9 out of 10 NY'ers say more arrests of pols coming soon
In the aftermath of the recent corruption scandals that rocked state politics, more than two-thirds of voters agree that state government is becoming more dysfunctional every day, according to a recent poll. Conducted by the Siena Research Institute, a poll released last week indicates that voters agree — by a margin of 50-36 percent — with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's claim that New York state government is working again. However, when the question was posed to voters in the context of recent corruption charges against lawmakers, only 26 percent of voters say government is working effectively compared to 67 percent of voters who say state government is becoming more dysfunctional every day.
According to the poll, a plurality of voters believe that passing laws addressing political corruption should be the top priority as lawmakers come closer to the end of the legislative session. Echoing the public's current lack of faith in New York state politics, 88 percent of voters now believe that more arrests of political officials are coming in the near future, up from 81 percent last month, including 44 percent who say it is very likely.
While registered voters have clearly grown wary of New York government, Cuomo remains largely unaffected by the scandals. In fact, the governor's favorability is up to 64 percent, ending four consecutive months of a downward trend. Also on the rise are Cuomo's election numbers, with 55 percent of registered voters saying that they are prepared to re-elect Cuomo, compared to just 36 percent who would not. "The governor's standing with voters slightly improved in the last month and he maintains a solid two-to-one favorability rating," said Steven Greenberg, a spokesman for the Siena Research Institute. "While not dramatic, the uptick in Cuomo's favorability rating and re-elect number and the consistent job performance rating end four months of seeing those numbers drop."
On whether or not Cuomo tried hard to clean up state government in Albany, 63 percent of voters approve of his efforts, believing there is nothing he or any governor can do to prevent crooked politicians from being elected into office. "Voters certainly aren't blaming the governor for the recent outburst of legislative corruption headlines but it's clear that they want the governor and Legislature to address the issue before session ends next month," Greenberg said.
Read more at http://www.legislativegazette.com/Articles-Top-Stories-c-2013-05-28-83922.113122-9-out-of-10-NYers-say-more-arrests-of-pols-coming-soon.html
