New Yorkde blasiobill de blasio nyc mayorBill De Blasio

Mayor De Blasio On 'Honeymoon' With Voters Early In First Term, According To Poll

Poll Shows Voters On 'Honeymoon' With Mayor De Blasio
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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio poses for pictures with visitors at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor, during an open house and photo opportunity with the public as part of the inauguration ceremonies, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2014, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

By Colby Hamilton

CIVIC CENTER — Mayor Bill de Blasio is enjoying a "honeymoon" with New York City voters, with 67 percent of them feeling optimistic about the upcoming four years, according to a new poll.

The Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday added that 53 percent said de Blasio had done a good job so far during his first two weeks in office.

“New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is having a honeymoon," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement. "Two thirds of New Yorkers are optimistic about the new City Hall team.”

Yet voters were also divided on a number of issues at the outset of de Blasio's administration.

On the one hand, voters back some of his key policy initiatives.

By a nearly two-to-one margin, voters support de Blasio’s push to raise taxes on New York City residents earning $500,000 a year or more to pay for universal pre-kindergarten and expanded after school programs.

Voters also appear to support de Blasio’s vision of New York City as a “Tale of Two Cities.” When asked if income inequality was serious in the city, 84 percent of those surveyed it was very or somewhat serious, with 66 percent saying the supported government efforts to try to reduce income inequality.

However, while voters supported de Blasio’s pick of Bill Bratton for police commissioner (59 percent), only 48 percent agreed that the NYPD could reduce stop-and-frisk and still keep the city safe, while 62 percent said the police force was currently doing a good job.

New York City voters are also decidedly against de Blasio’s promised push to ban horse carriages in the city, with 61 percent saying it’s a bad idea.

They were even more divided on the role de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane, should play in shaping his public policy. While 27 percent said she should play a major role, 66 percent said she should play either a minor role or no role at all.

The poll was conducted from Jan. 9 - 15 and surveyed 1,288 New York City voters using landline and cellular phones. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.

