New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he will furlough himself and his entire staff on Wednesday, in the midst of a $9 billion loss in revenue.
Last month, Mayor Bill de Blasio warned the NYC that he may be forced to lay off as many as 22,000 local government employees in October due to billions in sales tax and other sources of city revenue lost during the global coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, that plan was put on hold.
But the proverbial checkbook is still in the red, and last week, the embattled leader announced a new measure to try and slow the hemorrhaging funds. Mayor de Blasio will furlough himself and 494 staffers for one week — saving the city an estimated $860,000 in the process.
De Blasio blamed the federal government for a lack of aid that he believes might have otherwise prevented “tough cuts” to the city’s budget. “I couldn’t have imagined no action from Washington D.C. up to this point,” he said. “I truly believed our colleagues in Albany would have acted on long-term bargaining.”
Even so, de Blasio has no immediate plans to cut his $250,000 salary or make any other dramatic moves. “[There are] no plans for pay cuts for any New York City employees right now, whether it’s City Hall or any place else, but we never know what the future brings,” he said.
Last month, reports circulated that his wife employed six undisclosed staff members on the taxpayers’ collective dime. There was no comment as to whether these employees would join de Blasio’s staff on their break.
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