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NYers Overwhelmingly Oppose Pay Raise That Will Make Cuomo Nation's Highest Paid Governor

Andrew Cuomo is poised to become the nation’s highest-paid governor, but most of his constituents aren't happy about it, according to a brand new poll.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Photo Credit: File

By a nearly two-to-one margin - 62 percent to 32 percent - New Yorkers oppose the legislature increasing Cuomo's salary to $200,000 this year following a midnight resolution that was approved earlier this month, according to a new Siena College poll. The pay bump is up from the $179,000 salary governor’s in the state have received for more than two decades.

The new measures will call for the governor’s salary to increase to $225,000 in 2020 and then to $250,000 in 2021, which would make Cuomo the highest paid governor in the country. The new pay rates were approved at approximately 2:45 a.m. on Monday, April 1 by the Senate, with the Assembly reportedly approving the measure at approximately 7 a.m. as they finished discussions on the state’s $175 billion budget.

According to reports, fellow lawmakers throughout the state were not pleased to pass the resolution giving Cuomo and Hochul a pay raise as part of the budget. Hochul’s salary is set to rise from $151,000 to $220,000 by Jan. 1, 2021.

“Three-quarters of Republicans, two-thirds of independents and a clear majority of Democrats oppose the recent action by the Legislature to increase the salary for the Governor. It is opposed by 55 percent from New York City, 64 percent from the downstate suburbs and 69 percent of upstaters,” Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said.

“The public campaign finance scheme in the budget gets a strong thumbs down from the voters,” Greenberg added. “A majority of Democrats, more than two-thirds of independents and more than three-quarters of Republicans are opposed. While self-identified liberals are closely divided, moderates and conservatives are overwhelmingly opposed, as are big majorities of men and women, young and old, and black, white and Latino voters.”

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