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Before You Go

Gracie Mansion Through The Years
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Gracie Mansion, built in 1799 and located in Carl Schurz Park at 88th Street and the East River in New York, which may be turned into a "White House" to house the Mayors of the City of New York, shown Dec. 6, 1941. It is known that a number of city officials, including Mayor La Guardia, favor use of the old building as the executive residence. (AP Photo/Robert Kradin)
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Mayor Fiorello La Guardia's new home, Gracie Mansion at Carl Schurz Park in New York, overlooking the East River at 88th Street, May 25, 1942. (AP Photo/Tom Fitzsimmons)
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Mayor Fiorello La Guardia's new home, Gracie Mansion at Carl Schurz Park in New York, overlooking the East River at 88th Street, May 25, 1942. (AP Photo/Tom Fitzsimmons)
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Gracie Mansion is shown during President Truman's visit to New York City, Oct. 24, 1949. Smoke at left is the firing of the gun salute. (AP Photo/John Lent)
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President Harry S. Truman (right) smile at Mayor William O'Dwyer during president's luncheon at Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence on Oct. 24, 1949 in New York City. Between them is Mrs. Virginia Llamas Romulo, wife of the President of the United Nations general assembly, Carlos P. Romulo. Luncheon took place after laying of cornerstone of U.N. secretariat building at which President Truman was the principal speaker. (AP Photo)
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A smiling President Harry Truman (center, foreground) leaves Gracie Mansion on Oct. 24, 1949 in New York City following a luncheon in his honor given by Mayor William O'Dwyer. Left to right, foreground, are: Grover A. Whalen assisting Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt; Truman; Brig. Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, President of the United Nations general assembly; and Mayor O'Dwyer. Following them is Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York (between Mrs. Roosevelt and Truman). At top of steps, center, is secretary of state Dean Acheson reception took place after laying of cornerstone of U.N. secretariat building at which President Truman was the principal speaker. (AP Photo/John Lent)
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Walter O'Malley, President of the Brooklyn Dodgers, meets with city officials to discuss ideas for a modern stadium in Brooklyn, looking over a map on a porch of Mayor Robert F. Wagner's Gracie Mansion residence in New York, Aug.19, 1955. From left are; Mayor Wagner, O'Malley, construction coordinator Robert Moses, and Brooklyn Borough President John Cashmore. O'Malley warned that unless a suitable new site is found for Dodger games, the club might move away. The Dodgers will play seven games next year in Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City. N.J. (AP Photo).
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New York Mayor Robert F. Wagner, right, shakes hands with the Rev. Martin Luther King after King arrived at Gracie Mansion together with other civil rights leaders in New York on July 27, 1964. Dr. King had flown from Atlanta to discuss New York's racial crisis with the mayor. (AP Photo)
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is followed by his traveling companion, the Rev. Bernard Lee, right, as they leave Gracie Mansion in New York on July 28, 1964, after meeting with New York Mayor Robert F. Wagner for more than two hours. The two men conferred about the city's racial problems. (AP Photo)
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Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, left, poses with his wife Ethel, and New York Mayor Robert Wagner before Kennedy announced he will seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. senator from New York, Aug. 25, 1964. He made the announcement at Gracie Mansion, Wagner's official residence in New York City. (AP Photo)
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Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is greeted by John Lindsay, 6, son of New York City Mayor John Lindsay at Gracie Mansion in New York, Feb. 15, 1967. The emperor was guest at a tea given by the mayor, in background. From left, are the mayor; Manhattan borough President Percy Sutton and Mary Lindsay, the mayor?s wife. (AP Photo/John Rooney)
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Democratic Rep. Shirley Chisholm at a press conference on July 22, 1969 at which she formally endorsed Republican Mayor John V. Lindsay. The Brooklyn representative, who is the highest ranking democrat so far to bolt the party, announced her support for Lindsay at a news conference at Gracie Mansion. Mrs. Chisholm said she would actively campaign for Lindsay in Brooklyn. (AP Photo)
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Silent screen master comic Charlie Chaplin, left, chats with actress Lillian Gish during reception at Gracie Mansion in New York on April 6, 1972. Chaplin earlier received the gold Handel Medallion, the city's highest cultural tribute, and a gold key to the city during formal presentation by Mayor John Lindsay, in background. At right is Chaplin's wife, Oona. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine)
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Children viewing Charlie Chaplin from a projection window at Gracie Mansion, the home of New York Mayor John Lindsay, during a reception for the silent film great on April 6, 1972. Among the kids is the mayor's son, John chin in hand. (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine)
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Charlie Chaplin at Gracie Mansion in New York with Mayor John Lindsay, where Chaplin was presented with the keys to the city and other awards, April 6, 1972. (AP Photo/Ed Ford)
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Bess Myerson, hands a Bouquet of roses to Mrs. Aliza Begin, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, second from right, as New York City Mayor Edward Koch watches, second from left, during a Gracie Mansion ceremony, Thursday, May 4,1978 in New York. Begin is winding up a trip in the U.S. and plans to spend a few days in New York. He arrived from Washington where he met with President Carter. (AP Photo/Goodrich)
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New York City Mayor Edward Koch, center, joins Jazz veterans Gerry Mulligan, left, and Benny Goodman, right, during their rehearsal, Friday, June 22, 1979 at New York's Gracie mansion for the Newport Jazz festival opening Friday evening at Carnegie Hall. Accompanying the Jazz Greats are the tri-state McDonalds high school Jazz ensembles, background. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler)
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Eubie Blake, 92, listens to fellow jazz great Benny Goodman playing some of his hits during the kickoff of the Newport Jazz Festival at Gracie Mansion in New York, NY., on June 22, 1979. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler)
