Nearing the midway point of its term, Calgary City Council has received a failing grade from Calgarians, according to the results of a recent survey by ThinkHQ Public Affairs.."These findings align with those gathered last fall, although one bright spot for councillors is that their ratings among constituents have improved nominally over the past year," ThinkHQ Public Inc. said in a statement..The survey said Calgary Mayor Gondek has struggled since being elected in October 2021 and has not gained any significant ground with voters regarding their ratings of her performance.. Gondek graphThe survey said City of Calgary Mayor Gondek has struggled since being elected in October 2021 and has not gained any significant ground with voters regarding their ratings of her performance. .The mayor currently has an approval rating of 36%, compared to a 55% disapproval rating, largely unchanged over the past year. Adding to her woes, the mayor’s support is quite soft, while opposition is intense..According to the poll, just 10% of Calgarians give her a 'strong approval rating,' with 26% of respondents saying they “somewhat approve.”.Four in ten (40%) strongly disapprove of her performance, with 15% 'somewhat disapproving.'.The survey acknowledged a notable gender gap in Gondek’s ratings, with women somewhat more positive in their appraisals than men, while men are decidedly more negative toward the mayor..Calgarians aged 55+ have weaker and more negative ratings of Gondek than their younger cohorts and disapproval of the mayor is more concentrated in established communities and in households earning more than $125,000 a year..Calgary City Councillors.Calgarians were asked to rate their ward councillor’s performance since they were elected in 2021. Aggregately, councillors receive modestly positive ratings from constituents, with 42% saying they approve of their councillor compared to 39% saying they disapprove.."This represents a nominal improvement in councillor ratings over the past year, up three points since our last survey in Fall 2022. That said, compared to the longitudinal tracking over the past decade, these appraisals are tepid," ThinkHQ Public Inc. stated.. Council graphThe poll said councillor performance ratings are reasonably consistent across demographic strata, with some variation, particularly in negative evaluations. .The poll said councillor performance ratings are reasonably consistent across demographic strata, with some variation, particularly in negative evaluations..Southwest and inner-city residents offer the lowest approval rating of their councillors, with support tending to increase as one moves from the city core to the suburbs..Men are more negative in their ratings of councillors than women, as are the group aged 55+..City Council Overall.The poll found council’s overall approval with Calgarians tends to track in line, though generally behind, that of the mayor..This summer, just 35% of Calgarians say they approve of the performance of their municipal politicians, compared to 54% who disapprove.."As with previous measures, age and gender influence performance ratings, with men and older voters are decidedly more negative in their appraisals," ThinkHQ Public Inc. stated..ThinkHQ President Marc Henry slammed the mayor and her council and said, “This a not a report card you would put on the fridge. We’re nearing the mid-point of this council’s term, and their numbers remain chronically weak."."For Mayor Gondek, she has struggled from the outset and has not found her feet yet. For councillors, the news is a bit more positive. They’ve seen a little increase in their constituent ratings, but compared to previous councils, they are still underperforming," Henry said.."Some of this can perhaps be explained by the historic turnover on the council in the last election – a new mayor and a majority of new councillors – there’s bound to be a few missteps and hiccups as they learn the ropes. But it is at this stage you might expect to see some improvement – if you haven’t learned the job in 18 months, chances are you never will.".Henry said it’s also at this stage – even though the next municipal election is 28 months away – that politicians tend to take stock and think about the prospects ahead.."Many of the councillors, should they choose to run again in 2025, will have a relatively easy path to re-election (provided they continue to perform as well as they have to date). For others, re-election would be a bit bumpier," Henry said.."The mayor’s situation is a bit more interesting. Gondek is only in her first term, and for most mayors, the first re-election campaign is the easiest. This mayor could end up the exception to this rule, however."."If she plans to run again and be successful, she’ll need to find a way to connect with constituents in a manner that has eluded her so far.".Henry said her approval/disapproval has been in negative territory for almost the entirety of her term, and if that stubborn trend were to continue, "Her prospects for re-election are fairly bleak.".The poll was conducted from June 22 to 26, with a sample size of 1,116. