A new ThinkHQ Public Affairs survey says Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek isn’t off to a great start with approval ratings that dropped after her first few months in office..Approval for Gondek’s performance sits at 38% — that compared to 53% who aren’t happy with her performance as mayor..More voters, in fact, strongly disapprove of Gondek at 39% compared to those who approve of her so far..Based on similar survey results for past mayors, Gondek’s rating is unusually low for a new mayor this early in a first term.. Gondek-think-HQGraphic courtesy ThinkHQ survey results .“By comparison, Naheed Nenshi finished his first year in office with approval in the mid-eighties, while Dave Bronconnier’s first few months in office yielded approval in the mid-seventies.”.“Five months into her first term and it’s clear that Mayor Gondek’s having a rough ride,” said ThinkHQ President Marc Henry. .“A Calgary mayor below 40% approval? That’s happened only once in the past two decades, and it’s particularly unusual this early on.”.Henry said politicians typically “get a honeymoon” at the beginning of their term..“Calgary’s last two mayors had them, and Kenney, Notley and even Redford had one,” said Henry..“Generally, the public want a new leader to be successful, they are the ‘new shiny object’ and haven’t really had enough time to do unpopular things; so, they get strong ratings early on. Mayor Gondek’s ratings are definitely an anomaly.”.Henry highlights an eventful first few months for Gondek —he pointed to the collapsed arena deal, protests in the Beltline and a 4% tax hike when it was supposed to be zero — as possible contributing factors for her lagging approval ratings..Nearly one-in-10 (9%) of voters were undecided on Gondek’s performance to date..Individual councillors — most of whom are new to council — fared better than Gondek. The survey said 45% of voters approve of how their councillor is performing, compared to 31% who aren’t happy, and 24% who are unsure..However, the overall view of city council isn’t great with 48% of those polled unhappy with its performance. Calgarians in favour of council’s performance sits at 37% with 15% who said they’re unsure..“It’s also unusual for councillors to have better approval ratings than the mayor, particularly with a council where two-thirds are newcomers,” said Henry..“This could be a challenge for Gondek going forward.”.“The mayor is one vote of 15 on Council; much of the ‘authority’ they have over their colleagues is more informal than formal in nature. Typically, the mayor is far better known and liked than individual councillors and that standing really does re-enforce the ‘first among equals’ relationship.”.“Councillors, unless they truly feel strongly about an issue, are more likely to go along with a popular mayor — give them a vote or at the very least not debate against them. It’s not so much fear as it is deference.”.According to the survey, men had a more negative review of the mayor than women — 59% of men disapproved vs. 47% of women..Gondek also had a greater approval rating with younger respondents under the age of 35 — 45% approval vs. 42% disapproval..Yet, her approval ratings plummeted sharply with older voters at a 62% disapproval rate among those 55 and older..“People often talk about the first 100 days in office as being important for politicians,” said Henry..“It is, at least from a public opinion perspective. After an election with a new leader, voter attention tends to remain reasonably high for a few months — they want to see what the new leader is like as the leader as opposed to as a candidate.”.Henry said he believes it will be challenging for Gondek moving forward..“She’s got 1,300 days to change that, but the initial impressions set in the first 100 days will be a headwind she has to overcome to do it. Not an easy task.”.ThinkHQ polled 1,101 adults in Calgary between March 14 – 21 with a margin of error plus/minus 2.9%, 19 times out of 20..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
A new ThinkHQ Public Affairs survey says Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek isn’t off to a great start with approval ratings that dropped after her first few months in office..Approval for Gondek’s performance sits at 38% — that compared to 53% who aren’t happy with her performance as mayor..More voters, in fact, strongly disapprove of Gondek at 39% compared to those who approve of her so far..Based on similar survey results for past mayors, Gondek’s rating is unusually low for a new mayor this early in a first term.. Gondek-think-HQGraphic courtesy ThinkHQ survey results .“By comparison, Naheed Nenshi finished his first year in office with approval in the mid-eighties, while Dave Bronconnier’s first few months in office yielded approval in the mid-seventies.”.“Five months into her first term and it’s clear that Mayor Gondek’s having a rough ride,” said ThinkHQ President Marc Henry. .“A Calgary mayor below 40% approval? That’s happened only once in the past two decades, and it’s particularly unusual this early on.”.Henry said politicians typically “get a honeymoon” at the beginning of their term..“Calgary’s last two mayors had them, and Kenney, Notley and even Redford had one,” said Henry..“Generally, the public want a new leader to be successful, they are the ‘new shiny object’ and haven’t really had enough time to do unpopular things; so, they get strong ratings early on. Mayor Gondek’s ratings are definitely an anomaly.”.Henry highlights an eventful first few months for Gondek —he pointed to the collapsed arena deal, protests in the Beltline and a 4% tax hike when it was supposed to be zero — as possible contributing factors for her lagging approval ratings..Nearly one-in-10 (9%) of voters were undecided on Gondek’s performance to date..Individual councillors — most of whom are new to council — fared better than Gondek. The survey said 45% of voters approve of how their councillor is performing, compared to 31% who aren’t happy, and 24% who are unsure..However, the overall view of city council isn’t great with 48% of those polled unhappy with its performance. Calgarians in favour of council’s performance sits at 37% with 15% who said they’re unsure..“It’s also unusual for councillors to have better approval ratings than the mayor, particularly with a council where two-thirds are newcomers,” said Henry..“This could be a challenge for Gondek going forward.”.“The mayor is one vote of 15 on Council; much of the ‘authority’ they have over their colleagues is more informal than formal in nature. Typically, the mayor is far better known and liked than individual councillors and that standing really does re-enforce the ‘first among equals’ relationship.”.“Councillors, unless they truly feel strongly about an issue, are more likely to go along with a popular mayor — give them a vote or at the very least not debate against them. It’s not so much fear as it is deference.”.According to the survey, men had a more negative review of the mayor than women — 59% of men disapproved vs. 47% of women..Gondek also had a greater approval rating with younger respondents under the age of 35 — 45% approval vs. 42% disapproval..Yet, her approval ratings plummeted sharply with older voters at a 62% disapproval rate among those 55 and older..“People often talk about the first 100 days in office as being important for politicians,” said Henry..“It is, at least from a public opinion perspective. After an election with a new leader, voter attention tends to remain reasonably high for a few months — they want to see what the new leader is like as the leader as opposed to as a candidate.”.Henry said he believes it will be challenging for Gondek moving forward..“She’s got 1,300 days to change that, but the initial impressions set in the first 100 days will be a headwind she has to overcome to do it. Not an easy task.”.ThinkHQ polled 1,101 adults in Calgary between March 14 – 21 with a margin of error plus/minus 2.9%, 19 times out of 20..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