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New York City Mayor Edward Koch ponders a question during a news conference at New York's Gracie Mansion at night, Friday, April 12, 1980, following a tentative end to the 11-day city transit workers strike. Bus and subway workers were ordered back to work after union executives deadlocked on a settlement proposal from the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Koch was not pleased with the settlement, saying it would be too expensive for the city. (AP Photo/Perez)
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New York City Mayor Edward I. Koch gestures towards newsmen as he escorts Republican presidential nominee Roland Reagan into Gracie Mansion, Friday, Oct. 17, 1980 in New York. Koch briefed Reagan on the city's financial situation during their private meeting at the mayors official residence in Manhattan. (AP Photo/Pickoff)
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New York City Mayor Ed Koch left, holds a press conference with six other Democratic mayors who are supporting president Jimmy Carter for re-election in morning, Monday, Oct. 20, 1980 in New York at Gracie Mansion, the Mayor's residence. From left to right are: Koch; Seattle Mayor Charles Royer; San Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein; Milwaukee Mayor Henry Maier; Syracuse Mayor Lee Alexander; Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre and Gary, Indiana Mayor Richard Hatcher. (AP Photo/Pickoff)
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New York Mayor Ed Koch kisses Evangeline Gouletas Carey, wife of New York Gov. Hugh Carey, as she and her husband arrive at Gracie Mansion in New York, Tuesday night, Nov. 3, 1981 for a buffet honoring the Mayor. Koch is expected to win Tuesday's election for New York Mayor. (AP Photo/Handschuh)
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak shown meeting with Mayor Ed Koch at Gracie Mansion upon arrival on Jan. 29, 1983 at New York residence. (AP Photo/ Rene Perez)
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Mayor Edward I. Koch of New York City helps Maestro Andres Segovia from Spain to his chair during a reception on Tuesday, April 6, 1983 at Gracie Mansion in New York. Mrs. Emelita Segovia and Carlos Andres, 11, the son of Segovia, look on. Andres Segovia was presented with a Steuben apple to honor his 90th birthday and his 55th years of concerts in the City of New York. (AP Photo/Handsohuh)
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Television talk show host Phil Donahue left, breaks up after a joke by New York's Mayor Ed Koch during a reception at the mayor's residence Gracie Mansion to welcome the Phil Donahue show to New York, Jan. 3, 1984. The show was formerly taped in Chicago. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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Mayor Edward I. Koch and actress Angela Lansbury holds a proclamation presented by Koch on Monday, June 1, 1987 at New York's Gracie Mansion to salute theatre week. The event kicked off "New York City Salutes Theatre Week," the first official city celebration of all theatre in the five boroughs. (AP Photo/Mario Suriani)
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A group of anti-nuclear activists are arrested in front of New York's Gracie Mansion in New York, on Wednesday, August 9, 1989. Protesting against a plan to make Staten Island the home port for a U.S. battleship that they say would carry nuclear arms, they blocked the home of Mayor Edward I. Koch in hopes of a confrontation. (AP Photo/David A. Cantor)
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Gracie Mansion, the mayor's residence in New York City, is seen Aug. 18, 1990, on the grounds of Carl Schurz Park. (AP Photo/Phillip Schoultz)
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New York City Mayor David Dinkins speaks to reporters at Gracie Mansion with singer James Brown, second from left, his wife Adrienne, and the Rev. Al Sharpton on May 4, 1992. Brown congratulated the mayor on keeping New York relatively peaceful while Los Angeles erupted in protest against the Rodney King verdict. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey)
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New York City Mayor David Dinkins rehearses a message carried live on local television and some radio stations at Gracie Mansion in New York on Thursday, May 7, 1992. Dinkins thanked New Yorkers for keeping their tempers in check and avoiding riots after the Rodney King verdict. Dinkins also urged New Yorkers to join the May 16 ?Save Our Cities, Save Our Children? march on Washington led by nearly 60 mayors. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey)
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Nelson Mandela, president of the African National Congress, waves to a crowd of onlookers as he leaves New York's Helmsley Hotel Tuesday, July 14, 1992, enroute to see Mayor David Dinkins at Gracie Mansion. Mandela will address the UN Security Council Wednesday asking for a special representative to investigate the killings of blacks in South Africa. (AP Photo/Chrystyna Czajkowsky)
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New York Mayor David Dinkins escorts Columbus Day Parade Marshal and legendary actress Sophia Loren outside Gracie Mansion in New York, Monday, Oct. 12, 1992. The mayor hosted a reception at his official residence as part of Columbus Day festivities. (AP Photo/Chrystyna Czajkowski)
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An unidentified man gets a free Thanksgiving dinner at an outdoor buffet line near Gracie Mansion in New York, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1992. The Alliance Committee for the Homeless sponsored the dinner near Mayor David Dinkins residence to protest "three years of neglect of the homeless poor." (AP Photo/Ed Bailey)
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New York City Mayor David Dinkins, right, converses with Mayor Shlomo Lahat, of Tel Aviv, Israel, during a social call at Gracie Mansion in New York on Saturday, Dec. 5, 1992. (AP Photo/David Karp)
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Newly elected New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, background, his wife Donna Hanover and their daughter Caroline, 4, and son Andrew, 7, move into Gracie Mansion, their new residence, in New York City early Wednesday, Jan. 12, 1994. Giuliani was sworn in as the 107th mayor of New York City. (AP Photo/Joe Tabacca)
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Vice President Al Gore, left, and New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, right, applaud as New Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres speaks at Gracie Mansion in New York Sunday, Dec. 10, 1995. Yitzhak Rabin was the ``consummate man of Israel,'' Vice President Al Gore said at a memorial earlier Sunday where the slain prime minister's death was painted as a unifying force in the Jewish state. (AP Photo/Joe Tabacca)