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of this size is +/- 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Nearing the midway point of its term, Calgary City Council has received a failing grade from Calgarians, according to the results of a recent survey by ThinkHQ Public Affairs.."These findings align with those gathered last fall, although one bright spot for councillors is that their ratings among constituents have improved nominally over the past year," ThinkHQ Public Inc. said in a statement..The survey said Calgary Mayor Gondek has struggled since being elected in October 2021 and has not gained any significant ground with voters regarding their ratings of her performance.. Gondek graphThe survey said City of Calgary Mayor Gondek has struggled since being elected in October 2021 and has not gained any significant ground with voters regarding their ratings of her performance. .The mayor currently has an approval rating of 36%, compared to a 55% disapproval rating, largely unchanged over the past year. Adding to her woes, the mayor’s support is quite soft, while opposition is intense..According to the poll, just 10% of Calgarians give her a 'strong approval rating,' with 26% of respondents saying they “somewhat approve.”.Four in ten (40%) strongly disapprove of her performance, with 15% 'somewhat disapproving.'.The survey acknowledged a notable gender gap in Gondek’s ratings, with women somewhat more positive in their appraisals than men, while men are decidedly more negative toward the mayor..Calgarians aged 55+ have weaker and more negative ratings of Gondek than their younger cohorts and disapproval of the mayor is more concentrated in established communities and in households earning more than $125,000 a year..Calgary City Councillors.Calgarians were asked to rate their ward councillor’s performance since they were elected in 2021. Aggregately, councillors receive modestly positive ratings from constituents, with 42% saying they approve of their councillor compared to 39% saying they disapprove.."This represents a nominal improvement in councillor ratings over the past year, up three points since our last survey in Fall 2022. That said, compared to the longitudinal tracking over the past decade, these appraisals are tepid," ThinkHQ Public Inc. stated.. Council graphThe poll said councillor performance ratings are reasonably consistent across demographic strata, with some variation, particularly in negative evaluations. .The poll said councillor performance ratings are reasonably consistent across demographic strata, with some variation, particularly in negative evaluations..Southwest and inner-city residents offer the lowest approval rating of their councillors, with support tending to increase as one moves from the city core to the suburbs..Men are more negative in their ratings of councillors than women, as are the group aged 55+..City Council Overall.The poll found council’s overall approval with Calgarians tends to track in line, though generally behind, that of the mayor..This summer, just 35% of Calgarians say they approve of the performance of their municipal politicians, compared to 54% who disapprove.."As with previous measures, age and gender influence performance ratings, with men and older voters are decidedly more negative in their appraisals," ThinkHQ Public Inc. stated..ThinkHQ President Marc Henry slammed the mayor and her council and said, “This a not a report card you would put on the fridge. We’re nearing the mid-point of this council’s term, and their numbers remain chronically weak."."For Mayor Gondek, she has struggled from the outset and has not found her feet yet. For councillors, the news is a bit more positive. They’ve seen a little increase in their constituent ratings, but compared to previous councils, they are still underperforming," Henry said.."Some of this can perhaps be explained by the historic turnover on the council in the last election – a new mayor and a majority of new councillors – there’s bound to be a few missteps and hiccups as they learn the ropes. But it is at this stage you might expect to see some improvement – if you haven’t learned the job in 18 months, chances are you never will.".Henry said it’s also at this stage – even though the next municipal election is 28 months away – that politicians tend to take stock and think about the prospects ahead.."Many of the councillors, should they choose to run again in 2025, will have a relatively easy path to re-election (provided they continue to perform as well as they have to date). For others, re-election would be a bit bumpier," Henry said.."The mayor’s situation is a bit more interesting. Gondek is only in her first term, and for most mayors, the first re-election campaign is the easiest. This mayor could end up the exception to this rule, however."."If she plans to run again and be successful, she’ll need to find a way to connect with constituents in a manner that has eluded her so far.".Henry said her approval/disapproval has been in negative territory for almost the entirety of her term, and if that stubborn trend were to continue, "Her prospects for re-election are fairly bleak.".The poll was conducted from June 22 to 26, with a sample size of 1,116. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of this size is +/- 2.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
