January 17, 2003
Public Approval of Bloomberg Job Takes Sharp Drop
By JANNY SCOTT and MARJORIE CONNELLY
[New York City] Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's job approval rating dropped sharply in recent months as he moved to address the city's looming fiscal crisis, according to a New York Times Poll that found that for the first time since Mr. Bloomberg took office more than half of New Yorkers now disapprove of his handling of the job.
Beyond their assessment of his job performance, the percentage of New Yorkers with a generally unfavorable impression of Mr. Bloomberg has leaped to 30 percent from 13 percent last June. That may be a problem that any mayor grappling with bad economic times would face. But follow-up interviews with people surveyed indicated the unfavorable impression might also be a product of Mr. Bloomberg's personal style and his wealth.
"It's his standoffish attitude about everything," said Dorothy Arena, a retired homeowner in Richmondtown, Staten Island, who voted for Mr. Bloomberg. "The city is in a crisis, yes. But there's no feeling coming from him as to how things have to be imposed on the public, especially the working public. He's in a different financial category than the rest of us. He cannot know what it is for us who are struggling."
According to the poll, 53 percent of New Yorkers disapprove of Mr. Bloomberg's handling of his job — up from 41 percent in October and 26 percent in June. His approval rating dropped to 31 percent, from 47 percent.
Seventeen percent of those who disapproved of his job performance cited his handling of the budget. Sixteen percent cited taxes and 25 percent said they generally thought he was doing a bad job and they just did not like him. ...
<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/17/nyregion/17POLL.html>
Carl
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