approval rating – The B Square

Just a little over 100 days after Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson was sworn into office, a big number of Bloomington residents are not sure if they approve or disapprove of her job performance so far.

But more than four times as many Democrats approve of Thomson’s performance as disapprove of it. Among Republicans, twice as many disapprove of Thomson’s performance as approve of it. Thomson is a Democrat.

The question about Thomson’s performance was included in a text-to-web poll on races for Monroe County offices, which was conducted in the second week of April for The B Square by Public Policy Polling (PPP), a company based in North Carolina.

Among likely voters in the May 7 Democratic Party primary, 42 percent said they were not sure if they disapproved or approved of Thomson’s performance. On the Republican side, 45 percent indicated they are unsure about Thomson’s performance.

Among Democrats, 46 percent approved of Thomson’s performance, while 11 percent disapproved. Among Republicans, 19 percent approved of Thomson’s performance, while 36 disapproved. Continue reading “Poll on Bloomington mayor job performance among Dems: 46% approve, 11% disapprove, rest unsure” →

Bar chart of poll question: Q10 When thinking about your own opportunity to have a meaningful impact on local policy choices in Bloomington, would you say you currently have a lot of opportunities, some opportunities, not many opportunities, or hardly any opportunities? Responses respectively: 7, 38, 26, 17, 12 precent

Bar chart showing John Hamilton approval rating: 27 percent approve compared to 39 percent disapprove.

Bar chart of poll question: Q9 When thinking about the Mayor of Bloomington’s accessibility, how important do you think it is for the Mayor to hold a monthly public news conference, where both members of the public and journalists can ask questions on any topic: very important, somewhat important, not that important, or not important at all? Results respectively: 57, 3, 3, 1, 4 percent.

Should the mayor of Bloomington hold a monthly news conference, where any resident or member of the press can ask a question on any topic?

Incumbent mayor John Hamilton does not appear to think it’s very important to make himself available like that.

No such news conference has been held in the last three and a half years, which is the time The B Square has been in publication.

Hamilton is not seeking reelection. But I hope the next mayor of Bloomington thinks it’s important to hold a regular public event where anyone can ask a question.

Most Bloomington voters seem to think so, too. Continue reading “Column: Bloomington’s next mayor should routinely field questions in public from residents, press” →