Voice of the People, Part I

It’s the first day of poll results.

We’ll break them down into two parts. Today, we’ll look at the opinions on politicians and candidates. Tomorrow, we’ll look at issues. We’ll give you the raw results, and a bit of our analysis.

We anticipate making polls a regular feature. We’re thinking something in the “question of the week” genre, but will hold on to the idea of doing multi-question polls later as well.

On with the show:

If the election were held today, whom would you vote for in the state representative’s race?

Stephen DiNatale 21 votes/78 percent
David LeBlanc 3 votes/11 percent
Mary Whitney 3 votes/11 percent

Analysis: This is the thumping we pretty much imagined. LeBlanc and Whitney have said they’re in, but haven’t done much (like even open a campaign account to start raising money). Unless there’s a late entry with some weight behind them, DiNatale appears very, very strong.

Who isn’t running for state representative that you would like to see in the race?

Matthew Straight 8 votes/38 percent
Ralph Romano 7 votes/33 percent
Thomas Donnelly 4 votes/19 percent
Dan Mylott 2 votes/10 percent

Analysis: No clear winner here. Straight has some fans in the Save Fitchburg community, and won narrowly. Romano was politically strong as a councilor and maintains a future if he wants it, and this vote confirms that. Not surprising to see Mylott poll so low. At least in this crowd, he’s an unpleasant option generally.

How would you grade Mayor Dan Mylott’s performance?

C 10 votes/32 percent
F 9 votes/29 percent
D 5 votes/16 percent
A 4 votes/13 percent
B 3 votes/10 percent

Analysis: There’s two ways of looking at this one: 45 percent of voters gave Mylott a D-grade or worse. On the other hand, 55 percent thought he was doing OK (with a C) or better. Interestingly, the middle-of-the-road C was the leading vote-getter. Also interesting, this question received more votes than any other. It appears Mylott is under the microscope, for better or worse.

Who is your current top choice for mayor in 2007?

Matthew Straight 9 votes/39 percent
Thomas Donnelly 4 votes/17 percent
Stephen DiNatale 3 votes/13 percent
Dan Mylott 3 votes/13 percent
Ralph Romano 3 votes/13 percent
Mary Whitney 1 vote/4 percent

Analysis: We’re assuming that most people consider DiNatale state rep, and that he wouldn’t run for mayor. Straight, again, is the leading vote-getter, but we’re more interested in the muddled mess behind him. Everyone else is sort of bunched together. It’s very early, but it appears folks are wide open on this one.

As a whole, how would you grade the performance of the City Council?

C 9 votes/32 percent
B 7 votes/25 percent
F 5 votes/18 percent
A 4 votes/14 percent
D 3 votes/11 percent

Analysis: We’ll take this to mean that voters point the finger more at the mayor than the Council, but that the Council leaves something to be desired. Over half (57 percent) give the board Bs and Cs, and over 70 percent give them C or better with the As included. We’re guessing that the frustration is targeted more toward individual councilors that the board itself.