Thirty percent of Westchester County residents say taxes should be the top priority for the next county executive, according to a new poll by Marist Poll.
The poll, conducted in partnership with The Business Council of Westchester, was released Wednesday night to coincide with a debate between county executive candidates hosted by the council at the Reckson Center in White Plains. Lee Miringoff, director of Marist Poll, moderated the debate between incumbent Republican Robert P. Astorino and challenger Noam Bramson, a Democrat and current mayor of New Rochelle.
“The economy is top of mind and will be an important factor in this November”™s election,” he said. A similar survey was conducted in 2009 when Astorino ran against former executive Andy Spano, who had been in office for three terms.
When those polled were asked what the next county executive”™s top priority should be, 30 percent said taxes, 21 percent said jobs, 19 percent said education and 12 percent said economic development. Seven percent responded housing should be the top priority, while poverty, crime and transportation are each mentioned by fewer than 5 percent.
Westchester residents have an improved outlook about the county economy compared to four years ago, according to the poll. Twenty one percent of residents say the economy is getting better while only 12 percent said it was getting better in 2009. Sixteen percent of county residents believe the local economy is getting worse, a drop from 33 percent who had this view four years ago.
About 69 percent of adults think the county is unaffordable for the average family, with only 2 percent responding that it is “very affordable,” 32 percent saying it is affordable and 30 percent saying it is “reasonable.” Fifty percent of residents think the amount of fees and taxes for services are not fair, while 48 percent believe they are.
Ninety six percent of residents said they were satisfied with the county as a place to live, though among Latino and African Americans, the excellent and good ratings for their neighborhoods were 88 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
The poll surveyed 577 residents over the phone on two days in September. Among those polled, 481 were registered voters and 375 were homeowners. The plus or minus percentage for the results is slightly above 4.
For more on the poll, visit the Marist Poll site here.
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