A majority of New York City voters in a recent survey said they think Mayor Bill de Blasio is unethical and hands out favors to those who donate to his campaigns.
A full 55 percent told Quinnipiac pollsters they agreed that the mayor “does favors for developers who make political contributions to campaigns in which he is involved,” Politico reported.
The poll found majorities of voters in all demographic groups surveyed agreed with the statement.
Still, 54 percent said they found the mayor’s actions to be merely unethical, not illegal. In general, 86 percent of voters survey said corruption in the city was a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem.
De Blasio and his administration have become embroiled in a variety of controversies in recent months, including ties to real estate investor Jona Rechnitz of JSR Capital, who is the subject of a federal corruption investigation, and the decision to lift a deed restriction at 45 Rivington Street on the Lower East that allowed the former nursing home to be sold to by the Allure Group to condominium developers Slate Property Group, Adam America Real Estate and China Vanke for a hefty profit.
The mayor’s approval rating stands at 41 percent, according to another Quinnipiac poll released earlier this week. [Politico] – Ariel Stulberg