Poll: Mayor De Blasio's Approval Rating Sinks To 38 Percent
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A new poll gives Mayor Bill de Blasio his lowest job approval rating ever as New Yorkers express dismay at what they see as a drop in quality of life.
The mayor's approval rating has sunk to just 38 percent and he is losing support among Black and Latino voters, according to a new Wall Street Journal poll.
New Yorkers not only don't like the job he's doing as mayor, but 55 percent say the city is headed in the wrong direction -- the highest number since 2004, according to pollsters for Marist College.
"There's got to be a sense of disappointment there on the part of these voters," said Dr. Lee Miringoff of Marist College.
New Yorkers who spoke to CBS2 Political Reporter Marcia Kramer Tuesday evening did not have much good to say about the mayor.
"Terrible job, terrible," Said Anastasia Katophis of Astoria, Queens. "He's always on vacation. Look at all the shootings. He was against police. He's against everything."
"What is he doing about the homeless? I still see a lot of people on the streets," said Angelina Russo of Astoria. "Somebody's got to do a better job."
"The city's dirty. It's a mess," added Tom Padden of Astoria," and I don't think he cares much about the police."
Kramer said the poll findings indeed can be chalked up to the increasing numbers of homeless on the street, the feeling that the mayor doesn't have a handle on crime, and that quality of life is down.
When asked about homeless people who have been camped out on benches in SoHo recently and have drawn complaints, the mayor said, "Any place that crops up as a new problem, we will address very aggressively."
And on Tuesday night, homeless outreach workers were talking to Jonathan Liu, who was camping out in the area with his girlfriend, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
Earlier, the couple was asleep under blankets as children played in the adjacent park.
"You do something about it! You're the mayor!" resident Aaron Schneider admonished de Blasio while speaking to CBS2's Meg Baker.
De Blasio also did poorly on the specific subject of crime for voters. Only 38 percent of poll respondents approved of his performance, while 54 percent disapproved.
"Broken promises, broken promises -- if you don't keep your promises, this is what's going to happen," said Richie Craig of Chelsea.
"I did vote for him," added Lisa Ray of Chelsea. "Based on what I'm seeing right now, I would not vote for him again."
Miringoff said the loss of support among the demographic groups that put him in office is also noteworthy.
"These numbers reflect a sense that at his core, there's been an erosion, and it's been among these groups – African-Americans and Latinos – who were the ones that gave him that huge victory just two years ago," Miringoff said.
Right now, 49 percent of poll respondents say de Blasio does not deserve a second term, while 42 percent say he does.
As WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reported, de Blasio referenced an earlier remark from his press secretary to downplay the importance of pills.
"I recommend you all see Karen Hinton's quote about cotton candy, which I think was an apt analogy that polls come and go," the mayor said. "There's no question about the work being done and the impact it is having on people, that's what matters."
The mayor talked about his success with the city's pre-kindergarten program and job creation, as well as falling crime statistics.
"There are so many positive indicators about this city," de Blasio said. "We'll keep doing this work and showing people what it means for their lives, but there's no question that this is a time when the city is moving forward."
But pollsters and some voters begged to differ.
"These numbers are not the kind that you want to have when you're elected, I guess, with over 70 percent of the vote last time," Miringoff said.
"I think he could be doing a better job," voter Dee said. "Get on the ball, Mayor de Blasio."
Voters also resent the mayor's many of out-of-town trips and attention to national issues.
Asked his own biggest mistake, the mayor said, "One thing we have to do better is explaining to people how this vision is affecting their lives."
Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has also been casting doubts on the mayor's leadership.
Cuomo said Monday he needs to help save the city and come up with state solutions to make New York City more livable.
"We had a terrible homeless problem, we resolved it, now we're going back and we have a homeless problem spreading again," Cuomo said. "We had a terrible violence problem, we restored order and now you're seeing police officers assaulted."
De Blasio held a big fundraiser last week, saying "It's an informal beginning. Obviously people who weren't me started the discussion over the last few months of the future so we wanted to let them know I was resolute about coming back and continuing to serve the people."
The poll comes as the mayor has had a difficult few months, being criticized for his out-out-town travels and national focus, as well as engaging in a perpetual war with Cuomo.