“Paul Wolf, the President of New York Coalition For Open Government, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that advocates for better transparency in government, said, “The process to raise elected official salaries should be transparent and provide the public a meaningful opportunity to be heard.

He directed people to look at the City of Buffalo where a Citizens Salary Review Commission must be formed and report their recommendations to the council by May 1 before the council votes in June. The mayor has to hold at least one public hearing before approving the local law and there must be an election before the raises go into effect, so the public knows where each council member stands regarding a pay raise before the election. 

“We don’t take a position on the amount of a pay raise. I think that’s something that should be decided by each community, but we do take the position that process matters, and a transparent process is critical,” said Wolf.”