“I strongly oppose increasing legislative pay. New Yorkers have been telling us for months that they need relief from crushing inflation and energy costs. A recent report showed nearly three million New Yorkers are living in poverty, while countless more are on the brink. We should be devoting all our taxpayer dollars to helping these struggling families, not using limited resources to vote ourselves a pay raise. Increasing legislative pay during this challenging economic environment is an insult to the hardworking New Yorkers struggling to make ends meet.I simply refuse to support this irresponsible decision.”