NEWBURGH – Councilman Omari Shakur was the sole no vote as the Newburgh City Council voted itself pay raises Monday night.
The freshman lawmaker said this was not the appropriate time to take that action.
“I need to earn mine. I voted against it because if you want to say we are the lowest paid in the Hudson Valley, package it that way. This whole community is suffering; everybody wants a raise,” he said after the meeting.
The six council members will see a 33 percent pay raise, with their annual salaries going from $9,000 to $12,000. The mayor’s pay will increase 66 percent, going from $9,000 to $15,000.
