Plans and Processes

The 2026 Quadrennial Advisory Commission, appointed by Mayor Mamdani on March 20, 2026, pursuant to Administrative Code Section 3-601, is charged with studying, evaluating and, if it determines appropriate, recommending specific changes to the compensation levels of New York City elected officials.  As modified by Local Law 81 of 2026,  the Commission is required to submit its recommendations to the Mayor and the Speaker of the City Council.  The Mayor may, in his discretion, submit a recommendation to the Speaker for the approval, disapproval or modification of any compensation changes contained in the Commission’s report.  The City Council, in its discretion, shall consider the recommendations of the Mayor and the Commission and may approve a local law changing the compensation levels of New York City elected officials.

In accordance with the Administrative Code, Quadrennial Commissions are intended to convene every four years (thus, its title).  However, the last Commission was convened in 2015 and issued its final report at the end of that year.  Nevertheless, that Commission provided an extensive analysis of its role, of the duties of the various New York City elected officials, and the factors that it examined in shaping its recommendations.  We appreciate the 2015 Commission’s work and believe that it provides a useful starting point for our own approach.

Moreover, the 2015 Commission set forth certain values and principles that we also intend to follow.  Among these are a commitment to transparency.  All of our research materials, public testimony and written submissions will be posted on this website and, thus, will be publicly accessible.  

We intend to hold one public hearing on May 21 at 5 PM in the City Planning Commission’s Hearing Room at 120 Broadway.  This will be open to all members of the public who wish to testify in person. There will also be an opportunity to testify via Zoom at that hearing.  Written testimony will be accepted until May 31.  All written comments and testimony submitted to the Commission and a recording and/or transcription of the public hearing will be posted on this website.  We especially encourage elected officials, past and present, as well as representatives of civic, good government and other public interest groups to testify. 

Issues We Seek to Address

The legislation authorizing the Quadrennial Commission requires us to recommend changes to compensation levels for New York City elected officials “if warranted.”  It requires us to “take into consideration the duties and responsibilities of each position, the current salary of the position and the length of time since the last change, any change in the cost of living, compression of salary levels for other officers and employees of the city, and salaries and salary trends for positions with analogous duties and responsibilities both within government and in the private sector.”

As we carry out this mandate, we will seek to address the following issues, among others:

1. Have the roles of any of the NYC elected officials changed significantly since the 2015 Commission?
2. Assuming we do want to recommend changes to compensation levels, do we want to differentiate percentage changes among positions?
3. What should be the recommended effective date(s) for any proposed changes in compensation levels?
4. Do we want to propose conditions on recommendations for compensation levels for certain positions and, if so, what should they be?
5. Do we want to recommend modifications or conditions to future processes regarding compensation levels and, if so, what should they be? 

Staffing

As with the 2015 Commission, none of our extremely limited staff is employed by the City of New York, although we have and will rely on the New York City Law Department for legal and technical assistance.

The Commission staff consists of:

Michael Hyman – Staff Director

Olivia Glen-Rayner – Project Manager

Jordan Tamagni – Editorial Director

All staff are being compensated at $20,000 or less.  Members of the Commission, as per ordinance, serve without compensation.

In addition, we are extremely fortunate to be aided by staff from City University’s Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG).  ISLG is providing all our data and research assistance and coordination.