New hires drive gender pay gap in de Blasio administration
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to splurge on the salaries of his controversial schools chancellor and new public-housing chairman isn’t just costing taxpayers — it’s also led to a glaring gender pay gap at the top of his administration, records reveal.
Although women make up half of City Hall’s 10 highest earners, the men — including Hizzoner — hold four of the five best-paying jobs, with annual salaries that range from $258,000 to $403,000, records show.
As a result, the males rake in an average of $58,400 a year more than their female colleagues, leaving the women earning just 81 cents for every dollar earned by the men.
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That gap is nearly double the one that exists across New York state, where women earn an average of 90 cents for every dollar earned by men, as calculated by the nonprofit Institute for Women’s Policy Research in Washington, DC.
Factoring in de Blasio’s 23 department heads and commissioners — who comprise 12 men and 11 women, each earning $226,000 a year — narrows the gap to 93 cents for every dollar.
“It’s disheartening that we still have so far to go,” said City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal (D-Manhattan), chairwoman of the Committee on Women and Gender Equality.
State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens), chairwoman of the Labor Committee, also said, “We should be asking why women are earning less while doing as much, if not more, work than their male counterparts.”
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The situation exists despite de Blasio’s self-proclaimed desire to “break the cycle” of women getting paid less than men.
Much of the City Hall pay gap is caused by the salaries de Blasio lavished on Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza and incoming NYCHA Chairman Greg Russ, both of whom replaced women making far less.
While Carranza — under fire for his diversity initiatives and suspected cronyism — is paid $345,000, his predecessor Carmen Farina’s salary was $266,000.
Russ’ $403,000 salary — partly funded with $162,000 in federal money — is 75 percent more than the $231,000 paid to Shola Olatoye, who resigned amid a lead-paint scandal.
De Blasio spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein said: “Under this mayor, more women have a seat at the table than ever before.”
“Over half of our senior leadership positions are held by women and that diversity of thought is apparent in all that we do to improve the lives of New Yorkers,” she added.
Additional reporting by Bruce Golding
