Bhalla's citywide poll

Which mayor is more popular? (read on)

Remember New York City Mayor Ed Koch's famous line: "How'm I doin'?"  Two weeks ago, Bhalla's peeps did a citywide poll of likely voters which asked essentially the same thing: how's he doin'?  

Polls like Bhalla's provide critical information on an official's strengths and weaknesses-- what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong and what the public would like them to prioritize.  This kind of information is extremely valuable in governing and in political decision-making.  Polling is done for internal use, as both a governing and a political tool.  

So, this was the second citywide poll that Bhalla has done; he polled the city around the same time last year. And one may assume that public opinion on a number of Hoboken's challenges was enormously helpful for the mayor in prioritizing them. 

What is different this year is that we are heading into a municipal election.  

There are six ward council seats up for grabs next November.  Two incumbents have declared they are running, and both have opened accounts with New Jersey's Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).  At least one independent council candidate has announced.  Who will be on the Mayor's ticket?

Four years ago, when Mayor Zimmer lead Reform, her 2015 slate was a no-brainer. But, unity splintered in 2017 when the Mayor chose a successor.  Folks like me expected that post-election, bruised feelings would heal in the best interest of the city.  That did not happen.  This happened: 

HOBOKEN COUNCIL MEMBERS ENDORSE RAMOS RE-ELECTION AT FUNDRAISER 

Hoboken Councilpersons Mike Russo, Jen Giattino, Mike DeFusco and Tiffanie Fisher came out publicly in support for re-electing  Ruben Ramos.

So where does the citywide poll come in?  Bhalla's poll of likely voters should indicate whether or not the gravitation of former 2015 Team Zimmer election winners away from the mayor and toward dark entities is reflected in public opinion.

GA can confirm the following: Mayor Bhalla's favorables are "excellent" in all six wards, and if he ran today "he'd win all six wards hands down."  

Two sources who know told GA that "Bhalla's numbers are as high as Zimmer's were ."

Whoa.  So, this suggests to me that the 'split' in Reform is really a 'split' of a tiny, insular hardcore faction away from the main body of Reform, and that Reform has stayed otherwise intact in the transition of power from Zimmer to Bhalla.  The results are not personal, the majority of likely voters like the job that the mayor is doing.  They see him fight for and keep his policy promises.  

The poll results also suggests that the flow of negative press releases and daily online blog-extremism has had no impact on the mayor's popularity. The vast majority of Reform and Democratic progressives in Hoboken have paid no attention to the bickering and do not read the blogs. They like what they see. 

Interesting, huh?

So the answer to "Which Mayor is more popular?" according to the poll is neither. Likely voters polled hold them in equally high regard.