Mayor de Blasio seems to have a proꦯblem hanging on to staf𝔍f — and he’s dealing with it by showering them with your money.
As the Empire Center’s SeeThroughNY note🧜s, de Blasio gave out $2 million in pay raises to all but two mayoral aides last year — some topping 20 percent. One aide saw her salary jump 143 percent; Gracie Mansionꦑ’s chef got a 13 percent bump.
The Mayor’s Office essentially𒈔 admits the problem: The payouts are needed to “retain skilled staff,” it argues.
But maybe the sums wouldn’t need 𝄹to be as much if staffers better liked working for this administr☂ation.
Start with the fact that Hizzoner is facing as many as seven different investigations into his team’s actions, including the Rivington nursing-h🧔ome flap and his fund-raising for state Senate races.
Th🔯en there aﷺre the reports of the mayor humiliating and upbraiding staffers at meetings and in “teachable moments.”
And, of course, his ailing poꦆll numbers and the (well-deserved) criticism of his mayoralty from so many voices (like ours).
Refugees include Deputy Mayor Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, Press Secretary Karen Hinton and his short-lived social-media director. Environmental Commissioner Emily Lloyd, Sust𓃲ainability Director Nilda Mesa and counsel Maya Wiley also gave notice.
Yes, the city buౠdget is healthy, and mo🔥st raises amounted to just 2.5 percent.
But it’s the fat raises that stick out and don’t look good♈ to average working stiffs. 🧜Rather than use taxpayer cash to keep staff from fleeing, de Blasio might try making City Hall a more desirable place to work.