New Yorkers Stick with Paterson Despite Economy
Rachel Ward
ROCHESTER, NY (2008-08-19) A new poll from the Siena Research Institute shows that New Yorkers have a dismal view of the state’s economy, but that’s not translating into low marks for the state’s governor.
Siena spokesperson Steve Greenberg says 85 percent of poll respondents think New York’s fiscal condition is either poor or fair. He says the favorability and approval of chief executives generally drop when the economy is bad.
But New York Governor David Paterson has escaped that fate so far. He’s experiencing his highest approval rating since he took office five months ago, with a 59 percent favorability rating.
The poll also shows that New Yorkers are split on what they’d like to see cut, in order to deal with the state’s budget deficit. When asked to choose between health care and education, just over a quarter - 26 percent - said they’d want to see health care cut, but just under a quarter - 24 percent - wanted to see education cut. And 21 percent volunteered that they didn’t want to see either of those areas cut to balance the books.
The pollsters also asked voters what they thought the priorities for coming the legislative session should be; 26 percent said job creation, 24 percent said the budget deficit, and 11 percent said government reform.
Voters continue to support a property tax cap, with 66 percent saying they’re in favor of one, and with 75 percent saying that they’d like to see a property tax cap with a “circuit breaker” which would set a percentage limit on how much households could pay in property tax.
