highest in the city.

Six deputy mayors — including Banks younger brother and Deputy Mayor Phillip Banks III — saw their pay rise from $251,982 to $287,663, until he resigned once the FBI raided his house. 

Adams’ chief adviser Ingrid Lewis-Martin and chief of staff Camille Joseph Varlack both got the same pay raises

Adams also hired David Banks’ girlfriend, Sheena Wright, as a deputy mayor. Her pay rose from $275,000 to $313,941 this year.

Many senior staffers also received one-time bonuses of $3,000, the Daily News reported.

All the raises add up to just under $400,000.

Adams’ salary of $258,750 has not changed since he took office in 2022. But he’s earned $2.2 million from taxpayers since 2014, including his time as Brooklyn borough president, OpenTheBooks found.

Payroll padding – the oldest kind of city management fraud

Search all federal, state and local government salaries and vendor spending with the AI search bot, Benjamin, at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Summary: Public servants are employed to help their city, not to boost their own pay to increasingly eye-popping amounts year after year.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.

This article was originally published by RCI and made available via RealClearWire.