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New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, left, smiles at Ron Howard's reaction to his introduction at the presentation of the Crystal Apple Awards in New York, Wednesday evening, June 11, 1997. Director and actor Howard was honored by New York City, along with five others in the movie and television industry, at Gracie Mansion, the mayor's residence. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, left, is sworn into office as New York Mayor for his second term by Federal Judge Michael Mukasey at Gracie Mansion in New York Wednesday, Dec. 31, 1997. Looking on are members of Giuliani's family, from left, daughter Caroline, 8, wife, Donna, son Andrew, 11, and Giuliani's mother, Helen Giuliani. (AP Photo/Chang W. Lee, Pool)
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Israeli's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, jokes about the Israeli media while New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani smiles at a news conference following a salute to Israel at 50 breakfast at Giuliani's home, Gracie Mansion, Sunday, May 17, 1998. Netanyahu stressed Sunday that his government will not be pressured into signing a peace treaty that jeopardizes Israeli security. (AP Photo/Adam Nadel)
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Donna Hanover announces that she and her husband, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, are discussing legal separation Wedensday, May, 10, 2000, outside of Gracie Mansion in New York. Hanover, 50, left Friday for her parents' house in Santa Clarita, Calif., bringing her two children West for the Mother's Day weekend. The visit comes after a bizarre stretch where Giuliani acknowledged a close "friendship" with Upper East Sider Judi Nathan, then blindsided Hanover with the announcement of their separation, only to have her dredge up charges of an earlier Giuliani affair with a mayoral staffer. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett, File)
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Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Judith Nathan pose for photographers as they arrive at Gracie Mansion prior to their wedding rehearsal Friday, May 23, 2003 in New York. Giuliani, who as New York's mayor for eight years lived in Gracie Mansion, is returning to his former residence to wed Nathan Saturday. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)
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ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY MAY 13--A member of New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's security detail closes a gate to Gracie Mansion, the official residence of Giuliani and his family, Wednesday, May 9, 2001, in New York. Donna Hanover's divorce lawyers have asked for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction barring Giuliani's friend, Judith Nathan, from Gracie Mansion, where Giuliani and Hanover continue to live with their two children. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg, right, speaks at a news conference at Gracie Mansion in New York on Tuesday, March 11, 2003, after an all-night negotiating session that ended a strik by Broadway musicians. Broadway show producers and musicians reached an agreement to end a strike that shut down 18 musicals. In the front row are, from left Jed Bernstein (in red), president of the League of American Theatres and Producers; mediator Frank Macchiarola; and Bill Moriarity (in mustaard jacket), president of Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians. Fifteen months into the job at City Hall, Bloomberg faced a week like none before: a stretch that mingled tragedy and triumph, Broadway and baseball. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
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**FOR USE WITH AP LIFESTYLES** **FILE** Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and his wife Judith Nathan kiss for photographers after their wedding at Gracie Mansion in New York in this Saturday, May 24, 2003 file photo. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, FILE)
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New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his date Diana Taylor arrive at Gracie Mansion for the wedding of former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani to Judith Nathan Saturday, May 24, 2003 in New York. Bloomberg is to perform the ceremony. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)
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Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, shows off a souvenir guitar as Bill Purcell, left, mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, and Ed Benson, right, executive director of the Country Music Association, look on during a special reception welcoming nominees of the 39th Annual Country Music Association Awards at Gracie Mansion in New York Monday, Nov. 14, 2005. The CMA Awards will be held at New York's Madison Square Garden Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2005. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, center, new Nets majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov, left, and Nets co-owner Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, right, have breakfast at Gracie Mansion in New York, Wednesday, May 19, 2010. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
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In this photo released by the New York City Mayor's Office, Vice President Joe Biden, left, joins New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Gracie Mansion in New York, Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010. (AP Photo/NYC Mayor's Office, Ed Reed)
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FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2010 file photo, Sharif el-Gamal, right, developer of the planned Cordoba House and mosque in lower Manhattan, looks on as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during a dinner in observance of Iftar at Gracie Mansion in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, Pool, File)
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Former President Bill Clinton, far left, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, second from left, hold a news conference at Gracie Mansion, announcing air quality findings for the city on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
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In this photo provided by the Office of the Mayor , New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg officiates the marriage ceremony of Jonathan Mintz, left, and John Feinblatt, Sunday, July 24, 2011 at Gracie Mansion in New York. Hundreds of gay couples dressed in formal suits and striped trousers, gowns and T-shirts recited vows in emotion-choked voices and triumphantly hoisted their long-awaited marriage certificates on Sunday as New York became the sixth and largest state to recognize same-sex weddings. (AP Photo/Office of the Mayor, Edward Reed)
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