Top-earning public officials should cut their pay amid NY’s fiscal crisis

New York’s top officials have talked a lot about “shared sacrifice” in recent weeks. How about leading by example?

Common Cause New York suggests state legislators forgo half their pay since they haven’t been legislating: After OK’ing the state budget back on April 3, they took off and haven’t returned to the Capitol since, when they normally spend these weeks passing nonbudget laws. Oh, and that budget essentially handed the dirty work of slashing state spending by $10 billion or so to the governor.

It’s not a bad idea: Some 2 million workers across New York have lost their jobs; countless businesses are dying and even top executives have been taking pay cuts.

“Why should New Yorkers pay lawmakers $110,000 — in the middle of a budget deficit — to do only half their jobs?” asked Common Cause’s Susan Lerner.

Let’s take this further: The top earners in city and state government could all voluntarily adopt a pay cap — say, at $200,000 annual salary — for the duration of this crisis.

Gov. Cuomo pulls in $225,000 (set to hit $250,000 next year); Mayor de Blasio, $258,750 per annum. So that cap wouldn’t ding them too badly.

But, ooh — Chancellor Richard Carranza draws $363,000. If he honored the $200,000 cap, the remainder could go for four school-lunch aides. And CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez’s salary is $623,500; joining the cap could pay for a dozen adjunct profs.

Greg Russ, the NYCHA chairman-CEO, earns $402,000. His shared sacrifice would fund at least a couple of building supers.

MTA Chief Transformation Officer ­Anthony McCord, hired at $325,000 for work that includes slashing 2,700 jobs, has been assigned other duties during the crisis — but surely the professional slasher should share the pain now.

We’re not saying these execs aren’t worth what they earn (well, except Carranza). But we’ve called for stopping scheduled pay hikes for all public workers — and surely those at the top should share the pain.

New York is looking at unprecedented fiscal bleeding — quite possibly worse than the 1970s crisis. Decision-makers, especially ones like the legislators who aren’t even making any decisions, ought to shoulder some of the burden.