For only Mayor Bloomberg could a 50% approval rating be great news. The mayor's ratings have improved to give him his highest score in two years, back to levels he was at when he entered office. The Quinnipiac poll shows that Mayor B is at a 50% approval rating (but it's still not near his July 2002 high of 57%), which is attributed to his property rebate, keeping crime down, and the improving NYC economy. Other figures from the poll say 65% of NY voters says he has strong leadership abilities and 52% do not believe he cares about people like them. Mayor Bloomberg's lowest rating was in July 2003 - a mere 31%, feeding off of resentment from tax increase and spending cuts. But the poll does show that if Mayor Bloomberg were to run against Fernando Ferrer, Ferrer would win; Bloomberg beats other Democratic hopefuls in a hypothetical race. Congressman Anthony Weiner, who apparently is looking at a run for mayor next year, tells the Post, "The numbers for anyone but Bloomberg stay pretty steady. The bottom line is we're a year out, people know him very well and a large number of people don't like him." However, many Democrats agree that the mayor's Scrooge McDuck-like amount of money make him a "viable" candidate next fall.

Gothamist has to say congratulations to the Mayor. We'll be carefully following what happens next. The poll was at the beginning of June, before the Mayor's announced noise code changes. Quinnipiac, get on that! We'd also like pre-, during- and post-Convention thoughts on the Mayor's approval, too. Gothamist on Bloomberg's approval ratings for the past year plus.